Career

Sometimes you can just be sitting in class and all of a sudden you absolutely hate your major, (trust me it happens!) You are not alone it actually happens to many students. In fact it is estimated that nearly 75% of student change their major at least once. A small percentage of these students may even drop out. Bill Gates & Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook were both college dropouts, writes John Markoff. It is natural to be confused or have second thoughts about your education choice that will most likely guide you in to your future career. I personally think your first year of college should be your time to explore and make a real decision about what your major is or will be. It may be hard for you to find out what other subjects you are interested in and what you are good at, so having that first year to get adjusted can be a big help. It is really important to get the most out of your college years and education, so choosing a major that you enjoy and is useful can be priceless. Struggling through something you hate only to try and change your major at the end is just plain stupid in my opinion. Ok maybe not stupid if spending a few more years in school sounds like a fun idea? I believe, we need to do more than “open the door", we also need to provide resources, courses, and assistance so that all students–especially those students traditionally labeled “at-risk"–can succeed, says K. Mahoney

What ever you do you should really think about what your talents & skills are and what you really want to do with your future. For example if you want to be a musician and you are terrible at music but you happen to be a math wizard with no math classes, then perhaps you should consider switching your major. Sometimes it is a simple fact that your major does not fit your area of strength and this too can be a reason for the dislike of your major. If you see your classmates excelling and getting far better grades than you are, this will make you fell pretty crappy about being one of the worst students in the class. Make sure and give it your best shot before you call it quits. Be honest with yourself, if you are drinking all night and not studying, then doing poorly in class. It is pretty much your fault and not the fault of you major, so no matter what you choose you will have this same problem. So be honest and if you just plain suck at what you are doing then after you have given it your best shot, change your major.

Sometimes it is not your fault or the fault of the major. It can be that the school has a really poor program or just a lousy Professor. You really have to do your homework to find out what is the scoop with the quality of the professors and the program that your school offers. Talk to students read the reviews and get the facts before you blame yourself. If this is the case it poses slightly more of a fundamental problem than just a changing of your major or a lifestyle change. You should do your research before you choose your school so you know exactly what to expect. Choosing a school without doing the proper research will save you some serious agony. It can be a terrible surprise for anyone who has not done their homework on the school and the program. You spend allot of time and money only to find out your school has a really poor program or just a weak staff.

Whatever you choose as your major I advise you to use some common sense. Try and imagine what sort of careers are going to be available when you graduate. Does your major support finding a real career? You may be a really good dancer but investing 2 years in to something like “business management" only to find out you want to be a dancer may severely lower your job prospects. I am no expert on the subject but I would imagine that there are more available job positions in the “business management" sector than being a “professional dancer"? My final advice to anyone changing a major is just to put some real thought in to your decision and don’t make any rush decisions that will hurt you in the long run and good luck!