Yesterday during the discussion about whether an education is a debt sentence or not, a Studenomics reader known as MyLifeROI made an interesting comment questioning senior college students that switch their major. At first I agreed with the comment and thought that it made no sense but after talking with some other readers it hit me that there are times when a career/program change is needed. As a result I figured it was time to do another edition of outside the box thinking, discuss the few times that changes to your career or college program need to be made:
Not enough money in the field
You may have gotten into a specific major or field because you were interested in the subject but soon after realized that you could not earn a decent living. Everyone should follow their interests and passions but we all need to earn a decent living as well. If one of your passions is not profitable then have no fear because you can always try out another passion or interest of yours to determine whether it will be highly profitable.
Lack of growth/work potential
Some college programs offer very few opportunities for work after graduation. The field could be really competitive, there could be few firms hiring or just simply stagnant in growth. For example, there are many people that got into IT/Computer Science after the boom in the late 90s only to be struggling to find work a few years later. This is an excellent opportunity for you to turn an adversity into an opportunity. Instead of sinking with the ship you could get back on your feet by trying out a new career path.
You lost interest in the subject
Many people jump into a college major or career expecting every day to be insightful and exciting. A few boring lectures later they realize that the subject is actually pretty boring and full of repetitive theory. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and regretting your decision your best option is to look into other subjects that will interest you.
Better late than never
There’s no point in spending the rest of your life working in a field that doesn’t interest you just because you may have already dedicated a few years to it or acquired a high level of debt in the process. Sometimes it’s better to cut your losses and move on with your life doing what makes you happy. Many young people will argue that they feel the need to work in the field because it cost them a small fortune to complete college. This will be one of your first harsh lessons in life; you will learn that some career/education decisions may be debated many times until you eventually end up with that dream job.
Have you guys ever experience a career or major change? If so, what were the reasons behind your decision to switch things up?
Stay tuned: On Friday I will discuss ways to prevent yourself from reaching the point of wanting to switch careers/majors.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I think my main issue was that the seniors I knew who switched majors were doing and going to another major they weren’t sure about.
And the fact that they probably could have just done 1-2 more classes and gotten a double major. Why not? (in my mind)
But I definitely agree that people should evaluate their major choice very carefully! And then continuously re-assess if it was a good choice.
Yeah, I switched majors… sort of. It was during my junior year, and what I did was switch to a multidisciplinary studies major, which allowed me to add business studies in as a second concentration to my existing major. Not quite the same as double-majoring, but close. Also, it allowed me to get a B.S. instead of a B.F.A., which some people say is worth more!
I think if you’re in your senior year, the best thing may be to finish up your Bachelor’s and then consider pursuing a Masters program in whatever the other thing is. A lot of people have Bachelor’s and Master’s in completely different things, and it might be the way to go if you have a change of heart, for whatever reason, at the last minute.
@MyLifeROI A double major is a great idea and I could definitely see it leading to many job opportunities after college. Thank you for your continued discussion and support of Studenomics!
@Stephanie PTY Thank you for bringing up the idea of the Masters program because to be honest it completely slipped my mind. That’s actually an amazing idea because you are so much better off in most cases completing college if you are almost done and then applying to a different Masters program. In fact I’m sure we have all met someone in our life that has a MBA but a completely irrelevant undergraduate degree.
If you do plan on switching majors completely, to the point where not many classes transfer for your new major, I would recommend going the junior college route. Make sure you know that you have a real interest in that major before finishing it off. That’s a lot of wasted money to stick it out at a university, especially if financial aid was only available for your first 4 years.