Aside from choosing the school you want to go to, one of the most important things about going to college is choosing your major.
The major is not just a decision you make as a college freshman.
Typically, there have been years of thought and interest that go into this decision.
Have you wanted to be a pilot since you were three years old?
Did your dream of becoming a doctor start when you were five?
Many college students think they understand what is involved in their major, only to get to school and realize that they actually hate it.
This is a relatively common problem, and it should not upset you if you find yourself in this situation.
Instead, the best thing to do is to follow one of these steps and start to work out your future plans as soon as possible.
Here are ten things you can do if you hate your major.
1. Change Major Quickly
You always have the option to change your major.
This process is going to take a bit of work and research, but it is an option.
For those who think there is no hope for them within their current major, and it is not something that will work long term, change your major as quickly as possible.
The quicker you can move on from the trouble you have had with your major, the better the chance you have of getting on your proper career path.
The problem with waiting to change your major is that you will end up taking quite a few classes that will be of no use to you.
To ensure that you start moving towards the proper career path as soon as possible, get the change made for your next semester.
For those who are only one semester into college, this change will likely be rather easy and may have no real impact on the overall college path or career plan.
However, if you have three years of college finished, and then you decide you want to change, you may end up having to spend an extra year or so in college.
When you change your major, it is essential that you speak with a college counselor or advisor so that they can lay this all out for you.
Chances are there are things that you won’t know about the change that could have a major impact on your transcript.
The most important thing to remember here is that making the change as soon as possible is the only way to ensure you will put yourself on the proper career path.
2. Add A Minor
Another option for dealing with the fact that you hate your major is to add a minor.
If you can push through with your current major and just get the degree, the minor can become your hobby and your passion.
For instance, if your major is business and you really dislike it, you may add a minor in something like math or English.
When you graduate, having the base of the initial degree plus the addition of a minor could help you find other career opportunities.
Most people who hate their major find that there are specific reasons they don’t enjoy the work or the classes.
When you sign up for a minor, you can be specific about the classes you want to take and find something that you look forward to doing.
Adding a minor may mean that you need to attend a summer class or something, but many times, you can simply add a few more credits per semester and still have enough to earn the minor.
This is one of our favorite solutions, and it requires the lowest number of changes and adjustments.
Simply find something you are interested in and start studying that as well.
The majority of college students will have time in their day to add a minor to their schedule.
3. Write Out Positives & Negatives
When you decide you hate your major, you should be very careful about making a quick and sudden change.
Truthfully, changing a major once is not a big deal.
The problem that occurs is when you start changing majors three or four times because you can’t decide what you really like.
The idea in college is not to test different majors to see what you enjoy.
You should have a general understanding of where you are headed and how you will get there.
If you don’t write out these positives and negatives, you could very likely make a big mistake during this crossroads of your college career.
We recommend taking a piece of paper and starting to write down the things that you like about your major and the things that you dislike.
Then add to that list the positives about changing majors as well as the negatives of changing majors.
Look at all the information you have compiled and ensure that it still makes sense to do the switch.
If you find that the negatives to switching and moving on from your primary far outweigh the positives, then it may be worth staying and sticking it out.
The more practical you are about this situation, the better your chance of someday being happy with your decision about your major.
4. Appointment With Advisor
An appointment with an advisor is imperative.
Advisors are going to understand the ins and outs of a major decision like this.
The advisor’s job is to help you look at your goals and your path and help you decide on something that makes the most sense.
Most college students don’t know the ins and outs of the different class options and how this is going to impact all of the work that you have already put in.
If you are nearing the end of your college career and this decision to change majors will jeopardize your ability to graduate on time, the advisor can let you know.
In addition, advisors are used to having to deal with these types of issues.
The advisors may have some resources and ideas that can help you stay with your current major but enjoy it much more.
The process of finding a new major and making this decision should not be done without the help of a trusted college advisor.
These people know the ins and outs of the school, and they can make a big difference in helping you succeed.
5. Determine Cause of Issue
Have you stopped to think about the cause of the issue?
Why do you hate your major?
Do you hate your major because you could never see yourself on this career path as an adult?
Do you find that the classes are boring and take too much of your time and attention?
Did you just have a few bad professors this semester?
Try to do some soul searching here and determine which of the reasons is causing you to dislike your major.
Sometimes you have a bad semester related to uncontrollable events and realize that the issue is not something you can even control anyway.
Chances are you have thought about why you hate your major, but if you haven’t, you need to determine the cause.
If you don’t determine what it is that is causing you to hate your major, the same problem could happen again.
You may find that the time you spent in the major that you were not enjoying has nothing to do with the topic of the major.
You may need a new school, a new hobby, or a different outlook on life as opposed to just moving in and changing your degree.
6. Find Similar Career Path
Another option is to find a similar career path.
Let’s say you are already two years into school and have taken some classes towards your major.
If you don’t want to lose those classes, you can talk with your advisor and see what other majors also require those classes.
Depending on which classes you took, there is generally quite a bit of overlap from one degree to another.
Finding a similar career path can mean that you will have no issues with graduating on time.
Sometimes these paths have almost identical required classes, and you can adjust your major without ever feeling the issue.
Of course, the sooner you get this done, the better.
Most of the time, the first two years of college deal with more of the core classes.
As time goes on and you move towards your junior and senior year, the classes become more major-specific.
When this happens, the changing of a major and aligning it with another one can get trickier.
As we have mentioned several times, don’t delay your interest in switching majors, but get it done as soon as possible.
7. Take A Semester Off
Have you considered taking a semester off from school?
Sometimes the reason for hating your major is that you simply need a break from school.
The break can allow you to think about the process and the path you are on and decide if it could still work for you long term.
Taking a semester off is not a bad idea if you can afford to do it.
Try to find a job that is similar to what you are going to school for.
You may discover that if you are surrounding yourself with the future that you will have in that industry, you could end up much more successful.
Taking a semester off is not quitting, but it is more like refocusing your attention and getting back on a proper path.
If you are able to do this, you may find that your decision to either stay with or change your major becomes much clearer.
The time you spend away from school can help bring things into focus for you and help you get to the cause of the issue.
If you take a semester off, you may be able to make up for it during the summer or at night.
This can help you still graduate close to the same time that you would have originally.
8. Change For Grad School
If you are very close to completing your major, there may be nothing that makes sense about changing.
You can feel as though the change is going to be a major step back, and the classes you have completed will have been a waste of time and money.
One of the things that we have mentioned continuously is not wasting your time in this process.
However, money should also be considered.
These college classes cost a lot of money.
If you are not careful about how you are spending your money on these classes, you could end up with quite a bit of college debt.
Of course, most people graduate with debt, but the problem is escalated if you have debt and you hate your major.
The overall issues seem much worse, and the change is hard to justify.
Making the change for grad school can be a great solution.
You will complete your degree and then move on to something that truly interests you in grad school.
This path is very easy to accomplish, and it will still set you up for the career you want.
Chances are you will need a four-year degree to land your dream job, so even if that major is slightly different, but the pursuit of your master’s degree is focused on the proper topic, you should still have the appropriate resume to get the job.
9. Take A Summer Class
Sometimes it can make sense to take a summer class in a different category or subject than your current major.
Taking a summer class like this will open your eyes to some of the other options that are available.
The summer classes can be taken at a time that is convenient for you, and if you find that this is more enjoyable and a better path for you, then you can make a change during your next semester.
The summer class is a great way to test a new field and decide if it is, in fact, a smart choice for you.
If you don’t take the summer class and instead change your entire major first, you could end up with the same issue that you have had in the past.
Taking a summer class is also an economical way to go about making this decision.
The overall pricing of one single summer class is well worth it when trying to make a major decision like this one.
If you are new to college and not sure what your overall goals are, this is the perfect way to move forward and straighten things out.
10. Build Skills In Other Areas
Last but not least, if you hate your major, start to build up some other skills.
These skills can be anything from an art class to a volunteering event with Habitat for Humanity.
Find the things you are passionate about, and then look for specific ways to bulk up your resume.
Not only will this help you look like a more well-rounded college student, but it could also help you find a proper career path.
Sometimes it makes sense to stay with the major and stick it out long term.
The options or the costs involved with switching are not always worth it.
However, building skills in other areas is a great option to still get the resume bulked up while completing your original major.
This process should be where you look at your activities outside of school as being for enjoyment and fun.
The activities inside of school are the things you must complete, the obligations.
Simply adding something to your life that helps you enjoy what you are doing can also end up having an impact on the way you feel about your major.
You may find that, all of a sudden, the major is more enjoyable because you care about something outside of school, and that is what grabs your attention.
Overall, it is essential to remember that even if you despise your major, this is not the end of the world.
You will have to make a few adjustments to your life, but you can certainly still work things out to make your college experience much more enjoyable.
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