Dealing with Feeling Discouraged About Your Major
10:00 AM
Let's start with understanding why we feel discouraged:
As I have mentioned, these feelings can stem from not passing a class, negative rumors about a major or from professors in that major. No matter the reason, take that information and find out if it is because
- Someone or something triggered the negative feelings
OR - You really want to change your major
Finding out that a major isn't for you is very different from an external source triggering feelings.
Once we know the reason, we can move on to a solution. These solutions are mostly for those that are feeling discouraged because of an external cause. But, keep reading and let's solve this!
Why did you choose this major?
It helps to remind yourself why you picked the major in the first place. Sometimes when we have a lot of outside "noise" it can affect our emotions and in this case, we forget what we picked our major for in the first place. We can work through this by really looking at the original reasons for our choice.
Here are some helpful questions:
- What was the end goal?
- Did you have a career path in mind?
- Is it your hobby that you wanted to make a career?
- Who inspired you to pick this major?
I highly suggest spending some time with this one.
What do you feel is the right decision?
It doesn't matter what other people think about your major. They aren't the ones that have to sit through the classes or get further education in it. YOU ARE. So, what does your gut feeling tell you to do? Does your inner feelings say "I really love this and I want to keep doing it," or "I thought I loved this, but I'm realizing I don't want a career in this," or does it say "I love this but I'm feeling unsure because this subject is really difficult, and I don't think I should keep doing this because it's too hard."
See the difference?
It's about passion. It's about drive and motivation. It's about happiness. What do you want for yourself? Emphasis on YOURSELF. Like I said, it's about you and no one else's expectations or wants for you.
What can be done to help you feel better about your major?
Speaking to a counselor or therapist to work through the issue might be the best thing you can do. Try talking to someone in your major's department about the issues you're having. These people are experts in the field or understand what you are going through because they've been there too.
I can guarantee that you are not the first nor the last student to feel discouraged or unsure about your major.
If you do change, what are you going to change to? And why?
If you have gotten past all of this and you still feel like you want to change your major, you need to have a plan. You can't just change to nothing. Some people will go from declared to undeclared but, keep in mind that you will have to pick something at some point.
What are you changing to? Physics? Dance? Business? Once you figure that out, look into why you want that?
Have you done your research on it? Do you know what you want to do after you graduate with this major? What is the goal and how do you plan to get there?
Also, knowing why is important. I suggest not picking a major because of money. It's usually frowned upon because you may end up hating it, but hey, that's my opinion.
Also, knowing why is important. I suggest not picking a major because of money. It's usually frowned upon because you may end up hating it, but hey, that's my opinion.
In the end, feeling discouraged happens to the best of us and that includes me. I think it happens at a time in our lives when we are either about to hit a major growth period or are going through one. Whatever you do, don't let it get you down. There are many ways to work through it and figure out what your next steps are.
"Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort." - Morgan Freeman
Keep striving and love yourself.
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