I changed my major three times during my first two years at Boise State. I’m not alone, and neither are you. 50% of students change their major in their first year of college, and almost 80% change it before graduation. As a freshman, I felt pressure from my peers to just pick any major, because that was what everyone else seemed to be doing.
With not much thought put into it, I became a communication major. I didn’t take the time to research what interested me about the field, and I lacked the confidence to explore what I could do with this major. I ended up switching to an elementary education major because it felt safer. As I gained more experience and learned more about myself, I realized I was not passionate about education. Starting my freshman year, I had the opportunity to run the social media accounts for my sorority, and I had a lot of fun expressing my creativity. After a lot of reflection, research, and advice, I made one final switch from an elementary education major to an integrated media major with an emphasis in public relations!
Finding the right major for me was a journey, to say the least, but many factors contributed to my final decision. It would have been nice not to feel so lost and alone about what major to pick. These 5 ½ things were some of the most beneficial resources that contributed to why I am where I am today.
1) PathwayU
My experience taking PathwayU, a self-guided online career assessment from Career Services, led me to understand that I was much more interested in a creative field than I thought. Creativity shows in many forms and means something different to me than some of my peers. It can be hard to realize or admit that you are passionate about something. There can be a fear of failure that comes with pursuing a career that you might be great at, or feel much more confident in. PathwayU gave me some interesting options, such as pursuing a singing career, which is definitely not something that I would ever do. However, it showed me that I am interested in the creative side of business/marketing rather than the more analytical side.
2) Getting out of your comfort zone
Putting myself out there has always been the scariest part of navigating what I possibly wanted as a future career, and when choosing my major. I was also scared of feeling like a failure or facing rejection, which is a natural response and is what held me back for a lot of years. Whether it is your first time taking a risk when it comes to a job, a major, or any life decision, you notice that you feel more sure of yourself after making these big leaps. If I had not tried something new like applying for my sorority’s social media manager position, I would not have gained experience and been able to feel confident enough to take another risk and apply for this job as a Content Creator with Student Communications, and the reason I am writing this blog. Yes, there are many resources that Boise State offers to help you get where you want to go, but it is also still up to you to find and take opportunities.
3) Career Fair
Something that you can do face-to-face is attend a Boise State Career Fair. This is an excellent opportunity to put yourself out there and network with alumni and people who are looking to hire someone exactly like you. You can explore different kinds of careers and ask direct questions. Networking is crucial in helping build your future and Boise State offers an easy, accessible, and free way to do this. These events are on campus and occur every fall and spring semester. If you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious about this kind of event, Career Services has resources on how to prepare for the career fair. Going to the event builds your confidence and might give you more clarity on what career path you are looking for.
4) Advise with your counselor
Counselors at Boise State have provided me with a lot of excellent resources to help me find my footing. You can reach out to your assigned counselor, but also take further steps to reach out to other counselors in a major that you might also be interested in. They can help you pick classes to explore your other options. Just because you picked something freshman year does not mean that you have to keep that major throughout your college career. You are allowed to lean into other options, and counselors are a great resource to do so.
5) Major Finder
Major Finder is a great resource from Boise State and one I checked very frequently before coming to school. Major Finder is unique because it allows you to search by field of study and interest, rather than just providing a list of majors. It also lays out potential job ideas that you could do with that major. This can help you start to get a better understanding of which kind of jobs you can get within that field.
5 ½) You’re not alone
You’re not alone in wanting to explore different majors after you’ve started classes in your freshman year. Read Molly’s What I Wish I Would’ve Known About Changing Majors for another perspective and account.