Supposedly, you need to go to college with a concrete idea of what you’d like to do for the rest of your life. You get this idea in your head that this is what you chose for yourself and that’s it. Switching is not an option when you’ve spent so much time and money on your major. Yet, what I think students tend to overlook is exactly how long life can be and how miserable the wrong career can make you.
I’m currently enrolled in an accounting co-op program and recently I began my first co-op semester. I worked at an actual public accounting firm where I got a better understanding of the types of jobs my education was preparing me for. It was a very different experience, where I was working 9-5 and learning practical skills as opposed to sitting in a classroom learning theory. What I quickly realized was that this could be my life, sitting at a desk five days a week until I retire. That really put everything into perspective.
After experiencing both school and the workplace, I think I am fit to identify the three signs you’re in the wrong major, and I’m going to share them with you.
1. You don’t find the material interesting.
True, your real job will not require you to complete essays or pages of mathematical proofs, but the underlying theory is pretty similar. Your education allows you to understand what’s going on and why you’re making the decisions you make. If you find yourself not paying attention in class out of sheer boredom, you probably aren’t enjoying yourself. If you’re not at least a little invested in your education, your lack of interest will translate in the workplace, staggering how fast you move up the corporate ladder. No one wants to be the one who’s still at entry-level when all your friends are managers.
2. You’re only going for the money.
I get it, there are so many things out there worth buying. Unfortunately, everything costs money. However, if you forget our materialistic world for one moment, you spend a lot on things you DON’T NEED to impress people you DON’T KNOW. Studies have been done to show how happiness correlates with salary, and you would expect the more money you make the happier you’ll be right? No. The correlation plateaus after a certain point, proving that after you have enough income, your happiness relies on other factors.
3. You already have a feeling your major isn’t right for you.
You can’t seem to pay attention to class, nothing gets you excited, and you’d rather spend all your time doing something else. I’m not talking about watching TV and eating cake for hours, but you find yourself actually enjoy researching and learning about other areas. If you see an article pop up on social media, you click on it. All your hobbies and clubs that you join surround another subject matter. Chances are, you already planned to do a little of that on the side or make a career change after you earned enough money. You already know what you want; you’re just not making the switch.
All in all, I understand your education and career are not light subjects, they’re serious! There must have been many reasons why you chose the major you’re in right now. However, the trend I’m seeing is most people are going for all these technical, advanced kind of jobs that as a whole we’re neglecting the other job fields that we need to support our economy. We need people to repair our cars, decorate wedding cakes, and perform in orchestras. Unfortunately those skill-sets are becoming rarer because of the stigma that those jobs are lesser than the more technical ones. They’re not. Nothing’s more or less when it comes to passion. Don’t go for a career you just tolerate, go for one you love.
Featured Image via Pexels.
You can’t seem to pay attention to class, nothing gets you excited, and you’d rather spend all your time doing something else.