When I finally gathered the courage to tell my parents that I intended to change my major entering into my junior year, you could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. They had so many questions, such as how was I going to graduate on time? And what on earth was I going to do after graduation?
I had talked about being a teacher ever since I can remember, and Teacher Preparation programs were what had driven my college search. However, as my semester abroad came to a close at the end of my sophomore year, I realized that my heart wasn't in the classroom. It was in the great wide somewhere, exploring and leaving no stone unturned.
So I returned to school for my junior year in search of a new major, one that would fit my new career ambitions. That semester, I enrolled in a variety of courses in order to find a program that I would be passionate about. One of the courses was Intro to Communications, which provides a brief overview of the major. I knew, from the very beginning of the class, that I had found the department that would get me where I wanted to go.
Throughout the last two years as a communications major, I have honed my skills in areas such as public speaking, writing, observation, and analysis. As students of communications, we question everything around us, and have the ability to rely on the expertise of our professors to help us find the answers. We are also encouraged to think critically about human behavior, drawing conclusions as to why these answers make sense. I have also developed personal and professional connections with my professors, attended networking events, and been given many internship and research opportunities.
The class that really caught my attention, however, focused on the way that cultures communicate with one another. It is fascinating to me that, in a global economy, cultural competency is so fundamental for success. Seeing as my other major is Spanish, this really drew my two majors together. My fascination with language and culture was paired with my interest in people in a way that I hadn't previously considered. This was the moment in which I was sure that I had made the right choice in changing my major.
I recently had another conversation with my parents, during which they told me that they believe that I made the right choice in changing my major when I did. Not only will I be walking across the stage with the rest of my class at graduation in May, I feel prepared and excited for whatever comes next. I have never had so many opportunities laid out in front of me as what I have experienced as a communications major, and am more than pleased with my decision to change my career path.
The bottom line? College is the time to have the confidence to take a chance, do what's best for you, and make changes. After all, you are setting the stage for the rest of your life.