Unsure is okay

By: Shelby Oyer

When I first came to Purdue I had no idea what I wanted to do. I began my freshman year in the Undergraduate Studies Program feeling lost and pressured to choose a major. When someone once asked me what I was going to major in during my senior year of high school and I told her I didn’t know, she responded by saying, “Doesn’t that scare you?” I thought to myself, Well, it does now lady.

However, being undecided in your major is nothing to be scared about.

I began thinking I wanted to major in Financial Counseling and Planning because I am very passionate about learning how to manage my money and wanted to help others do the same. However, after a hair-pulling semester spent studying calculus and coming to the realization that I have no desire to solve a math problem ever again, I was back at square one.

If it hadn’t been for those videos we had to watch in my EDPS 105 class as part of USP, I never would’ve learned all about the English Department. I had considered majoring in English before—actually, I’d considered majoring in pretty much everything—but didn’t think it would turn into a job and that I’d end up wasting my knowledge and working in a completely unrelated field. However, after watching the video of Mona Quinn, an academic advisor in the English Department, speaking to a GS class about the English Department and the opportunities within it, I reconsidered.

The next semester, I CODO-ed into English with a major in Professional Writing. Don’t get the wrong impression though; it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine from then on. I’ve still had major doubts about whether or not that was the right decision for me. I have never once regretted my decision to join the College of Liberal Arts, though.

In Liberal Arts you have the ability to go down countless career paths! My major may say “writing” but I plan to pursue a career in marketing or advertising. Don’t let the title of your major hold you back and don't be afraid to change your major, no matter what year you are in college. It's okay to change your mind.

LACD provides countless opportunities to help Liberal Arts students find internships and prepare to be professionals in any field they choose. Liberal Arts students have skill sets that employers may not even realize they need. We have the flexibility to attend every career fair, including IR and SMEF, and find internships and perhaps even jobs thanks to the skills we obtain in our majors. 

So no matter what your major is, don't be nervous that you won't find a job. Be confident in the skills you possess and keep an open mind about the field you want to work in. You don't have to know what you want to do right now; this is still a time to explore all of the possibilities.