Choosing the right program in university

It is both a blessing and a curse to have been born in the 21st century.

We have the full freedom of choice when it comes to our careers, yet most of us lack the courage to choose based upon our ambitions.
Instead our choices are created from desire for money and stable employment.

Choosing a major in university allows us to create a career and find a job, which will probably have to be put up with for several decades.

That’s quite a long time, so why not settle on a major that you will truly adore and benefit from? There are many factors that come into play when choosing a major.

First of all, what your parents want you to do for a living, which I’m sure is a point that many of us can relate to. Secondly, what you are really passionate about?

In my first year of university, I was majoring in economics. It was a program my parents urged me to consider strongly due to the attractiveness of the business world and the good pay they assumed came along with it.

Since I didn’t mind topics such as accounting, math and business, I agreed to accept my offer to the economics program at Wilfrid Laurier University.

However, after a few weeks in the program I noticed I wasn’t doing well. I had no motivation to study and I wasn’t excited to learn when I attended my lectures. As time went on my grades dropped and I stopped going to class altogether.

I knew if I didn’t make a change I would be doomed with a future career that I couldn’t care less about.

Knowing I wanted to pursue a different career path, I began searching for different programs and opportunities around town and at Laurier.

As I was looking through the various internship opportunities and courses on the Laurier website, I stumbled upon English — a subject that I always enjoyed in high school.

This led me to consider future careers in writing and journalism, at which point I decided to make the switch.

The significance of saying all this is to encourage students to find what they are truly passionate about and pursue it.

If extraordinary people such as Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg never pursued their dreams but instead ended up working a simple nine to five office job, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate some of the most influential people of our time, and we wouldn’t have the privilege of experiencing their greatest creations.

In order to succeed and become the person you have always aspired to be you should explore all the opportunities Laurier has to offer. Join clubs or volunteer at events that will help you find what excites you.

Ask your family members and friends about what they think would most benefit you as a person in the working world. Follow your ambitions and the rest will come into place.

Ask yourself these questions. Do I like my courses? Do I enjoy learning about this? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? If the answer to any of these is “no” then you must consider switching majors.

If you are thinking of changing your major — do it now. The sooner you make a decision, the faster you can start pursuing your dream career. Life is too short to be anything but happy, so choose a major that you can genuinely be proud of for years to come.