Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
On paper, business makes sense.
Having a business degree opens so many opportunities, like making it easier to attain a high-paying job. Especially choosing to attend Indiana University, where the business school boasts such a strong reputation, it feels like a good choice. It also feels like deciding to attend IU means you must stick with majoring in business because of how prestigious and well-known it is.
When I arrived at IU, I thought I had everything figured out. Choosing a practical major and working in a corporate job after graduation would be the key to my success.
For me, that meant pursuing business.
But what looks good on paper may not always feel right.
As the semester went on, I was not receiving the grades that I thought I should be based on the work and effort I put in. I also felt disconnected from the material I was learning. I didn't like it. It felt more like a chore than an interest.
Soon, my courses burnt me out, with no time to focus on aspects of young adulthood outside of classes. Studying, tutoring, and coursework drained hours from my life, and yet the harder I worked, the more spent and disconnected I felt. When the final exam for economics rolled around the corner, I camped in the library for eight full hours the day before the final.
After seeing my test score and realizing I didn’t even pass the exam, I knew I didn't want to go on for the next four years of my college life working so hard just to eke by.
I went through the motions of a business student because I thought I had to. The discomfort, I kept telling myself, could mean future success and happiness.
That mindset is not something to live by. It's important to enjoy your major because there is no point in investing so much money, stress, and time on something that you don't take pleasure in.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about four in five college students switch their majors at least once.
The University of Tulsa also states that students who switch their major have an 83% graduation rate compared to 79% of those who finalize their major freshmen year.
There are many reasons as to why people switch their majors. It may not be the right fit, you might find new interests, the coursework could be too challenging, or a program may not have a promising career outlook.
Still, many students look at changing their major as a failure. I did.
I wanted to prove to myself and my family that I can stay in business school and graduate with a degree from the Kelley School of Business. But by the time the first semester ended, I asked myself, "Is this really what I want? Do I want to replace my happiness with being constantly burnt out for the rest of my life, all to have the role of being a businesswoman?”
The moment I changed my major to Media Advertising, with a minor in business, I came into my second semester an entirely new person. I was more engaged in class and cared more about what I was learning. My grades improved to an A+ in every class that semester as I was finally studying something that interested me. I also had much more time to focus on other things than academics, like my health and relationships with others, which made me motivated and happier.
I also learned that while being a business major can open many doors, no major guarantees success.
"Your network matters way more than your college major," a writer for Forbes said.
Anyone pursuing any major can be successful. Sure, there are certain majors to take if you want to go into a specific field, such as investment banking. But I didn't even know what field I wanted to go into after college. Across majors, networking is often more important than your actual major.
College students are expected to make big career planning decisions at 18 years old, fresh out of high school. We are expected to know what we want before we even have a chance to explore the opportunities.
Success is not about choosing the major that looks good on paper; it's about finding a path that allows you to grow and build a future that you genuinely want.
There are so many different choices of majors to choose from, and no one of them determines a person’s success in life.
If you are unhappy in your major, feeling trapped or burnt out, know you are not alone.
Changing my major was the best decision I made because I learned more about myself, and it also proved to me that I would've never enjoyed pursuing a path in business if I had stayed in the major. I chose my happiness rather than being miserable.
Sometimes the bravest thing a student can do is change their direction.
Samantha Shanker (she/her) is a freshman studying media advertising with a minor in business.
