Is It Possible That I Picked the Wrong Degree?

The majority of us anticipate our lives after graduation to be full of joy and spontaneous dance parties.

But, it’s not uncommon to feel like you made a tremendous mistake after graduation.

This sinking feeling isn’t just due to the fact that we’ll be leaving the luxuries of college and entering the real world. Some of us, like guest writer Isabelle Chong, slowly and painfully realise that the job search is far more difficult than we anticipated, and we begin to wonder if we chose the “wrong major” (or if there is such a thing).

We begin to wonder if this is our punishment for pursuing a major that we were passionate about rather than something more practical. That’s how it can feel at times.

Isabelle talks about how she came to grips with his decision to study in English and how she’s grown to appreciate the experience, even if it didn’t lead to a job after graduation.

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For me, college was a difficult experience. I changed majors five times in the five and a half years it took me to get my bachelor’s degree, none of which I finished.

I had nothing that I would consider success over my first two and a half years. I was enrolled in a business programme and was deciding between a few different particular degrees based on what sounded interesting at the time. However, I failed nearly as many classes as I passed.

Despite the turbulence of my academic life at the time, it laid the groundwork for what has turned out to be the most crucial decision of my life thus far. I came to a startling discovery after speaking with an advisor about the classes I’d be taking and how I planned to get back on track.

Maybe that was an indication that I needed a change because I didn’t care about any of the subjects I was taking for my degree and looked forward to any electives I got to take. There was an easy decision when I considered what classes I was looking forward to and what subjects I had enjoyed in high school. I needed to major in English.

This was a terrible notion to contemplate. Everyone has heard the jokes about English or art majors never making money, and when you’re 20 and have never made more than minimum wage, the last thing you want to do is accept your fate of poverty. You want to find a job straight after graduation that allows you to be comfortable and buy great things, or you want to move out of your parents’ house and not have to come home to wash laundry because you spent all of your quarters on petrol for your car. It was terrifying, but I went ahead and did it. I decided that practicality was not worth it in this circumstance, and I would rather pursue satisfaction and happiness instead.

Even as I got closer to graduation and some of the realities of “adult” life became more apparent, I held firm in my decision. I was seeing a growing number of friends graduate and struggle to find work in their field of study.

I quit my retail job shortly after graduating from high school in order to finish college faster without the distraction of a job, and I was tremendously lucky to have my parents’ financial assistance in doing so. However, this was only a temporary agreement, and it was barely enough to cover necessities like gas for my car and the occasional meal, let alone participate in many of my friends’ enjoyable activities. If we went out to eat or drink, I’d order whatever was the cheapest on the menu and call it good, or offer to drive in the hopes that someone would buy me something in exchange—though I’d never ask for such an arrangement out of shame.

In December 2013, I accomplished something that had seemed impossible at one point during my college career. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. It was a watershed point in my life and one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had. I advise you to take a step back, take a deep breath, and celebrate yourself when you obtain your degree, regardless of the circumstances.

However, in my situation, this sense of accomplishment was quickly replaced by something else: a sudden realisation that I had run out of excuses for my unemployment.

I began looking for writing jobs, but quickly realised that, for all of its wonderful attributes, Boise, Idaho is not the best place for a writer to make a livelihood, especially one with no background in journalism, technical writing, teaching, or copywriting. Every entry-level writing position I saw required some level of experience, and I received no good responses after reaching out to them. I changed tactics and began approaching the process as if it were a business presentation, and I attempted to market myself to companies. I even confronted some of my deepest social fears by attending employment fairs, but to no avail.

It had been an excruciatingly frustrating process.

This prompted me to ponder some challenging concerns concerning my major selection. I had been told my entire childhood that college was a stepping stone to a career, but it didn’t appear to be the case in my case. I’d heard all the jokes about starving artists, and I was well aware that my degree was not ideal for making enormous quantities of money, but I still expected more. Everyone I spoke with said that businesses were in desperate need of writers.

In recent days, the vast majority of businesses have begun to use social media and online mass communication, which necessitates the skills of a writer, but these positions appeared to be impossible to come by. I expected to be able to make a decent income in the field I had invested so much time, effort, and money in while in school.

Was my bachelor’s degree genuinely useless? Had I made a grave error by choosing a field that I adored over one that was more practical? Despite having a college diploma, would I have to return to making slightly above minimum wage?

The insight I had was that “worth” in terms of my degree is not simply quantified. It can’t be based on anything other than my own set of standards. If I judged these questions on the basis of employment or monetary return on investment, I’d have to admit that I’d made a mistake. However, by viewing it this way, I would be foregoing the most valuable aspects of my degree, as well as the lessons learned throughout my jobless.

There were very few people I connected with on a personal level or formed friends with outside of school during my time as a business major. Although the people I met in class were pleasant, there was a significant cultural divide. I have no doubt that it has nothing to do with the quality of these individuals, but rather stems from a lack of shared interests or ambitions. It had a lot to do with why I couldn’t seem to get motivated in my business studies. Most of the other business majors I encountered didn’t care about what was important to me, and vice versa.

However, as an English student, I discovered that I was able to interact with folks I took classes with on a regular basis. Although there were a few persons among my fellow English majors with whom I hated or just did not get along, I found that my interests were more in sync with those around me in general. Even after graduating from high school, I consider some of these friendships to be my strongest and most meaningful. In terms of personal value, these are priceless, and I wouldn’t trade them for any monetary gain that would have resulted from pursuing a more practical degree.

My decision to change majors and my unemployment had one effect that is perhaps the most important, but also the most subjective: personal enlightenment and satisfaction. While I can put a figure on the friendships I’ve made as a result of changing majors, it’s much more difficult to quantify the changes in myself.

Few things in life excite me as much as the opportunity to be creative, and by pursuing a creative writing degree, I was able to study and polish a creative outlet that I had previously neglected. My first writing workshop gave me a sense that I will never forget. Hearing my peers criticise my writing was difficult, but it was also liberating and rejuvenating to spend time in school studying about something I was passionate about.

However, even after balancing the advantages, the excruciatingly frustrating experience I had looking for a job after college remains a major concern. Is it worthwhile to pursue a degree in a field you enjoy, or should you choose for a more practical option? I believe the only reasonable response to this question is one that is unimpressive.

This isn’t a question that has a universal solution. To put it another way, it depends.

Financial stability is quite important to certain people. The number of non-traditional students (part-time or community college students) has been consistently rising for some time and shows no signs of slowing down. These students are more likely to be supporting a family or to be in a position where rapid job progress is more important. These are very reasonable places to be in life, and anyone who makes this decision should feel absolutely no shame. If you find yourself in this circumstance, I entirely understand. All I ask is that you continue to pursue those fields outside of your major that you are passionate in. Find ways to study it in any manner you are able, whether it be a creative outlet or a subject you enjoy learning.

For others, though, I cannot overstate the importance of earning a “impractical” degree like mine. College should, at its best, be a place where a person can improve oneself, and I truly believe that this is the case in my case. While I may have had doubts about my degree choice throughout my unemployment, I was never sure that I had made the wrong decision. It was difficult at times, but the benefits always outweighed the difficulties. I’ll leave you with some easy advise if you’re having similar frustrating post-graduate situations.

Rethink how you think about looking for work. I was so focused on finding a career in my degree field that I didn’t look for anything else. It’s fine to keep looking for work in your field while working somewhere else. When I finally landed a job, it was in a profession I never planned to work in, but it provided me with vital experience experiencing life through a different lens, and it was a strong addition to my résumé when I applied for my present job as a technical writer. If you think your degree is worthless, keep in mind that value isn’t exclusively determined by monetary gain. The quest of knowledge and progress is crucial, and you are the only one who can assess the value of your degree.

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It’s now your time! Did you, like Isabelle, choose a practical major or one that was more aligned with your interests? What are your current thoughts on your decision? What would you do differently if you could go back in time and do it all over again? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.