Growing up, my parents told me that I could be anything that I want to be. Flash forward to my college career, and I have reached the sad reality that it’s just not true.
I cannot do absolutely everything that I want to do, and Tech had no problems letting me know that very quickly.
The influx of freshmen on campus always brings me back to my own days when I was naïve enough to still believe that I could do anything that I set my mind to at this school. And it makes me think back to when I had my entire life set on one specific major at Tech.
I knew, almost as certainly as that I wanted to be a Yellow Jacket, that for the rest of my life I was going to be an architect. From the age of 12 on, I was set that I was going to be a fantastic architect that would love every minute of my career. I just knew that I would be a great architect. I mean, I really wanted to be an architect so the talent would be there, right?
Then the realities of the College of Architecture set in. My studio instructors had no qualms about letting me know the status of my mediocre design ability, yet I still pushed through the program.
Perhaps I thought some of the other students’ knack for designing beautiful spaces would rub off on me and I would somehow be as good as them or maybe one day I would discover some hidden talents that I had yet to tap into.
No such luck, and it was becoming painfully obvious that my talents were much better suited at other things. I belonged in a different program. However, I was so determined that I had set my path in life that I thought it would be embarrassing if I quit.
After many conversations with parents and friends, I finally had a revelation that I would not be happy with this career choice and moved on to a major that better suited my skills.
But yet again I still felt that I did not belong in that program either and just recently changed my major in the summer after my third year. That’s right, my third year.
If anyone would have told me that I was going to change my major twice at Tech, I would have told them that they were crazy. But really the only crazy thing is that it took those two different majors to help me decide what I really want to do with my career at Tech. My change of majors helped me find my “home,” if you will, and now I know that I am in a situation that makes me feel like I am using all the talents that I was given, and I am being challenged to become a better student.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that many great things can be accomplished with sheer determination. I also believe that sometimes it is more difficult to realize that you don’t belong somewhere than to continue with a program that you are already involved in at Tech.
I congratulate those who came into this school knowing what they wanted to do for the rest of their college careers. As it turns out, I am unlike the lucky small percentage at this school that picks one major and sticks with it. And even though there are many of us that ultimately change our majors multiple times, it is still a difficult decision that requires a great deal of thought.
I do not regret changing my major so many times; however, I do regret that I did not have an open mind when I came to Tech. I put myself in one category thinking that I was set for life, and I never should have done that.
I should have researched more colleges to see what else I was interested in pursuing. Perhaps then I would have had a less difficult time finding where I should focus my studies at Tech.
So freshmen, this is my plea to you: keep your mind open when it comes to your path of education at Tech. This is the perfect time to explore all the different opportunities available at this school. Go walk around other colleges and talk to their advisors to understand the marked differences in other curriculums. Talk to other students that are in different majors and ask what they’re studying.
Even if you do not switch your major, this simple act of research will keep you from guessing about what else is out there in the years to come. After all, aren’t we all here to get the most out of our education? We all know that Tech has a lot to offer, so why not explore every possibility here?
Most Importantly, keep in mind that much like I painfully learned, you will not be good at everything that you do here at Tech, but I guarantee that there is a program here for you.