Major Decisions: How I Picked My Major

When people ask me how I picked my major, the first response that pops in my head is "Which one?" Coming from a background as unconventional as mine, I have had the opportunity of majoring in two subjects. Not because, as you might have assumed, I enrolled in a double major program, but because I went to a community college after graduating from a four year university. As I have noted in previous articles, this is an unusual course of study for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that most people go to community college before university, not the other way around.

Indeed, I would argue that going straight to university after high school kept me from figuring out what major I should pursue until the end of my sophomore year. Encouraged as I was to take my time and explore my options, I found myself jumping from major to major without any real consideration of the consequences until it hit me that I was already half way through the four years I planned to spend there. Immediately, I scrambled to get into the field that should have been the obvious choice from the start: political science. Of course, it was this obviousness that made me stay away from it as long as I did. I did enough reading about politics and current events in my own time, so why would I want to take the fun out of it and make it my main subject of study? But of course, I didn't have much choice at this point, so I began my career in the science of politics. My courses were interesting enough, but I try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to believe I was doing it because I loved the topic. I always knew that the primary reason I was studying political science was because it was the safest bet for me.

It wouldn't be until after I graduated that I was able to seriously pursue my passion. While I pored over political theories and international legal rulings, I filled my spare time working with the on-campus radio station. There, I discovered that what I really wanted to do was work in the media in some capacity. So a couple months after I received my bachelor's degree in political science, I enrolled in a couple courses at a community college not to far from where I lived and got my foot in the door of the cinema, radio, and television department. Having been there for a year now, I can safely say that this is what I want to do for a living.

In short, I'm in a unique situation. I've had the opportunity to pick a major because I settled for it and the opportunity to pick a major because I love it. Although I might prefer one, I can see how the other benefited me and was appropriate at the time. In any case, I hope other college students can learn as much from my experience as I did.