YouAlberta
In the intimidating rapids known as university, it can be easy to feel swept away at its unforgiving pace. While for some, it can be a great push to one’s pursuits, for others, it can feel like the currents have you trapped as you head towards a waterfall. And yet, even knowing this, some are wary of trying to dig their feet in and changing directions.
Why is that?
Of course, it can be intimidating to make a detour. Sometimes, it feels easier to just let the waters take you away, even knowing it might not lead to an ideal ending. Some might think: if I can just get past the waterfall and make it past that drop, it’ll work out – and for some, it does! Sometimes, toughing it out can be the right step. Or, for some, there is a fear that even in making that detour, it may just lead you down yet another stream with an upcoming cliff. There is uncertainty in change and sticking to what you’ve already established.
But it’s important to realize that regardless of which path you go down, uncertainty is inevitable; whether you stay on the same path or stray from it, unpredictability remains a constant. In such times, your gut is sending signals for good reason, and it is of value to sometimes let it guide you in a new direction.
I certainly understand the reservations one may have about degree changes. It started when I agonized over what program to choose when applying for university; I felt as though I had to pick then and there what I would commit myself to for the next four years of my life, with no opportunity for change. It didn’t help that this was during the start of the pandemic, amplifying sentiments of a bleak future. While there were certain programs that interested me, I felt pressured to pick one that might be more conventional and didn’t think I could have it both ways. As a result of the various pressures, I ended up settling with a major in psychology and a minor in art and design.
It wasn’t long before I found myself in the (Zoom) classroom, and I knew psychology wasn’t for me. Because it was essentially right at the beginning of my university career, I decided to make a switch by making art and design my major. As for my minor, at that point, I wasn’t certain; I felt incredibly lost and confused as I lacked so much knowledge and experience in regards to the options. I ended up trying to buy time by making psychology my minor, even without taking any psychology classes that year. Instead, out of personal interest, I picked up Korean classes in addition to my Japanese classes, as I thought at least languages could be transferable wherever I went. Over the course of the year, I found myself enjoying my language classes more and more, and then, I realized: I could make my minor East Asian studies. And so, I did, dropping psychology in favour of it, which marked my second change.
As the year progressed, while I did like art and design, I also felt that it wasn’t quite the right fit for me. In the meantime, I found myself enjoying my East Asian studies classes far more than I had anticipated. So, going into my second year, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and completely change my program to what I really wanted, majoring in East Asian studies and minoring in music while also picking up the Certificate in International Learning to complement my new program. Finally, I felt myself thriving in the courses I was taking; it was like a massive weight lifted off my shoulders and thankfully, I made the shift early enough that it didn’t completely derail my university journey.
But as much as I felt fulfilled and settled, I also felt that it was a shame to leave behind art and design and let those credits go to waste when I had completed a sizable number of courses. By the end of my second year, I sat down and took the time to think things through more carefully. I figured that I could still do a minor in art and design so that my credits still apply to my degree, and I also decided to take on the Certificate in Computer Game Development, as the requirements overlapped from my program. While I’ve more or less stayed consistent with this plan, it took me over two years, and even then, I continued making adjustments by adding or dropping certificates and minors.
So as you can see, I went through significant and steady changes throughout my university career; in fact, the notion of going through changes was more consistent than my path itself. Had I decided to try to endure my initial path down that stream, I may never have discovered the rainbow at the end of another, in which my love for East Asian studies eventually led me to become president of my department association. Just as it may lead to different obstacles, shifting courses in another direction can also lead you to new and unexpected opportunities. In fact, changes can add on or expand your career options, giving you more breadth of knowledge and transferable skills that can apply to future prospects.
In some cases, degree changes don’t necessarily have to mean scrapping everything you did; one of the beauties about university is that it is far more flexible than you’d imagine. Like me, you could decide to change your previous program into your minor or even research the plethora of certificates available at the U of A with requirements that overlap with your completed credits. Beyond that, there are other elective requirements in your program that these courses can be used towards.
Ultimately, life isn’t a race to reach the end. Whether you take four years or eight years, your career is yours and yours alone. We are all human; it’s impossible to methodologically create a perfectly optimized and efficient plan. So, rather than pressuring ourselves with the fears of getting swept away, I would encourage everyone to remember that as long as you are taking action and putting in the work, you will end up where you need to be. While it’s important to have timelines to stay accountable to, strictly limiting yourself to them can also be detrimental to your growth and life. So, if you have been agonizing over making that dive, I hope that my story shows that, truly, change isn’t something to be afraid of and, in many cases, is inevitable. Even so, as scary as it may seem, changes won’t set you back decades or ruin you; in fact, they can take you to exactly where you need to be.