You don’t need a plan yet

Written by Perrin Smith, Graphic by Tyler Lowe

I couldn’t make it to my first-year Majors and Minors Fair. My roommate, Tyler, brought back an assortment of colorful flyers for me — pink and red and green and yellow. Each one had a different program on it: film and television, photography, graphic design, etc., etc.  

There were so many options to choose from. Like I could make a million different choices and still not have found the right fit for me.

I was overwhelmed.  

And you know what? That was natural. The pressure, for whatever reason, is on first-year students. It feels like you need to have everything figured out completely. But here’s a secret: That’s not true. Take your time. Figure out what you want to do at your pace.

I’ve changed my major three times and added, then subtracted, and added again, a slew of minors — and I’m still graduating a quarter early. I declared my major for the first time the day I was allowed to (after completing FYE). At the time, I knew in my bones that I was a film student. Since I was 15, I’d staked the claim that I’d be the youngest person to win an Academy Award for Directing — beating out John Singleton and Damien Chazelle for both nomination and win.

And yet, a week later, I couldn’t do it. So, I switched my major for the first time just before winter break.

My gut reaction to being a film student was just wrong. It didn’t feel like me. Like any label, I had to test it out first and see if it worked. In my case, it plain didn’t. A week later, I was a photo student.

I spent a year in photography. From winter quarter of freshman year to fall quarter of sophomore year, I thought that photo was the new me, the authentic me. Even still, each class I felt less sure of my decision. My projects were decent. I enjoyed the work I created. But something was off. When I was handed a project, I was immediately drained. Burned out. I never wanted to organize shoots; coming up with ideas for photos was exhausting.

The summer between my first and second year, I had a crisis. I wasn’t doing what I wanted, and even though I was pleased with my work and effort, it wasn’t enough. I had people in my ear telling me that I needed to hurry up and make a final decision. The sooner the better, they said. And I was afraid of looking flaky, haphazard in their eyes.

I was done with photo, and that was okay. I left. I jumped into writing — my major for the past three years and the one I’m graduating with. Since making the change, I’ve never — not once — looked back. Writing is who I am, and it’s what I want to do. It took me too long to get there, but that’s alright.

Figuring out your major, especially as a first-year, is next to impossible. No one else can make the decision and you’re still trying out so much for the first time. Sometimes, it just takes time. If that requires trying on a couple of new hats — seeing what sticks — so be it. Plus, being able to do a lot of things only makes for a more impressive resume.

What’s important is making the right decision for you. Like my roommate, Tyler, he decided on double majoring. It’s a lot more work and dedication, but with a little more time and planning he made it work.

It took me a long time to find my right fit, but everything clicked into place once I got to writing. Now, I’ve got a degree I’m proud of on the horizon and two minors — one in photo and another in creative writing — that I wouldn’t have been able to attain had it not been for my meandering path to the right fit.

It’s all right if you don’t have everything figured out yet. Take your time. Keep thinking. Those pieces will fall into place for you, too.