Changing major junior year..?

College Majors
1

Hey everyone,

So I’m in a bit of a pickle right now. I’m in my third year of college (junior), and I am majoring in Psychology. Since freshman year, I have struggled with my “self-identity,” per se, and what I want to do with my future (career-wise). I guess you could say that is normal for a 20-year-old, but I’ve had a lot of trouble figuring out how to go about with my education. Now, to make it clear, I know where my interests lie (I really like graphic design/journalism/things in creative fields), but those do not provide very lucrative careers. I was on the pre-med track my first year of college, but quickly dropped that when I realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do in the future. Right now, I am a Psychology major, and was originally planning on going to graduate school to earn a PhD…However, it’s not something I’m particularly passionate about. I think psychology is interesting, but I can’t see myself loving a future career in that field…

I want to do something that I enjoy, not spend nearly half of my life studying for a profitable job that I won’t even like. To be honest, I think an ideal job for me, would be graphic designer (or the likes) for a company like BuzzFeed, or social media manager. I want a stable job that will keep a roof above my head, and I want to be able to support myself and live comfortably, but I also want to be passionate about my job.

So I’m a bit confused about what I should do right now… should I just stick to my major? I’ve been thinking about switching to Business (marketing?) major, but I’m also afraid it’s a bit too late…

I’ve tried to do some of my own research, but any advice is also of great help, and is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

2

If you’re a junior, time-wise and financially it probably makes the most sense to stick with the major you already picked. It’s halfway through the school year, and switching now could add time to your degree.

But psychology is a liberal arts major - like philosophy or chemistry or math or economics - and doesn’t have a beaten pre-professional path for it. You can be a graphic designer or a social media manager with a psychology major. What you need there are skills, and you need to develop those skills. The way you do that is by either taking classes in which you learn them and/or by doing internships and jobs where you can develop them.

Can you get a part-time job or an internship somewhere doing social media management for a company? is there a campus group on your campus that needs social media management? Even if you can’t change to business, likely you can take some classes in marketing and business? Maybe take a few programming classes and/or a few art classes so you can hone your design skills. Basically, develop the skills that are in-demand at the kinds of careers and companies you want.