<p>Hello, I'm currently a senior majoring in Math. I have come to a point that I hate my major so much, in the last two years I spend most of my time reading books, any book, except mathematics books. Whenever I pick up my textbook and start reading, I just want to throw it away, tear it into pieces and never see it again. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it because I am not good at it, somehow I managed to have a 3.8 GPA, in the top 5 of my class, and currently in the Honor program of my school (i honestly have no idea why). The fact is that I'm bored to death studying it. I'm not currently living in the US, in my country they don't let students switch between majors, you have to stick with the program you chose before you enroll in college. My parents, by the way, don't let me switch major, they are even pushing me to pursue a PhD program in Mathematics or Statistics. I honestly can't imagine myself surviving studying it for 5 more years or getting a job in those fields. Right now, I don't even know what to do with my life, there are days when I feel like life is not worth living anymore. Can you give my some advice? I'm so hopeless. Thank you in advance.
P/S: Sorry for the bad English :)</p>
<p>Talk to a counselor, and find out what your options are once you graduate. Just because you have a math degree doesn’t mean that you can’t find opportunities in some subsidiary field. I’m sure that if you talked to an adviser, I’m sure you would be able to find some kind of masters degree program in a subject other than math in a field you find interesting.</p>
<p>If you would find something like Engineering/Physics interesting, talk to the advisers at your school and see what they say you can do with a Math degree. You may have to take some remedial courses in order to qualify for the masters program (you could probably go to the equivalent of a community college in your country), but if it would make you happier then please do that.</p>
<p>However, do not drop out of your program now. Even if you hate it, just finish off the degree. You have less than a year left and you have a great GPA. Just try to stay focused and when you graduate try to find some other field that you can go into.</p>
<p>Do you like related fields like computer science. Or fields where you will be strong if you have strong math skills, like Econ? Are you allowed to take other courses? So you can’t transfer at all or switch schools?</p>
<p>Honestly I would try my best to just finish out the year and graduate. As a math major there are so many options for jobs. As far as your parents go, I would tell them that I want to work for a bit and then will consider graduate school.
Also does your school have some sort of counseling center? or is there a trusted professor you can talk to?</p>
<p>There seem to be 2 separate issues here- suicidal ideation, miasma, and other symptoms of a treatable and definable possibly very short-term (if treated) mental condition; and the common fear of transition, where we see the light at the end of the tunnel rapidly approaching and feel overwhelmed by others’ expectations and the impending changes that we imagine will happen as we exit the tunnel.</p>
<p>Both of these seem like they could greatly benefit from a visit to your counseling center.</p>
<p>Once you have your degree, look around at where to go from there. It is a solid preparation for many other directions. I recently met a professor of political science at a very well-regarded school who did his undergraduate degree in math and did not switch majors until working a bit and returning to school. He said many of the humanities disciplines are turning more to the systematic, disciplined, and quantitative analysis that has a solid math degree as its underpinning.</p>
<p>You have a bright future ahead. Take steps to start to take ownership of it. :)</p>