I need A LOT of help/advice with my decisions of changing majors and my learning ability!

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hi, I’ll try and give as much information as I can for my situation right now and what’s going on.

Note: I’m not expecting anybody to answer everything in one post. You could just target one part of it, and we can go from there. Feel free to ask any questions that might help shed light on something you’re confused about.

My Current Major:
I’m currently a Technology Management major at my university. I’m a sophomore who just completed my fall 2014 semester. From what I’ve gathered, this major deals mainly with technical skills, business skills, and people skills. My advisers claim that this major is very versatile and is great as people who have it should have a wide range of opportunities for employment. This major is supposed to be in the area of IT professionals, and this is definitely not a bad thing to me. The issue with this major is that it’s not very… developed at my university… We currently have a new, very recent coordinator who is also the only person teaching ALL of our course specific classes at the moment. I’ve talked to him a lot about this major. He told me that they’re working on getting other people to teach some courses. There’s also a professional organization that has recently formed or this major. I spoke to the coordinator of it for a good while too and got a lot of information on the history of this major. It doesn’t seem to be a really well known major… the coordinator said it himself that this degree wouldn’t have much value when we graduate and that we’d have to really explain to companies what it was and what it involves… this all is very unsettling with me. It just seems… I don’t know… lack a strong foundation? It seems like a laid back major that doesn’t even have any value. The only value it would ever get is from the reputation of university I’m attending. All the people in it seem to want an “easy way” in college and just don’t seem to be very… caring? It’s like they’re just staying in here because they just happen to land in it, not because they’re interested in it. I know a lot of people who have transferred out of it. On top of all this, the major is being housed in the College of Education. I’m so tired of so many people asking me what this major is (because they’ve never heard of it), question why it’s in the Education department, and seem to not really see to highly of it. I would love to be in IT and would have no problem with it, but it’s the foundation of this major here that really… bothers me… It’s so small, shifting, and doesn’t seem that great. I highly doubt a company would really value someone with this degree under their belt…

My Plan When I First Got Into College:
I originally wanted to be in Computer Engineering. I only signed up to be in Technology Management to buy time to transfer into Computer Engineering. Being a first generation college student, I’ve had SO MUCH trouble and issues with learning the ropes of college and have struggled so much in making decisions and adjusting. I was outgoing, but making decisions was so stressful. I was scared of the “unknown” if you know what I mean. I was afraid of making huge mistakes. I had quite a lot of scholarship money and grants helping me out, but I had to pull loans to cover the rest… this just makes things so much more stressful and is another reason why I want to do something great in college and make use of myself why I’m lucky getting these scholarships and grants. I messed up a bit and have convinced myself to stay in this major longer. I’ve hesitated a lot. I’ll get into why in a bit.

My Situation:
After talking to the coordinator and leader of that professional organization about this major, I’ve convinced myself that staying in this major and becoming part of IT in, hopefully, a big company would be a great route, but the idea of this major being so small and underdeveloped lingers with me and comes back to my thoughts constantly… My first semester of college, I took Engineering Math 1, Math 151 to prepare to transfer… but I ended up failing it and dropped it. After that, my father has been trying to convince me to not be an engineer and to stay in my current major. He’s tried so hard to convince me, but I finally told him that I want to be free to choose what I’m interested in. After a bit of toil, I’ve finally convinced him to just let me choose and not be so harsh to me about it, yet I still always get this vibe that he’s scared that I’ll utterly fail because I failed that one class… I’ve heard of people who have failed the first time, but retook it and made an A. I’ve heard that happen with several people, but now I’m just questioning if I’m even smart of enough to be an engineer… I’ve realized and learned the wrongs of my attitude during the beginning of my first semester of college. I’m just worried if I have some kind of learning deficiency. It’s not only in my school life that I feel like I have trouble learning, remembering, or understanding things, but sometimes just in life. For example, missing very common sense things that everyone else seems to know… Even the most seemingly dumb people I’ve come across knows about a lot of stuff that I don’t know. Maybe I’m the stupid one instead… In middle school and high school I’ve always tried so hard and did so well, but college is definitely different from college. College is so much harder, yet people I’ve known in high school who’ve never tried that hard in high school seem to be succeeding. I know there are so many variables and complications that play in how well someone does in college, but I’m so lost. At least I feel so lost. After my first year of college, my GPA dropped to a 2.65… not good, I know. I worked really hard this past semester and took 15 credits, 5 courses, 3 credits each. I made 4 A’s and 1 B. My cumulative GPA has gone from 2.65 to 3.1. This is why I’m thinking about changing majors soon. If I do fantastic this semester, maybe I’ll have a chance to transfer to something else. The problem is that if I change majors, I’ll need to stay in college more than 4 years and become more in debt. Instead of Computer Engineering, I’m thinking about changing to Computer Science.

Help or Advice:
I really need some college veteran type people to help me out here. I’m pretty desperate. I have no idea if I have some learning deficiency, but I’m struggling. I feel like the only reason I did well this past semester was because the courses were more about doing a bunch of assignments than book work. Half of them were really easy with easy professors. When I was studying for classes like History, Political Science, Business Math, and Calculus, I struggled, but I have no idea why. Do I lack the mental capacity? I just want to be an expert/specialist in something significant to societies and businesses. I want to make something of myself, but I’m struggling. I’ve talked to many people, but they always tell me that I need to decide for myself. I know I need to decide for myself, but they never seem to understand that I need advice for college, learning, changing majors, or anything really. This is a very stressful time for me. I’m afraid to just let my life slip away, get more in debt, and not even do anything significant or useful with my life. Any advice would be helpful… any tips would be helpful… opinions would be helpful… sharing experiences you’ve had would be helpful… I honestly need all the help I can get my hands on. Don’t hesitate for a second to ask any questions, even if you’re afraid it will come off as rude. I just need a lot of help and wouldn’t mind. I’m afraid of switching majors, not realizing that I don’t have the mental capacity for the math, then utterly failing. I honestly felt like I really underestimated the math my first semester and didn’t study enough… but is it possible that I may never get it if I kept trying and trying?

2

As far as what you want to do, it seems pretty clear what the right course of action is: you want to go into engineering. The problem here appears to be a mental block from having trouble with calculus.

If you simply cannot do calculus, you cannot do engineering or computer science; this is a simple fact that is very apparent. But it seems that your problem is more of a mental one, as a result of the fact that you once had trouble with that class. It can be a tough subject, so it’s understandable that you would have difficulty with it. But I suggest that, once you are mentally prepared to commit to giving it another shot, take it again. For introductory courses like calculus, there is always enough help to be had if you need it.

3

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I did develop quite a bit of a mental block because of it. I guess it was just so new and devastating to me. I underestimated it a lot and was overconfident… I did take note of a lot of tutoring and engineering groups that help at my university after I realized how hard this course was for me.

4

A lot of colleges have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Technology Management. It’s a degree that blends an understanding of technology and business. You stated four big reasons to stay in that major: your dad strongly favors it, you are able to make decent grades in it, you like technology, and you will be able to graduate on time. Do yourself a favor and make graduating on time and getting good grades your top priority. If you feel like you are struggling with any courses in the future, see what tutoring services your college has, or check out free online turoring videos and materials by doing searches for them. It’s a fact that some things may be harder for one person to learn than another person. It is possible that there are studying techniques and resources that you haven’t learned about yet, or your background knowledge in a subject may be weaker than some peers. That is okay. Everyone starts from where they are. Just keep progressing. Try to get summer internships in companies to expand your work skills and get an idea of what types of jobs are out there. Meet with the career counseling office at your college and ask about how they will help you find work with your major. Learn about technology and business by reading magazines or websites on the topics – go beyond what you are learning in class, and learn skills on the computer in your spare time. Often what gets someone a job isn’t their particular major but the whole package of what they bring, and often a lot of the extras are developed through a student’s activities outside the classroom.

5

Hmmm… Okay, I see what you mean by the grades. I know that’s important, but is graduating on time really that important? Also, wouldn’t it be more important that someone graduates later in something they’re interested in, instead of graduating in something sooner just because it was easier, yet not something you were interested in?

6

The longer you wait to graduate, the more money you burn. It’s best not to stay in school for too long.

That said, very few people choose to go back to school after they have already received a degree in engineering, while for other majors it is more common.

7

Does anyone else have anything else to add to this? I really do need more help. : ( I appreciate the replies I’ve received so far. Thank you.

8

One more time, anything else?

9

Net it out for us again, with fewer words. (Breaking it into section was helpful But each section is lonnnng). Skimming you post, it appears that you were struggling but now have improved GPA. What are the major reasons you are considering transfer ?

10

1.) My major isn’t really developed.
-one person teaching all major spec. courses
-degree has no value
-people in it seem to just want an easy degree and don’t really care
-a bunch of new courses are going to be added
2.) Originally wanted to be computer eng., but now I want to be in computer science
-failed math 151 terribly, reason why I’m hesitating
-I’m really interested in tech
3.) I want to do something great with my life and make the most of it, not take the easy way out
-I have loans and grants
-I want to do something that I’m interested in (involving tech) and make good money
-I want to be able to support a family very well financially.

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Also, I’ve heard of people who have failed math 151 their first time, but ended up taking it their second time and made an A. I’ve heard this about a lot of people. I’m just not sure if I’m just too stupid to do that… I feel like I’ve fallen behind on learning in a lot of different ways…

12

You have received more than enough advice here, to be perfectly honest. Your situation is not a complicated one, it just involves getting over your fears and trying again.

Life can be a grind. But it’s the only way you’ll make progress. You gain nothing from trying to find an easier path here. There is no magic elixir that will make this easier, so don’t waste time looking for one.

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What classes did you take this semester, where you were able to get better grades? Did you enjoy these classes?

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I took Philosophy, Design Process, Business Concepts, Hardware and End User Support, and Public Speaking this past semester. I was very interested in Philosophy, pretty interested in Design Process, and slightly interested in Business Concept and Hardware and End User Support.

15

@NeoDymium‌ I appreciate the reply, I honestly do, yet I think you are blatantly missing my point at the same time, or at least a big part of it. I don’t blame you though, because I don’t feel like I’ve made it clear enough at all, so here: I have friends who are very good with computers, can build computers, know all the parts, know the ins and outs from their own study and research outside of school, they’re in computer science and are very interested in it. I know someone who does a lot of outside research on animals, they are a biology major and have a passion in it. I know people who are so good with cars through their own research. What I’m getting at is that there are people who are able to do their own research and learn so much on their own. That would be like me failing that math course, then preparing for it over the summer somehow through research, practice, and study, then passing the course the next semester. This… This is what I’m terrible at. I just feel like I’m terrible at research or learning. I did excellently well in high school, but that utterly means nothing to me. I know there’s no magical elixir, I’m not stupid… I came on here for legitimate advice from people who can say they’ve successfully learned and gained knowledge through study and research, whether it’s inside or outside of school. I’ve struggled with this kind of thing for awhile now. I think this is why my memory and comprehension aren’t at their peak… I guess you could say I posted this in an attempt for advice on how to become… “Specialized”?.. In something through study and research, even if it’s not in school through a formal education. Even when in my classes I’ve struggled with studying, but I’ve been trying harder and harder to understand how it all works… Even with something as simple as different types of cars or celebrities, I’m not good at learning about things like that that are considered common knowledge. With that, I hope you understand my dilemma on a deeper level. I need a lot more help than you think… With this issue, I have no idea how to prepare and do better if I were to retake this mathematics… Think about something you can confidently say you know a lot about, then think about how you got to that point… How you got there is eat I don’t understand.

Thanks for the reply though. If you have anymore questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, even if it seems rude.

16

Well that’s just it though: the only way to become knowledgeable about something is through repetition, through exposure to that topic over an extended period of time. There really is no puzzle piece you are missing or anything along those lines, because subjects like calculus are difficult for everyone (and for any of your other examples, knowledge was also obtained over long periods of time). Unless you learned absolutely nothing from the entire semester, I can guarantee that a second attempt at calculus will fare much better than the first, because bits and pieces will stick. It is true that not everyone will fail the class, and it is true that some people just straight up have some form of unfair advantage or other. Just know that that is a fact of life, and that there will most certainly be times when the situation is reversed.

As for how to prepare better: I don’t actually recommend pre-studying; that will work out terribly if you try to do it for future classes when the workload is larger (not to mention it is pretty inefficient and mentally taxing). For calculus specifically, I have the following two tips: know your algebra well enough to be comfortable using it, and learn by solving problems (and looking at solved problems) and understanding why the correct answer is correct.

In short: it’s not a complicated problem in and of itself. Pick something that you feel like you could stick with (i.e. something you don’t completely despise and see at least some form of merit in) and just grind through it. It’s hard for everyone, but that’s why being able to finish a difficult major is something that is valued.

17

Is there anything else? I’m now in a situation where I could either stay in this major now, go into CS, or go into MIS. I went and talked to an CS undergrad advisor. Would it be worth jumping into such a difficult major at a school who’s popular for engineers, even though I’m on a loan? I know none you can really tell what my capacity, but do you guys know of anyone who was in a similar situation to me and made it through the struggle?

18

I think CS is quite clearly the best option here. Just know your limits, and know that good style in coding is extremely important. Debugging code is the most tedious part of CS (and it’s generally pretty straightforward outside of that unless you have an unusually rigorous program) and if you minimize the amount of debugging you have to do, you make things go a lot more smoothly. Your first few CS classes should teach you about that; pay close attention to how they write code, and understand why they use the style that they do. It’s important.

After you start taking higher level courses (algorithms and beyond), start learning languages. C/C++, C#, Java, CSS/PHP, etc. are all useful. But instead of taking my word for it, you’d be better off looking at job postings ASAP and seeing what languages tend to be commonly asked for. Then learn those.

There are definitely jobs for CS graduates; I’d argue that the vast majority are less-than-glamorous, but you definitely will be able to find employment if you think you can manage to finish it.

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  1. Your post indicates that you are insecure about your future. Reduce your course load in this major and try to pick up more math courses that will help you feel secure in your math ability.
  2. I completely agree that your current major is questionable. If you were my kid, and money was not an issue, I would advise you to transfer to something that sounds employable. Like CS.
  3. College coursework is not supposed to be like high school work. The colleges assume that you can handle the load if you are admitted to your university. Put in extra time to become proficient at balancing your studies with good work habits. Go daily to the tutors! Your grades will improve significantly if you use the tutors.
20

Thanks for the advice! I’m going to see an MIYS undergrad advisor very soon to talk to them about their transferring eligibility requirements too. I guess it’s kind of like a plan B. I have some parts of my family that are involved in IT professional work. They strongly recommended a Management Information Systems major if this major seems shaky.