I’m almost a senior and I feel very dumb for even choosing this major, but I’m really starting to hate it. My major is broadcast journalism and I don’t even like writing. I dread it. Worst of all this career path makes next to nothing unless you’re on national news and I’m not sure I want to spend the rest of my life broke. This and the fact that I don’t even currently enjoy it while i have to do it once every so often, I’ll probably be in hell writing every single day, especially since most of the things I won’t care about at all like local news.
So is my life pretty much messed up at this point? It’s hard enough going through college with depression and etc but I also don’t even enjoy what I do most of the day and the only thing I ever look forward to is coming back home. What can I do?
Many students change career paths even after graduating university. A university professor that I know says that it is quite common to have seniors walk in during his office hours and start asking questions which sort of amount to “what should I do with my life”.
It is however very hard to answer this question in general, and probably impossible without knowing more about what else you might be interested in and what can you afford. Can you afford to extend your years in university as an undergrad?
Try to keep your grades up, since this will keep many doors open for you.
Also, there should be counseling services at your university, and you should be able to discuss this issue and also discuss your experiences with depression with the counseling services. They get paid specifically to talk with students who have questions such as yours. This is what they do and you should go and talk with them.
So I’m pretty much just another screwed college student doomed to be in poverty. I already been to therapy on campus and all they told me was to just “think positive” and then told me they couldn’t do anything else for me.
I would certainly finish up with your major and graduate. If you college has a good career placement center go over and talk to someone there. I’d also suggest that you look into different careers that would value good writing skills – perhaps public relations, book editor, or something along those lines.
Lots of people choose careers not related to their major.
The first thing is to get professional help with your depression, if you have not done so already. Find another therapist if you did not respect your first one. Once you are in a better state of well-being, or simultaneously with treatment, you can use career services, etc. at your school to explore where your interests lie and which jobs you can get in those areas with the education you have had already. There will be many options, in diverse fields, and you are NOT “doomed to be in poverty.”
Also, remind yourself that lots of seniors worry about their career choice. This is very typical. So is changing careers. You are not the only person going through this. You are not alone either; there are plenty of career and emotional counseling sources you can draw upon for help.
Just having a degree is a requirement for many jobs…so finish up and graduate.
Just because you majored in something doesn’t mean you have to do it as a career
What drew you to broadcast journalism? Are there parts of it you like? E.g., Speaking? Teaching others about a topic? Studio behind the scenes? Current Events? Can you find jobs that use those aspects?
What other careers use the skills you have learned? Marketing? Public Relations? Business? Education?
Graduate and get the best grades you can. Get over to the career center and start looking for jobs now. You will be surprised how many jobs are open to unrelated majors.
So my former roommate decided to change majors to applied math as a senior. He needed one more course for the original major, which was I think CogSci. However, he found out that if he took that course, he would lose all future undergraduate financial aid. He started his 5th year taking nothing but applied math courses and finished the year graduating with the applied math degree, never having taken the last course for the original major. He then went to get his Masters in applied math, eventually getting a job in money management where he did really well. He’s not poor by any means.
This is just an anecdote that it’s not always better to just finish the degree. Sometimes getting the degree leaves you financially worse off.
OP, I would spend some time trying to figure out if this degree is going to leave you where you want to be, or if there is another path that makes more sense.
First - get better outside counseling help. Discuss your feelings with the adults in your life.
Second - Graduate. You are so close. I had an undergrad in news/editorial journalism. I decided before graduation that I was interested in finance. As an scholarship student engaged to be married, I didn’t have the luxury of switching majors. I instead worked at a bank and got an MBA in finance.(The bank paid for it.) You can hone in on a related or different specialty AFTER you complete this degree.