By Staff
Leada Gore
My sister Anna just completed her first year at Auburn University. Her major, she is quick to tell you, remains "undecided."
She initially was a business major, though that was just a typo from the admission's department. She actually was an education major, then a journalism major and most recently, a social work major.
Anna's dilemma isn't an unusual one. It isn't easy to decide what you want to do when you grow up, especially since you have to take for granted you actually will grow up at all.
I started out college as an education major. I changed my major one day because my advisor didn't show up for an appointment and I reasoned it was easier to change my major than reschedule my appointment. In one swoop of the pen, I became a history major.
That was a good question. As it ended up, that actual degree didn't really help in my job search, though it did make me pretty good at Trivial Pursuit.
The reasoning for changing my major is the same as Anna's. I had no idea what I wanted to do, therefore I might as well choose an educational path and then let the career fall where it may.
As you can imagine history majors aren't exactly the most sought-after graduates, but it did lend itself to an array of possibilities. Several classmates were attending law school; others opted for something called "library science."
I set my sights on something more exciting: the FBI. They were at the school recruiting and I became convinced I should become an agent. I changed my mind when I learned you had to fly on airplanes and carry a gun, neither of which I cared to do. I was shocked to learn there weren't any car-riding, pacifist FBI agents.
All of this led to a six-month job search following graduation and a chance encounter that led to a job at a weekly newspaper. While the history degree didn't come into play, that English minor was a winner in that at least I could spell. Sometimes.
I'm not sure where Anna will land but, as it did for me, I'm positive things will turn out as they should.