This is one question that has been stuck in my mind for the last year.

I started college in August of 2017 hoping to start my journey with a career in criminal justice. Since I was little, I have always wanted to solve crimes. Scooby Doo was one of my favorite tv shows, and I was obsessed with the game Clue. So I guess you could say this was the right major for me.

But I couldn’t more wrong.

I promise the classes were great and I loved learning all about how the criminal justice system works. But when looking at all the types of jobs I could have with this degree, nothing felt like it would be the right fit for me.

There are 3 areas of the criminal justice system: Law enforcement, corrections, and law. The ideal way to go (for me) would be to be a police officer and eventually become a detective to solve those crimes like I want to. But I know I am not the type of girl to carry a gun. I would consider working in the correctional facilities, but that requires a special type of backbone that I certainly do not have (insert round of applause to women correctional officers). If I even considered law school that would be more years of school when I just want to complete my 4 years and be done. So after coming to all those conclusions, I knew this major was not right for me.

I think one of the hardest decisions a college student has to make is changing their major. There is this pressure the world places on an 18-year-old’s shoulders. We are expected to know exactly what we want to do right when we graduate high school. I think we all have some idea, but never really know what will make us happy working for the majority of our life. There were many days where I felt ashamed for wanting to choose a different career route. There is just something about sticking with a decision and seeing it through. It’s that sense of accomplishment. But I knew if I wanted a career where I was happy and saw myself in I needed to make this change.

So after taking many, many personality and career tests, I found the root of what I wanted out of a career. I love being creative and problem-solving. Those two things can look like many different things in many different industries, so I kinda took a chance on a major that looked fun: Mass Communications. What is that you ask? This major looks a little different at each university, but at mine, it involves mostly anything that includes the media such as journalism, tv, advertising, public relations, etc. When choosing this major, you have to pick a concentration to specify what career field you would want to enter. And based on that you will learn all the skills and resources based in that field. I chose to have a focus in advertising and public relations. And boy was this a complete 360. So much so that it added a full year for me to get that diploma.

Since switching my major, I have been in love with everything about this field. I have been able to have my own radio show, start a podcast, design tons of graphics, develop strategies for marketing campaigns, and so much more. And I have been able to do that in all my classes! I really find so much joy in going to class and learning how to use my creative brain to execute campaigns for potential clients. (Cue in my love for problem-solving). I was even fortunate enough to get a job in the marketing field to really understand and gain some experience. After that, I knew this career was right for me.

I was lucky to find my purpose in this world with just one major switch. I know others who have switched their major 4 or 5 times just trying to figure out their place in the workforce. If that were me, I would be totally exhausted and completely stressed out wanting to reach the end of my academic race and trying to figure out what is the right path to get there.

We all come to college with one deadline: I am expected to graduate in 4 years or less. But the fact is that is just the amount of college hours you need to take spread out over 4 years. Who says you need to complete that in 4 years? That is something I had to come to terms with myself. I am sitting here graduating a year and a half “late” because of a major change and a global pandemic. One thing us college students start to realize is there is this thing called life. Things happen, and people change. We change. That doesn’t mean we are any less of who we are because we are not meeting the “normal standards”.

Today, I am so grateful I made that career/major change because I know I would probably regret it once I got into that career field. I know many people who wished they did what I did. And after sharing my academic journey with others, many find themselves right in my shoes. So I promise you that you are not alone.

So to answer my question, no you are not stupid. And no you are not finishing college “late”. You are finishing at your own pace. You set your finish line, and you better be damn proud when you cross it. Take it from a girl graduating the last of her friends who’s excited to finally start her career in December! And you bet that expensive little piece of paper will be my greatest accomplishment of all.