The Logistics of Changing Majors

[Smilephantomhive]

I'm not 100% sure if I want to change my major. I'm not sure if I really want to do what I'm currently doing. I'm not doing too bad, but idk. My current major is Biochemistry, but one thing is that I am just not a numbers person. My natural way of thinking just does not involve them. I am interested in science, but I worry if I major in science then i will be dooming myself to a number filled life. I am okay with applied math, but I still have to take math courses of doing problem after problem. It may be that I need to accept tedious aspects of life though.

Anyway the point of this thread is well how do I deal with trying to figure out what I want to do. Like the major I'm thinking about requires a language, and I think it would be beneficial to start early. However I am thinking of other doing Chinese or Japanese and those are 5 credits, so I would have to take off one of the courses that is required for my current major.

I guess I am not sure what to prioritize. I guess the question is how do I try and explore without getting offtrack?

I'm not sure if I used the word logistics correctly, but that was the closest thing to what I was trying to say.

 

[Coriolis]

I would say mechanics, but I understand what you are asking. Much depends on how close your new major would be to your current one, and the specific rules of your university. I cannot comment on the second especially. but will make some more general comments.

First and foremost, stay focused on what you want to do after college, what kind of career you want to have. If you really want to be working in the field of biochem, then best to stay in that major, and find a way to work things out. Yes, you will have to deal with math, but on the job it will be very much applied math, as it will be in some of your courses. The main exception tends to be courses that are explicitly math, i.e. in the math dept. This whole situation is rather artificial, and must simply be endured, plus learn what you can while you are there. Find a study group, get tutoring, do what you need to pass, but focus on the biochem classes, and the sort of math used there. You will find on the job that you probably use some very specific expressions and models. Once you learn them at work, you will keep applying them, perhaps modifying them or making up similar ones, so there won't be the same continual onslaught of new and abstracted mathematical material to contend with.

As for languages, I would give similar advice: take the one you really want, whether because you enjoy it, or because you think it will help you in your future career (or both).

As for dooming yourself to a numbers-filled life, you already have, just by existing. The fact that so many people ignore or fail to understand so many of those numbers neither makes them vanish nor mitigates their influence. Best just come to terms with that. Innumeracy is no better than illiteracy.

 

[á´…eparted]

Try and survive to organic chem at least (it has no math). It's required for a lot of science degrees, and it has zero math. If you do well with it and like it, you'll know your on the right track, as a lot of biochem does not require very advanced math (unless you go the computational/analytical route)

 

[/DG/]

In my experience, colleges focus too much on the majors themselves without placing proper emphasis on the careers themselves that these degrees can lead to.

I had a rather interesting experience when attending a course at a technical college. They placed a high emphasis about what type of career you'd be headed into, not the studies themselves. It was surreal.

What I'm getting at is that you need to look at things from the opposite direction. What types of careers do you think you'd enjoy? Once you find out those, figure out which type of major or other education is needed to get there. Picking a major solely based on what you enjoy studying is not the way to go. Learning in a field can be much different than having a job in said field (and you might find that you may be interested in one but not the other).

So how do you find out what types of professions you may enjoy then? Unfortunately, I do not have good advice in this department.

 

[Smilephantomhive]

I would say mechanics, but I understand what you are asking. Much depends on how close your new major would be to your current one, and the specific rules of your university. I cannot comment on the second especially. but will make some more general comments.

First and foremost, stay focused on what you want to do after college, what kind of career you want to have. If you really want to be working in the field of biochem, then best to stay in that major, and find a way to work things out. Yes, you will have to deal with math, but on the job it will be very much applied math, as it will be in some of your courses. The main exception tends to be courses that are explicitly math, i.e. in the math dept. This whole situation is rather artificial, and must simply be endured, plus learn what you can while you are there. Find a study group, get tutoring, do what you need to pass, but focus on the biochem classes, and the sort of math used there. You will find on the job that you probably use some very specific expressions and models. Once you learn them at work, you will keep applying them, perhaps modifying them or making up similar ones, so there won't be the same continual onslaught of new and abstracted mathematical material to contend with.

As for languages, I would give similar advice: take the one you really want, whether because you enjoy it, or because you think it will help you in your future career (or both).

As for dooming yourself to a numbers-filled life, you already have, just by existing. The fact that so many people ignore or fail to understand so many of those numbers neither makes them vanish nor mitigates their influence. Best just come to terms with that. Innumeracy is no better than illiteracy.

I'm honestly not sure what I want to do career wise. I guess I should do some online researching. I'm also taking some career explorations class where they bring in professionals from fields students are interested in and ask them questions, so hopefully that will help.

Yeah, I guess I should accept math,b ut I'll still complain about it. I think the current thing is only 4 semesters of actual math classes anyway.

In my experience, colleges focus too much on the majors themselves without placing proper emphasis on the careers themselves that these degrees can lead to.

I had a rather interesting experience when attending a course at a technical college. They placed a high emphasis about what type of career you'd be headed into, not the studies themselves. It was surreal.

What I'm getting at is that you need to look at things from the opposite direction. What types of careers do you think you'd enjoy? Once you find out those, figure out which type of major or other education is needed to get there. Picking a major solely based on what you enjoy studying is not the way to go. Learning in a field can be much different than having a job in said field (and you might find that you may be interested in one but not the other).

So how do you find out what types of professions you may enjoy then? Unfortunately, I do not have good advice in this department.

The main problem is that many people don't get a job related to their major, but I do agree that it is important to focus on your career. I think I may need to just learn about the real world more. Maybe I should try getting an actual job.

 

[LucieCat]

I'm honestly not sure what I want to do career wise. I guess I should do some online researching. I'm also taking some career explorations class where they bring in professionals from fields students are interested in and ask them questions, so hopefully that will help. Yeah, I guess I should accept math,b ut I'll still complain about it. I think the current thing is only 4 semesters of actual math classes anyway. The main problem is that many people don't get a job related to their major, but I do agree that it is important to focus on your career. I think I may need to just learn about the real world more. Maybe I should try getting an actual job.

Well work experience in my mind is always valuable. And it may help you guage what your good at. I have found that I am surprisingly good with interacting with people in a professional environment. I never would have predicted that about myself. You can also try doing an internship or do job shadowing.

Another good thing you could do is get in touch with and talk to a professor in the discipline you are thinking of pursuing. You could go to a department head or if you know of a professor with a really good reputation, reach out to them with any questions you have. And if you know any students in that major, you can talk to them about it.
But, in the end, you need to do what feels right for you. I think that is the most important thing to consider.

It is important to remember that a degree opens up doors to a lot of careers, even ones you might not think about on the surface.

 

[Smilephantomhive]

Well work experience in my mind is always valuable. And it may help you guage what your good at. I have found that I am surprisingly good with interacting with people in a professional environment. I never would have predicted that about myself. You can also try doing an internship or do job shadowing.

Another good thing you could do is get in touch with and talk to a professor in the discipline you are thinking of pursuing. You could go to a department head or if you know of a professor with a really good reputation, reach out to them with any questions you have. And if you know any students in that major, you can talk to them about it.
But, in the end, you need to do what feels right for you. I think that is the most important thing to consider.

It is important to remember that a degree opens up doors to a lot of careers, even ones you might not think about on the surface.

Yeah, I do thing I need work and volunteer experience. I'm not sure if I should try for next semester or wait. I definitely want to try to apply for summer jobs, but I feel like employers want people working for them for more than just the summer.

I think I have decided not to fuck with my schedule since I think part of my dissatisfaction was due to poor time management and not being used to college life. I will do more thinking and soul searching next semester. Talking to professors sounds like a great idea, though I'm honestly not sure what I'm looking for.
[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION] One professor in the first year seminar said the same thing you said lol. I guess I'll keep that in mind.

 

[á´…eparted]

[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION] One professor in the first year seminar said the same thing you said lol. I guess I'll keep that in mind.

That's cause we know what we're talking about!

If you get through one semester or organic and hate it and or do poorly, then go ahead and jump ship. No sooner than that.

 

[Tiger Owl]

You could think of a few careers that interest and may suit you, reach out to people that are currently successful in those careers (at different stages of their career as well) ask for honest appraisal of their career choice, ask about which majors are needed for the careers you think may fit you best, choose which of those majors best suits you and incorporates an optimal number of your completed credits. Change majors if it best suits your long term goal, not if only to ease your current situation.