Tips for Changing Career Paths and Majors Successfully

College can definitely be a fun and exciting time as you enter your early adulthood. However, it can also be daunting and challenging as you’re tasked with making decisions that will most definitely shape your future. While your early adulthood is the perfect time to figure out who you are and where you want to end up, it’s also tough to decide on something as big as your major or future career at such a young age with limited life experience. You may have grown up fixated on a “dream” career path, planning your life out around this idea of your ideal profession, only to find out you actually hate studying it and can’t envision yourself ever committing to the profession for the rest of your life.

Even if it’s your first year of college, or you are a few years in, coming to the decision that you are likely going to be changing career paths and/or majors can be a scary one with plenty of questions that you don’t have the answer to. How long will this career or major change set you back? Could you afford the extra years of tuition you may have to pay to complete your degree in another major? Are you just going to switch majors just to change your mind again a couple months down the road?

You may think you are stuck on the path you’ve already set yourself on, but your 20s are the perfect time to take on new challenges by changing your career path or major. You likely haven’t settled your roots in one specific place, nor do you likely have your life perfectly planned out.

Ready to consider changing career paths and majors? Keep reading for tips on how to prepare for the change and set you up for future success.

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Evaluate your current standing 

Changing your career path and major isn’t just about the destination or the job title you’ll hold at the end of it all. It’s about how you are going to get there, from the college courses you will need to take to graduate with the degree, the internships and opportunities you will need to pursue in order to gain invaluable experience in the field, and the network of connections you will be building along the way.

Depending on how far along you are – what classes you’ve taken, what experience you’ve gained from classwork, internships, or other opportunities – you may not have as much experience to transfer to your new path. Or, what you have learned isn’t necessarily applicable to the career path and major you are switching to.

Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you evaluate yourself to measure what exact steps you are going to have to take to get to where you want to be. Do you need to start over because none of your class credits are going to contribute to the coursework necessary for your new major? What kind of internships or jobs can you apply for to get you the necessary experience for your new career path?

Ask yourself — “Why am I changing careers and majors?” 

While you are likely going to be having your decision questioned by everyone, from your parents to friends, you should begin your decision by questioning yourself. Why are you making the decision to change your career path and major?

It could be something as simple as you’ve realized the opportunities the career path offers don’t align with the lifestyle you have envisioned yourself having, from finances to location. Or, it could be something more personal, like you can’t picture yourself being happy doing the type of work in your original career path daily.

If you have your reason “why” figure out, ask yourself if the same reason would be given later on to the career path and major you are changing to. Are you going to change just to reconsider a year or a few years down the line? Sure, this is the time to figure out what you want to do in life, but you don’t want to keep shifting career paths with no actual destination or goal in mind.

Build connections, and rely on those who can offer expertise

You aren’t the only person that decided to switch career paths and majors. While you may feel overwhelmed and alone in your struggles, you should know that countless other people have taken the same steps you have. Of course, everyone’s change is affected by their personal circumstances, such as their educational background or work experience, but you can still rely on these people for advice.

Talk to professionals in the career path you are aiming for, or students studying the major you want to switch to. These people can hold invaluable information, and they may also have been just like you — having to switch career paths or majors. They can talk from a place of understanding what you are about to go through and help you re-evaluate if your change is really the right one for you.

College can be stressful on its own, but switching career paths and majors can be its own dilemma in itself. With these tips in mind, you can initiate a career change feeling more reassured.