Changing Your Major Isn't Scary - Trust Me

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Sounds simple, right? But what are the odds you’ll know what you love by the time you’re seventeen and applying to universities? Answer: very low.

I headed into university with a plan:

1. Complete the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program;

2. Earn my Master of Architecture degree;

3. Become a licensed architect.

I knew exactly what I wanted to major in, or at least I thought I did.

After the first couple of weeks of university, I settled into a routine; but I knew something was off. It wasn’t homesickness or time management or academic stress, but I couldn’t quite figure out what was causing my unhappiness. I found myself thinking — just get through this five-year program then things will sort themselves out.

Then it clicked: I didn’t want to be studying what I was studying, and I didn’t want to be studying where I was studying.

The decision to transfer schools seemed daunting at the time. Looking back on it now, I am so glad that I did. I wanted to debunk some of the myths, worries and concerns that I faced throughout the process.

Myth #1: I wasted my time because none of the courses I completed for my current major apply to my new major.

Take it from me — architecture and business do not have a lot of required courses in common. “Wow, a complete 180 from architecture to commerce,” is one of those phrases I think I’ll hear every time I talk about my educational background. But, the hard work I put into the architecture program helped me to fulfill some of the non-commerce electives at Dalhousie. I then got to focus on the core business courses which helped me to adjust to the new school environment. Plus, I discovered that architecture was not the career path that I wanted to pursue, and I learned a lot throughout the experience.

Myth #2: It doesn’t matter that I don’t love the classes in my major. It’ll look better on my resume and I want to work in this industry.

I didn’t have a passion for the architecture courses I was taking, and I found it difficult to motivate myself to study the material. The problem was that I had my plan — I was going to become an architect. So I had to go through with this, right?

I’ll always remember speaking to an architect whilst I was still in the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program. He told me that the atmosphere in the workplace doesn’t change much from the academic setting. The school environment in an architecture program mimics the environment that you will work in for your entire career as an architect. My intuition was telling me that I wasn’t in the right program, which made me question whether I wanted a career in this industry.

My advice to you is to make sure you take a bunch of different classes to know what you like and what you don’t like. Chances are, if you don’t love your classes, you won’t love your work.

Myth #3: The paperwork is too complicated and the process is too lengthy.

All in all, the entire application process consisted of creating my online application and sending my high school and university transcripts to Dalhousie. From the day I started working on my application, to the day I accepted my offer, the entire process took just over a month.

Over 75% of undergraduate students end up switching their majors at least once. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right on the first try — very few people do. So trust your gut and don’t stress about changing your major, exploring different areas of interest will help you find the field you want to pursue.

About the writer: Erin Yabsley is in her second year at Dalhousie University in the Commerce program. She is the Vice President Internal for the Rowe Women in Business Association and can be found involved in numerous societies across campus. Erin recently spent the summer working as a Financial Analyst at Rogers Media in Toronto.