Major Regrets: Why It’s Okay to Pivot Your Degree (and How to Do It Without Starting Over)

You remember that person you were at eighteen? The one who thought low-rise jeans were a great idea and that you definitely, 100 percent, wanted to spend the next 40 years of your life as a chemical engineer?

Yeah. That person was adorable. But that person also hadn’t actually taken organic chemistry yet.

If you are currently sitting in a lecture hall feeling like a spy in a foreign country, or if your energy dips every time you open your textbooks, listen up. You are not failing. You are just realizing that the "Future You" you imagined three years ago is not the "Current You" who has to actually do the work.

The fear is real. We tell ourselves that changing majors is a "waste" of money. We worry we will be the oldest person at graduation, clutching a diploma while our peers are already complaining about their 401k plans. But here is a reality check: sticking with a degree you hate is like finishing a meal that makes you sick just because you already paid for the plate.

It is time to talk about the pivot. Specifically, how to do it without setting your bank account on fire or spending a decade in undergrad.