Is it ever too late too change your mind?
By harck721
@harck721 (372)
Philippines
April 28, 2011 4:43am CST
I've been wanting to be a geologist since I was young. To be specific, I wanted to be a volcanologist. It was my dream I dearly wanted and I told everyone so since I was young. Other than that, I also wanted to be a writer.
When I entered high school, I entered the arts oriented program of my school. I was always pretty good in academics, so they gave me the choice of transferring to the science oriented program. Having my dream of being a scientist, I chose to transfer. I even graduated with honors. In college, just like a dream come true, I got into the course I always wanted.
It's been three years since then and I find myself being disillusioned. When I look back at my life, I never really knew what a volcanologist did. Now that I do, I found it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I realized I wanted to do something else with my life, things I've always loved and have decent skills in. I wanted to write, draw and work with computers. I don't know how to tell my parents this. Is it wrong to change my mind now that I've gone this far?
2 people like this
9 responses
@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
29 Apr 11
You should do whatever you enjoy and do best. Never do anything that you are reluctant to do so. Its never late to change any decision as long as you have to mean to change it. I mean, isn't it related to money when you have to change to another program? Then you'd best discuss it with your parents and state clearly why you wanted to change. If money is a consideration, then you can find a job and ease your parents burden. Good luck.
1 person likes this
@drasnian (548)
•
6 May 11
It's definitely never too late...I was on a psychology degree to begin with, and hated the uni. I transferred (having lost a year) and 6 weeks in realised it was the course as well as the Uni. I managed to swap to Zoology without losing another year, but telling my parents I wanted to change was possibly the most difficult thing I've ever done. But they were supportive.
Your parents love you, and won't want you to be miserable. The only thing is, I'd suggest having a plan BEFORE you talk to them, this makes it clear that you aren't just changing on a whim.
You're college doesn't need to be a waste though - if you want to write, you could go on to do something like writing for the science column in newspapers/online, like the BBC Science/Nature correspondents do.
Even if you choose not to do something science-related, the degree will stand you in good stead for whatever job you do choose to do. Science is associated with logic, a good grasp of maths and being practical. Putting those qualities on a CV will never hurt.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
7 May 11
I told my mother recently, and I was very happy that she said she will support my decisions, and that she only wanted me to be happy and to succeed in life. My university is sort of eights hours of bus travel away from home, so I have to live there. It gets lonely and I've had a lot of depression phases while I was there.
I just want to be close to home and I don't really want to get super rich or something. I just want to be able to do what I love doing. It's a good thing you realized what you wanted so early. I've already lost three years, but I'm hoping for the best.
@drasnian (548)
•
7 May 11
Three years is a lot better than finishing the course and being stuck in a job that you hate.
That's sort of what my uni was like last year...it was actually cheaper to fly than to get the train or bus! Now I'm about 4 hours away, which doesn't feel so bad, especially since I have a car so I can drive home whenever I want to.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
29 Apr 11
Personally I think a lot of times we can become disallusioned and once we try something we thought was what we were once wanting to do, can often become boring and a type of life style that we are not happy with, and can be quite frustrating for sure. It may make us even have regrets and second thoughts wanting to move onto something else.
Since you are still young, it could actually be the perfect time to consider weighing out some of your other options to see what is really out there, and then find something you are really wanting to do the rest of your life as well. It does take time sometimes. Just wishing you the Best that you one day find it.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
Thank you for your kind words and advice. I'm not entirely sure if my second course is something I want to do for the rest of my life, but I'm pretty sure volcanology isn't. I haven't had a lot of chance to look at other profession choices when I was younger, blinded as I was by the grandeur of such a prestigious science course.
@r0ck_r0ck (1952)
• India
28 Apr 11
Its never wrong to do something that you always wanted to do, you are suppose perform better on something you love to do, if writing is your thing its normal that you would be happy with a job that involves writing, if you are forced on something else, that might yield negative results as bad performance, frustration. so its better to change it while you still can or someday in the near future you might regret and think to yourself 'if i had the little courage to tell my parents what i wanted, i could have been someone else my whole life'. Live your dream its only one life we get and its short to be scared of what others will think. Trust me. :
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
Thank you. Reading all your advice gives me confidence to just come out and tell my mom. I'm just a little scared of hurting her since I had been so passionate about geology since I was young. I guess somewhere along the way, it became her dream for me too. She isn't too aware of my drifting interests since I lived far away while I was in college.
But you're right. If I don't do thins now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life in a line of work I've fallen out of love with.
@Sanitary (3968)
• Singapore
29 Apr 11
It's never too late to change your mind. We are learning and growing all the time, so there are bound to be unexpected twist of events in our life. What interest us in the past might not be so for now, or in the future. As we are exposed to more things while growing up, traveling around, we tend to gain interest in more things. IF u have the ability, pursue all your interest at all cost. There's no harm in showing interest in more than one aspect. At the end of the day, u would have many choices to choose from, to settle as career.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
I'd love to be able to do so. Maybe I'll take more classes when I finish my first course and get a stable enough job so that I can pay for my own schooling. I love learning things, but there's always the financial aspect to worry about. Thank you for your advice.
1 person likes this
@millefeuille (369)
• Argentina
28 Apr 11
I'm 20, I'm young yet, but during my life I wanted to be many things, model, actress, photographer, graphic designer, makeup artist, veterinarian, cook, real estate agent, writer, journalist, dermatologist, princess, fairy LOL, many things, all of them things that I really like. I was always changing my mind, but when I was enough older to finally decide what I wanted to do with my life, I was into three options, I started with one thing, I didn't enjoy it so I chose another thing but finally I decided that I'm going to do what I really love no matter what. I didn't enjoyed as much as I thought all those things that I always wanted to be. So, I'm going to do what I really want to do, and if in a few years I want to do something else, I will do, never is too late, I just want to love what I'm doing. And if the career you want to choose is really good, I'm sure your parents won't have any problem, if it's what you enjoy. To be happy and live plenty you have to do all those things that you love and makes you happy, no matter how old you are.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
I admire you for being so sure about yourself and your life, uncertain as it might be at some points. I want to be able to do what I want, too.
Unfortunately, my mom doesn't really understand since she wasn't given the liberty of choosing when she was younger. I know she just wants me to get a stable job, but if it's a stable job I don't really enjoy, I don't really see the point. She isn't very familiar with the course I want to take up, so she doesn't have a very positive view about it.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
8 May 11
I don't think there is anything wrong with changing your mind. It is your life and you should do what you love if you have the ability to do so. I am still trying to figure out my place in life. I have went back to school for business and am thinking now I might want a double major. I took electronics years ago but life has taken me down other paths. Life is funny like that.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
28 Apr 11
It's never too late to change. Sometimes you just have to, and often several times during your life. You can do this quite easily because you are a qualified person. Having a degree is important to show that you are educated, mature and responsible. The fact that the degree is in some totally unrelated subject doesn't matter!
I don't think any of us here know what a volcanologist really does! I am guessing that the job only gets interesting at the time that it gets dangerous.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
28 Apr 11
Thank you for your advice. I'm quite unsure with my life at the moment, and not even out of my teens. My real dilemma is telling my mother I wanted to transfer courses. I hint at it, but she keeps changing her mind, and I feel like she'll get really mad at me if I come out with it. She's always been proud that I chose a course with such a bright future. She doesn't think anyone can get anywhere with computers. I want to make her happy, but I want to do this for myself too.
@craziestqueenever (1819)
• Philippines
28 Apr 11
So how old are you? I can probably relate to your situation right now.I just realized last year that My chosen Profession is not that really my passion But else can I do? I want to be a writer and I know there is a reason why it is just now that I realized that why I had chosen this Profession.
