Across campus, sections of sidewalks that have been inefficiently designed are met with worn areas of grass where people seeking efficiency have beaten down a new path by skipping the sidewalk and taking a shorter route. These dirt trails are called desire paths.
In a similar way, following a new path by choosing to change majors may seem scary. Departing from your original plan may be uncomfortable, but it also may be the most efficient way to achieve your goals. It allows you to enter your desired career without extra steps taken on a path you do not desire to be on.
Each challenge faced in the pursuit of an easier college experience is a step off of a metaphorical paved sidewalk and onto uneven ground. Each step wears away grass and exposes a slowly smoothing dirt path that others will take in turn.
According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, about half of the students who start in engineering, a degree widely regarded as challenging, change their major or drop out prior to graduation.
Many of these students are criticized as too lazy or not smart enough to handle the challenging class load. An article published by Pew Research said many students avoid pursuing STEM degrees due to difficulty. However, students who switch out of these majors often face more challenges in changing their major than they would have continuing to pursue the degree they had originally planned.
Students who make the choice to change majors must adjust to new classmates, advisors and curriculum. They may pursue a degree perceived as easier but continue to be challenged by the new path and major they have chosen.
Regardless of these challenges, students change majors in pursuit of a path that will provide them with more fulfillment, less stress or more success. This diversion from their planned path in pursuit of happiness should be commended.
UA advisors and the Career Center provide a multitude of resources for students who change their major and are finding their footing in the new space they have entered.
The first person to take what will inevitably become the easiest path always risks facing uncertain terrain. With each step, however, the overall journey becomes just slightly easier.
Choose the path you desire, despite the risk of criticism and difficult terrain — because eventually, the path will become smooth enough for others to follow in your footsteps.