I feel like I picked the wrong major

And I don't know what to do about it. I'm in my final semester, I don't like the job opportunities and I've finally realized what field does interest me, only I don't have the money and would have to take all different courses for the most part. I'm interested in nutrition, I'm currently studying Housing Mgmt. and Finance, but I honestly am not excited about the job prospects.

Is this just some phase I'm in? I forced myself to stick it out just for the sake of sticking it out because I realized last year I liked this other major only I only had a year left. Now I'm in my last semester and dreadfully thinking about returning to obtain a degree I really want because this degree was just for the sake of getting a degree, not because I really wanted to get into this field.

What do I do? The other degree is 2 1/2 years of study to complete because it's completely different. When I was young I put chemistry down as my secondary degree choice and no one directed me toward nutrition, which is chemistry based! I just thought it was engineering and I didn't want to study that. Now here I am 15+ years later finally realizing what I wish I would have realized then. I've wasted so much time in college trying to figure out a degree path when it was right in front of me all along.

Now how do I make it happen? Do I get a job and just test the waters of the degree I actually pursued? Do I reapply for financial aid and prep myself for another 2 long years? I don't know if my family could take another two years of my education truthfully.

I'm at a crossroads and I'm needing guidance.

Hey Jetta,

Is this buyers remorse or is it a true path for you? It could also be the thought of leaving school and entering the real world of work everyday. We have all seen the professional student at the local college. Usually a guy that is way to old to be carrying a back pack, probably lives at home still and never grew up.

Maybe looking at nutrition more closely and see if this is something you could do for the rest of your working career. I am not sure how much you owe in student loans but perhaps getting a job in your degree field and then maybe night classes to pursue something else would be more prudent.

Lost

Well, what would a degree in nutrition get you? I know a bunch of nutrition majors and they seem to not have much job prospects...??

Jetta, you have been struggling to find yourself for several years now. You wanted to be an attorney, but claimed you didn't have the kind of brain needed (what does that mean? I work for an attorney and know several and NONE of them think alike). I think you are just on a journey of exploration and really don't have a set destination. I am not knocking you, but you seem to pick unavailable men and flit from major to major. If nutrition is IT for you (and it could very well be) know that anything chemistry based has tons of math attached to it. If you are strong in math and chemistry, this could be the field for you. The first thing you need to do is talk to someone who does this and get a feel of the chances of getting a job in this field and what the workplace environment is like. This will keep you from taking on a major you will not use. If this checks out okay for you, go for it! You are faily young and at your age, two or three years is nothing!

My best friend thinks I'm panicing because I'm so close to completing a goal of mine that it's freaking me out. I do tend to panic. I wanted to be an attorney years ago, when my dad was alive, it was my plan to finish and go to law school, he said he'd help me pay for it, but hated attorneys. Anyway I've since realized college is tough and I'm not as smart as I thought but I do know I was smart in science so I thought I may have picked the wrong major. Well it's too late now. Someone suggested I take a course in nutrition and see if it's of interest. But the course I'd really need to take would be chemistry to see if I could pass the muster still.

This is just an observation, but I know two people with bachelors degrees in nutrition. They both work in minimum wage jobs at the local PETCO. I'd stick with your finance degree and go out and get yourself a 40k/yr job instead.

I think it's fairly common to have this kind of freak-out close to the completion of an undergraduate degree: you're panicking about going out into the real world, finding a job; you're now an "expert" in something, so it makes sense that you might be starting to realize that you don't like what you're an expert in. I went through something similar a few months from graduating. That said, there are definitely ways to get into a new field even without doing another degree. The best way to do it is through your career path. For example, I took a few courses on urban policy my senior year of college, and loved it so much so I really regretted my undergrad degree, which is in the arts. But I did internships in nonprofit management in college, at arts institutions, and was able to eventually get a job at a nonprofit that works with low-income families. Now I'm going to get my MA in Urban Affairs in order to work more on the policy and program design side of things - and they let me in with a BFA in the arts because of my experience.

So there are ways to sort of shift into a new career even with your seemingly irrelevant degree.. but I think, based on your past posts, this may just be anxiety about graduating.

About a year after I graduated I also became very interested in nutrition. I watched a lot of youtube videos about the career and also read a lot of books about nutrition. I later realized that it's an incredibly interesting subject, but not something I'd want to actually commit to career-wise.

From what I've read up on, to be a dietitian or nutritionist you need to complete many internship hours, be certified/licensed, take tons of chemistry/biochemistry/math courses. Is this a road you really want to embark on?

i know some people that didn't figure out what they wanted to do till they were like in their 40's.

Me, I know what I want to to. Own a guitar store and play in a death metal band while also making classical music.