# Dropping out of My Major



## MeMe89 (Jun 25, 2009)

God, I'm so upset that I wasted a whole year and a summer course(2 months) all money and time because of the way I am. I was pursuing to be an elementary teacher (which is the worst choice for SA people) I tried my hardest to be someone different, but it never came out that way. Every professor signaled me out saying, youre too shy or quiet. One teacher asked "do you see yourself being a teacher?" and I said," ummm yes". She made a face to the class. I hate my personality, why is it that people praise loud outgoing people and introverted people are shunned or discriminated. I know Im not the best student teacher, but I guess its not for me. My parents put me into this and are still pushing me to keep going. I cant go on like this, I dont even know where my future holds without a degree. I dont have any interests or passions, so I might just end up being a librarian or a total waste. I cant do anything like writing, math, science. NOthing, this sucks. I might stay at home forever. I dont know what to do. Im so upset with myself right now.


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## rctriplefresh5 (Aug 24, 2009)

MeMe89 said:


> God, I'm so upset that I wasted a whole year and a summer course(2 months) all money and time because of the way I am. I was pursuing to be an elementary teacher (which is the worst choice for SA people) I tried my hardest to be someone different, but it never came out that way. Every professor signaled me out saying, youre too shy or quiet. One teacher asked "do you see yourself being a teacher?" and I said," ummm yes". She made a face to the class. I hate my personality, why is it that people praise loud outgoing people and introverted people are shunned or discriminated. I know Im not the best student teacher, but I guess its not for me. My parents put me into this and are still pushing me to keep going. I cant go on like this, I dont even know where my future holds without a degree. I dont have any interests or passions, so I might just end up being a librarian or a total waste. I cant do anything like writing, math, science. NOthing, this sucks. I might stay at home forever. I dont know what to do. Im so upset with myself right now.


dont feel bad, im exactly the same. i am currently a science major, because my dad wants me to be a doctor. i am not good at math, or science though, and although i mmaintaing good grades without really trying much its cause im a great test tasker and i lack understanding of the subject but i can memorize my way through the steps in a few minutes or so. anyway my point is, i know that being a doctor is ot for we, because i am useless in labs, and my partners do it for me luckily. i want to be an elementary school teacher, but thats not a good job prospect right now, and my dad knows, as a male i wont bring home much bread. also id like to be a psychologist, but that requires analytical skills which i do not possess, id also need to go for a masters, and a psych of bachelors is known as the worlds easiest degree, which gives it no merit lol. im 20 now and still working on getting my associates. if i keep with the science course, ill be done with myy associates by august. im thinking i could do a science degree, then do some education certifications to teach elementary, but then ill still have to do a hard science degree...
i wish i could be a gym teacher ha. or a personal trainer, but no gyms will hire me as a personal trainer and i am certified also.


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## MeMe89 (Jun 25, 2009)

At least you're good at something, which is test taking. I have to study extra hours to understand the concept. It takes a little while for me to get things. I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't have any passion or drive for anything. You have the grades to be a doctor, so you'll be fine. I, on the other hand, have to find my niche and quick! But its hard for introverted people that lack the skills.


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

Everyone changes their major. I was on the 5-6 year plan myself. I like so many things, couldn't decide. 

The dirty little secret they don't tell you is that, except for specialized fields like engineering, accounting, nursing, it doesn't matter what you major in. Most employers just want to see a bachelors and some intelligence and enthusiasm.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

MeMe89 said:


> One teacher asked "do you see yourself being a teacher?" and I said," ummm yes". She made a face to the class. I hate my personality, why is it that people praise loud outgoing people and introverted people are shunned or discriminated.


That is so rude. It's weird to me that people find shyness to be unacceptable, but public humiliation to be totally cool.


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## rctriplefresh5 (Aug 24, 2009)

VanDamMan said:


> Everyone changes their major. I was on the 5-6 year plan myself. I like so many things, couldn't decide.
> 
> The dirty little secret they don't tell you is that, except for specialized fields like engineering, accounting, nursing, it doesn't matter what you major in. Most employers just want to see a bachelors and some intelligence and enthusiasm.


the difference between yo uand the OP, is that you took 6 years because you liked everything, h /she wil ltake 6 years because he has no passion for anything. i might drop my current 4 year tract and change..cause i to have no talents or passions lol.


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## MeMe89 (Jun 25, 2009)

rctriplefresh5 said:


> the difference between yo uand the OP, is that you took 6 years because you liked everything, h /she wil ltake 6 years because he has no passion for anything. i might drop my current 4 year tract and change..cause i to have no talents or passions lol.


So,you're going to start all over? Didnt you have a good GPA? Thats why Im stuck because Im in the middle of doing a major that I dont have a passion for but I have reasonable grades and If I leave I lose that GPA and have to start all over. :mum


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## rctriplefresh5 (Aug 24, 2009)

MeMe89 said:


> So,you're going to start all over? Didnt you have a good GPA? Thats why Im stuck because Im in the middle of doing a major that I dont have a passion for but I have reasonable grades and If I leave I lose that GPA and have to start all over. :mum


yeah my GPA is fine. it was a 4.0 up until this semester, and will probably be a 3.85 or so when this semester ends hopefully. however, if i dont get into med school, then a science degree is kind of useless. i will NEVER do lab work. i cant even do the labs in class. my lab partners do them for me .
i dont know if a science degree is enough to teach elementary school. id like to teach elementary school. its funny that you dont want to do that. im just curious, why do your parents want you to be an elementary school teacher so badly? y dad said he would be dissapointed if i was one, and i should try to be a doctor, or a dentist. he also would be dissapointed if i became a psychologist. honestly though, im scared i wont become anything. getting paid 50k for 8 months of work, with summers off to teach kids science or any other subject sounds like a decent gig to me. im single so id imagine 50k is o

i dont think you should give it up though. theres no reason to be socially anxious around kids. they wont judge you! also think of all that field work youve put into also.

i often feel the same way about not being good at anything. what level of math have you gotten up to? how about english, and all of the other subjects?


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## MeMe89 (Jun 25, 2009)

My father decided that I should be a teacher because he believed that I wouldn't apply myself in the other majors and the rigorous work would overwhelm me, which is true. I dont the confidence to be in other studies. Im not the type to entertain or write and be communicative. Math and sciences were never my subjects in school, although I was doing fine in math when I was younger. Now, Im a junior in college and the Math Im doing is pretty basic geometry and algebraic concepts. Im not sure what level I am in for English and other subjects. As long as you have common sense, be able to apply critical thinking and communicate effectively, you can be a teacher. Teaching is all about communication, because the students need to understand what you are teaching and be comfortable with you as a teacher. My parents didnt put much thought into that, they just said okay, she knows the basic subjects from her previous education , so shell be fine. They also thought , I would work easier with kids than adults, but I need to deal with the adults to be able to teach the kids. Most adults in this major shun me for being who I am, so Im done with that. I would like to try, but at this point , Im not happy and I dont want to ruin those kids future.


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## rctriplefresh5 (Aug 24, 2009)

MeMe89 said:


> My father decided that I should be a teacher because he believed that I wouldn't apply myself in the other majors and the rigorous work would overwhelm me, which is true. I dont the confidence to be in other studies. Im not the type to entertain or write and be communicative. Math and sciences were never my subjects in school, although I was doing fine in math when I was younger. Now, Im a junior in college and the Math Im doing is pretty basic geometry and algebraic concepts. Im not sure what level I am in for English and other subjects. As long as you have common sense, be able to apply critical thinking and communicate effectively, you can be a teacher. Teaching is all about communication, because the students need to understand what you are teaching and be comfortable with you as a teacher. My parents didnt put much thought into that, they just said okay, she knows the basic subjects from her previous education , so shell be fine. They also thought , I would work easier with kids than adults, but I need to deal with the adults to be able to teach the kids. Most adults in this major shun me for being who I am, so Im done with that. I would like to try, but at this point , Im not happy and I dont want to ruin those kids future.


maybe being a psychologist is a good route for you? i always feel that the best teachers are those that have struggled themselves in school. or the best doctors are those who have had the most health problems. i feel the best psychiatrists or psychologists, are those who have struggled with their own issues. since you and your parents seem to feel you are not smart enough to do any majors besides elementary ed, i think psych would be great for you. psych is considered to be the easiest undergrad to get. however i will warn you, in order to do anything in psych you will need a masters lol. but thats 2 hard years, as opposed to 4 hard years of a science bachelors degree. psych does have a lot of papers though, and im pretty sure you need to pass a stats class. im gonna stick it out in my science program for another semester, but im taking an intro psych course to see how i like it also!. it will give me a taste of it.im like you. i have no interests in life, and i seem to fail at most things i try, where as a lot of other people seem to excel or be average at things with much less effort than me. it really pisses me off. although we are all good at some things. i usually score the highest on my lecture tests, and i dont study to much. however, i dont know how i pull this off, since i feel like im lost in the lectures. oh well, i guess thats because i am a killer test taker, which i guess takes a different kind of intelligence, that i should be proud i have!. you see i turned that into a positive. but yeah, in all reality, if you are having trouble with an elementary school degree, i dont know of many degrees youd be that great at, since that's one of the easier ones. you said your grades are decent though, so since you said you dont have any plan to do anything else, id stick it out in the mean time, and really put the effort in. find a friend in your class, and explain that you are shy, and maybe they wouldnt mind staying with you while you talk to the other judgmental adults in the room! unfortunately life sucks. i have a 10 minute biology presentation i have to do n front of my whole class on Wednesday... i have a biology lab practical on tuesday, i have a math project due on monday i havent started, and i have a math exam, and a chemistry exam coming up. it sucks.


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## laura024 (Aug 11, 2006)

I'm in college pursuing a career in teaching high school English. I don't know how I'm going to do this, because I know teens look for any sign of vulnerability in a teacher and take advantage of it. But this is what I want to do. I'm going to try not to let SA get in my way as much as possible, even if I have to majorly fake confidence. I think teaching elementary isn't too bad. The kids are too young to judge. However, you would have to deal with parents a lot.


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## M86 (Dec 5, 2009)

I went through what you're going through right now. I always wanted to become an elementary school teacher, so that's what I majored in. Was in the major for almost 3 years and had excellent grades but the student teaching was a terrible experience for me. I mean, I liked the kids but the whole experience brought on too much anxiety. I felt so judged by those kids and the teachers, then just thinking about how much responsibility it is to educate these other people's children actually terrified me to the point that I changed my major. Like yours, most of my classmates were really outgoing so I felt so out of place in class. I switched to public administration, and its going really well, I really like my courses. Only thing is that there is a lot of presentations and class discussions but for some reason its not that bad and I think its helping become a little bit more sociable. I've always liked to do volunteer work and help others so I think I want to work for a nonprofit org. in the future.

But, before making any rash decisions, go to the career center at your college and see if you can take any career assessments like Myers Briggs. Then you can have a better perspective and it can help you decide what is your next step.


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## MeMe89 (Jun 25, 2009)

M86 said:


> I went through what you're going through right now. I always wanted to become an elementary school teacher, so that's what I majored in. Was in the major for almost 3 years and had excellent grades but the student teaching was a terrible experience for me. I mean, I liked the kids but the whole experience brought on too much anxiety. I felt so judged by those kids and the teachers, then just thinking about how much responsibility it is to educate these other people's children actually terrified me to the point that I changed my major. Like yours, most of my classmates were really outgoing so I felt so out of place in class. I switched to public administration, and its going really well, I really like my courses. Only thing is that there is a lot of presentations and class discussions but for some reason its not that bad and I think its helping become a little bit more sociable. I've always liked to do volunteer work and help others so I think I want to work for a nonprofit org. in the future.
> 
> But, before making any rash decisions, go to the career center at your college and see if you can take any career assessments like Myers Briggs. Then you can have a better perspective and it can help you decide what is your next step.


That's exactly how I feel right now. Its very lonely when you cant connect with the people in your class. I took the Myers Briggs test online and it gave me a few suggestions in careers. I got Early childhood education(umm okay), nursing, medical records administration, counseling, music, graphic design, fashion designer(lol) , radiologic technician, and customer service specialist(never). The ones I can see myself doing are medical records administration, music (but doesn't make money and cant play any instruments) and maybe counseling. But counseling involves group communication, so i dont know. Oh, IM not the presentation and class discussion type of person, so it would be tough in the beginning.

What happened to your credits? Is it still on your transcript? or did you start over?How long is it going to take you to graduate?


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## Sierra83 (Sep 24, 2007)

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I had similar plans to become a highschool teacher, so I was going for a 4-year B.A. in music education originally but in my second year after failing my music history class and coming to terms with my SA (which was a lot worse back then), I switched into a 3-year B.A., going part-time for the last two years and graduating in 2005. Now almost five years later, I have a job as a music school coordinator and I get to work from home. I'm paid on commission though so I'm looking for another job to supplement my income. Might go back to school later on, might not. There are lots of opportunities though, you just have to look for them, and you have lots of time to explore and figure out what it is you'd like to do.


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## M86 (Dec 5, 2009)

MeMe89 said:


> What happened to your credits? Is it still on your transcript? or did you start over?How long is it going to take you to graduate?


Well all my credits, except 2 courses, were transferred to my new major since the majority were general ed credits. Some of my elementary education credits transferred as general electives. I then just had to do a couple of prerequisite courses for my new major. I think it only really added 1 semester, and I should be graduating in a year almost 4 1/2 years since I started college.

My advice is to just research careers that seem interesting to you and have good expectation of job growth/employment, even if they aren't the most highest paying jobs.


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## heyJude (Aug 1, 2009)

MeMe89 said:


> One teacher asked "do you see yourself being a teacher?" and I said," ummm yes". She made a face to the class.


Ugh. Reminds me of a professor I had for nursing. She seemed to always pick on me for being so quiet..."If you want to be a nurse, you're gonna need to talk soon."

I'm kind of in the same boat. I was accepted into the ADN program earlier this year, and absolutely hated it. Everything they had assigned to us (from forming our own groups to demonstrating the correct way to make a hospital bed in front of the instructor) caused me lots of anxiety. It was really bad, so I decided nursing was definitely not for me and withdrew from the program 1 month into it. Nursing wasn't my original choice as a major - I realized I was doing it more for my parents than myself. Now I just have to find another major that suits me better. Whatever that may be.

Hope everything works out for you.


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## SAgirl (Nov 15, 2003)

rctriplefresh5 said:


> a psych of bachelors is known as the worlds easiest degree, which gives it no merit lol.


My drugs and behaviour course is really tough. So is abnormal psych. These courses are very detailed and you have to know everything from every chapter. I don't think it's easy.

You can do alot with Psychology. You can take a Masters and become a school psychologist, Educational Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist, Child Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist or Sports Psychologist.


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