When I enrolled for the fall semester of my freshman year at OSU, I knew exactly what I wanted to major in. I had enjoyed singing in choirs from a young age, and I wanted to work to share that same joy with others, so I decided to study music education.
The music ed. degree plan consisted of many classes that I truly enjoyed: music theory, sight singing/ear training and of course, my choral ensembles. However, I noticed that once I began to take pedagogy classes, the classes that teach you how to teach others, I seemed to become less and less passionate about the idea of teaching music once I graduated. I always had a pit in my stomach when I had to go observe music classrooms, and I think it was because I dreaded the day that I would have to teach classes of my own.
I had made it through two full years on this trajectory, and I remember having a conversation with my dear friend Anna about my feelings heading into junior year. I had always thought that there was a bit of a stigma attached to changing one’s major, which typically resulted in an extra semester or two of college. I didn’t want to appear wishy-washy, so I really thought my only option was to “stick it out”. Anna told me that it was better to make a change right then, instead of continuing to pursue a degree in a field that I had no intention or desire to work in. She listened while I talked through my fears and reassured me that I should do what I needed to in order to be happy. I knew that I liked writing, that I wanted a career that allowed me to work with people and that I enjoyed event planning, so I decided to switch my major to strategic communications with a focus in public relations.
I sometimes think about how different my life would look now had I not had this game-changing conversation with Anna. I am so grateful to have a friend who spoke up when she saw that I needed some extra encouragement to make a difficult decision.
Morgan Jones, Director of Small Group Ministry
