[Abyss Soul]

Right now, I'm in my second year of Computer Engineering and I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical of whether or not I can bloom in this career path. Keep in mind, I do not desire to "brush past" this major, like piggy-backing off other students, or selling my self short on homework. I want the majority of my accomplishments to reflect my intellect.

So, far I have good marks in all of my general study classes (All Calculus, Diff EQ, Physics, and writing). But now I'm in a low-level programming course and I really seem to struggle at times in the lab.

This is my question for you posters if this situation applies to you: did you switch majors at this critical point (when you were doubtful of your abilities) or did you tough it out with much help? And if you did tough it out, did you become self-sufficent and confident of yourself in what you learned?

 

[Stars]

I'd stick with it if I were you. Is computer engineering something you're passionate about? Something that you love enough to base your life around? If so, I'd DEFINITELY recommend you stick with it. I'm a media/film production major and I felt like an idiot the first time I tried to use a recording studio. It was confusing and intimidating. But I stuck with it for a couple hours (exceeding my scheduled studio time by a whole damn lot) until I had learned how to record and mix audio in several different ways. I became self sufficient and confident with what I learned.

If you're really committed to this, then I don't think anything should stop you. There has to be something you can do. Could you take fewer credit hours per semester to focus on nailing the programming class(es)? Could you talk to your professor more often for advice? Could you see a counselor? Ask your classmates for help? Also if you don't do this already, try eating better, drinking more water and exercising more often. Those are essential to academic success. Not sure if this will help but I wish the best with your class; it sounds like a great major.

 

[Alaya]

I actually did change my major when I was really close in graduating. I changed from tourism management to psychology because as I got into more in-depth in tourism I knew that I wasn't going to make it. If you feel that you don't like your major and know that you'll be miserable the rest of your life doing it, change it, because it's something that you're going to do for a long, long time.

However, maybe you're just going through a crisis in thought and are getting cold-feet in committing to this career for a while. In that case, you should just stick to it and finish.

 

[lylyness]

Double majors are awesome. roud: Do you have enough electives that you could carry two majors for a while and then drop one later if necessary? I know engineering's really demanding though so maybe this wouldn't be possible for you.

I'd say stick it out if you're struggling but you like it and care enough to get better. If you're genuinely having trouble motivating yourself in this field then you should probably look elsewhere. Remember that low level courses are way less interesting and useful than the higher level classes.

 

[Hugh Gonzo]

I'm switching from Sociology/English double major to Sociology major Anthropology minor. When I entered university, I wanted to be an English teacher in high school, but now I've decided I want to pursue postgraduate studies in Sociology, and whilst my grades in high school English were great, my grades in University-level English are terrible. Wish it hadn't taken me 2 years to realize (and 2 papers off from finishing) that my talents were being wasted. But luckily I can squeeze in an Anthro minor by the end of my last year .