MARCH 2023
Brianna
Brianna is an English Literature & Political Science student at the University of Central Florida. She is a Disney lover and avid reader!
Major Does Not Matter
We often get caught up in the grind: getting into college, securing financial aid, and living up to the expectations of ourselves and others. We are so dedicated to the goal of getting into college that we are sometimes unsure of what to do once we actually make it. In my case, I had the mentality that I needed to major in X, complete Y internships, and to achieve everything, everywhere, all at once.
It’s easy to feel terrified while we’re in college… We’re terrified to ask for help and be seen as unsure about our futures. But there’s much more out than meets the eye when it comes to the definition of success. It shouldn’t only be about getting a degree in nursing, computer science, or engineering.
Unrealistic expectations lead us to believe that our college majors should be linear and lead directly to our dream jobs and careers. The reality is that our majors do NOT define or equal our careers and it is completely normal to change roles, fields, and professions without feeling like failures in life.
Keep the following advice in mind when it comes to your academic degree.
Focus on your skills, not your major
It is not so much about the major itself, but more about the skills you will gain from it. Develop skills that you find interesting and can be transferable to other fields and professions.
Your degree is a job prerequisite, not the focus
Undergraduate degrees used to be rare, but are now the norm. These days, many companies and hiring managers are open to hiring candidates with non-traditional degrees.
Build your soft skills
Hard skills can be taught and learned. Soft skills (usually) cannot. Hiring managers want candidates that add value to the team and company culture and value skills like critical thinking, research, organization, teamwork, and communication.
Your network matters
It’s not only about who you know, it’s also about who knows you. On top of your academics an extracurriculars, make a lot of effort to network and build relationships with your professors, upperclassmen, and those who have roles or career paths that you’re interested in pursuing one day.
Practical experience is invaluable
Your GPA is not the be-all end-all. Invest your time into extracurriculars, jobs or internships, and projects that help you build new skills and interests. Strengthening your resume with real experiences and results will impress future employers.
Don’t overthink it. Pick a major that you’re interested in and move forward in your college career. Use the undergraduate journey to discover yourself and your potential. Pursue different experiences that will help you learn and don’t be afraid to pivot.
Jeff Nguyen
CEO - BobaTalks
Favorite Boba Flavor: Milk Tea
Outro
I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I wanted the first outro message to be – if it were to be a personal anecdote, a story, or even an overshare of what BobaTalks means to me. I’ve decided that for the very first one, I want it to be a message. A very dear message to any student reading this. And that message is:
It is alright to ask for help.
It is quite hard for anyone to ask for help. Be it pride, cultural upbringing, comfortability, or anything else in between, asking for help can seem overwhelming. Which is why I want to say, whenever you are ready, come let us know. We have mentors and resources, and we’ll always be free to all students looking for guidance. So no matter how messy, how undefined, or how lost your headspace is, don’t worry. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here.
We’ll figure it out, together.
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