The Decision

 I began to think and reevaluate my decision to be a physical therapist at Pacific. If my parents were spending all of this money to put me through school, the least I could do was have direction and focus where I wanted to go. But, if I choose another major and essentially start again, how far behind would that put me? Would I be able to graduate on time? What if my desired career path was another mistake, like physical therapy was?

What if my parents were not proud of me?

These were all considerations that I felt like I had to take into account before I made any concrete decisions about changing my career path; or in a more dramatic sense, my life. 

I thought that a good place to start with was getting into the mind of my high school self. I began to reflect and think, "what did I want to be, but chose not to pursue because of pre-existing stereotypes and rumors". The first profession that came into mind was teaching. There is a general stigma around teachers about how they are not only undercompensated for their work, but often have to deal with students who are not ideal in the classroom. According to an online survey, 1 in 5 teachers feels tense about their job basically all of the time. A large percentage of teachers were leaving early into their careers, causing a rise in demand for teachers who were willing to stay for the long run. 

What would I be signing on for if I decided to became a teacher?

On the other hand, teaching is one of those special professions where you have the opportunity to change the lives of students, and alter their paths in a positive manner. One could make the argument that drive and motivation for certain careers begin in high school: impacting a student's life could make society a better place. In that sense, it is a very fulfilling career where you are making a difference. 

Despite the nervousness of changing my major and career path, my gut feeling was too strong to ignore. Sure, I won't be able to provide my parents with the best of things once they retire. But something about this job seemed liked it was my calling, and I had found my purpose. 

The following week, I went into my faculty advisors office and informed him that I would be switching out of my physical therapy major and pursuing a degree in English with the intention of becoming a teacher. 

Ever since then, I haven't looked back, and I'm very excited for what the future has in hold for me.