Written by: Edwige Edouard
Everyone comes to college for different reasons. It could be to chase that dream job that would make you feel like you’re making a change in the world. Another reason could be that you want to make sure that you’re set up for a great job in the future. However, the biggest reason why people want to get a degree (especially in the STEM field), is for the return on investment that comes with the major itself. College is not cheap in the slightest, and that’s why I believe so many people funnel into STEM. So, how did I end up becoming a creative writer?
First, we need to go back to March of 2020, just before COVID started. I found enjoyment in writing about my friends, and that sparked something that has built towards where I am today. I only wrote on pieces of paper, then went to a notebook. When COVID was just a “week break,” I began typing on Google Docs. During COVID, what was three pages became 100. Then 200. Then I made a sequel that had about the same amount. Then I made an extension of the sequel that was about 600 pages. It sounds like I loved writing, and I did. So how on Earth did I end up doing computer engineering?
I was questioning doing this major at first. I even remember asking my orientation leader about changing majors. It was the first question I asked for the entire orientation process! I don’t remember what they responded with, but I decided to at least try computer engineering. Sure, I didn’t get to the fun parts of engineering itself, but my freshman year ended up having me worried for my future. I had around a 2.5, the lowest GPA I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in the classes I was in (which were dominantly math and coding), and I had talks with my academic advisor about not doing so well within this major. However, one class in my sophomore year would quite literally be the light at the end of the tunnel.
I took Creative Writing I in the fall semester of my sophomore year, and it was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken, bar none. After a grueling spring semester of freshman year, where I ended up getting a D+ in Physics For Engineers I, it felt so relieving to not have to understand a handful of concepts and be confused everywhere you go. When the fall semester concluded, I remember telling my professor, who is now my advisor, that this was the first class that I’ve taken where I felt happy.
Now, I am a junior in the spring semester in my own individualized major where I focus on both creative writing and cinematic studies. And to anyone reading, if you feel like a major isn’t working out for you, and you feel like changing is your only option: do what you love doing.
Featured Image Caption: A motherboard with open RAM slots.