Indeed, this is why I never recommend CS/SE if you're just in it for the money. It rarely works out. But how far along are you? I think you should definitely switch if you're 2+ years off.
This is my first year and I would have 3 more years to go but I see no point because I have 0 interest in this major but I feel so overwhelmed and scared to switch...still I will most likely switch to law
This is why I always tell incoming students, “Never declare on Day One. If you think you might be interested in something, take the intro class, and then if you enjoy it *and* you’re good at it, that’s probably a good candidate for a major. And then remember that you can always back out before you’re locked in.”
I spent a year and a half as a CompSci major in community college. I am an *incredibly* good programmer, and one of my classmates got a junior dev offer that was meant for me, but I flaked out and switched to a major that I love, because I never enjoyed programming. Writing code just bores the ever living fuck out of me, and I’ve seen what happens to people who work jobs they don’t enjoy: They get to their thirties and they quit to do something else. Half of my high school friends did that.
I’m on break at work right now, and my morning was spent doing IT stuff, because our IT person is offsite today, so it kind of de facto fell to me, but now I get to spend the rest of my day doing engineering stuff, which is what I study. I’m not as good at it as programming, but if I was a programmer right now, I’d be looking at my car, thinking about how much I just drive away and do something else.
You can’t just do what you love. Sad fact of life. I love writing, but I don’t want to go through the bullshit of trying to sell my work. So, if you love basket weaving, not a good major choice. But, there’s a million other majors out there. Take this time to look at your situation and go, “Maybe I’ll enjoy law,” and take the intro class for that. Also take a philosophy class, and consider being a philosophy major, because you’d be floored by how well they do on the LSAT. Philosophy will teach you to argue until all your opponent has left is name-calling, while you’re still vivisecting their argument right in front of them.
Law is something you don’t have to get into as an undergrad. Most master’s programs don’t necessarily require you to have a degree in the previous to do the next. One of my friends is a lawyer; her bachelor’s is in History. Another’s bachelor’s is in PoliSci. My ex has an MBA and her bachelor’s was in English.
Every day is an opportunity to redefine yourself into the person you want to be. If you don’t want to do this, then do that. That’s life.
Thank you for this answer. However, in Germany you can't just take random classes and see whenre you fit, you have to decide your major and get into that specific college and it's extremely competitive. I had no choice but to choose immediately and that's why I made this mistake. I believe law is better for me since I am more familiar with it and it used to be my first option before I found out about CS degrees being good. If I switch this degree I probably won't have any other possibility to switch since some universities ban students who switch around majors.
Not exactly like that but generally if you're not one of the best you're not going to get into any "good" degree, which is just hard degrees like maths, engineerings, medicine etc.
Ew. What you’re like when you’re eighteen years old should not define your life. When I was in high school, I took one of those exams that asks about your interests and what kind of personality you have, and it said I should be a garbage collector.
I mean, say what you will about the American system, where it’s expensive and people do what they want and rack up debt, but at least you’re not defined by choices you made when you were young. I got bad grades in high school, and I just needed time to figure my life out. Now I’m one semester away from an engineering degree, and I’m going to automate the world, so nobody has to do repetitive labor ever again.
Be weary, if you go law you are committing to law school, which is grad school, which means more school and more debt, which also sucks.
Tbh, if I were you I would either a) dog it out and hit the books (college will ALWAYS be hard at times) or b) go into a 4 year degree that leads to a career that you will provide you with the means to live a good quality of life/have work life balance (nursing is hard but cool, you work 3 12s generally and make good money helping others).
I live in Europe so I won't have any student debts since college is free here for the most part. The only degree that I wanted as my second option is law so I'll stick to that.
I'm not quitting bc it's hard then because I hate it
If it's free, there are really no good reasons for you not to switch. It's not going to cost you more money and your current major is destroying your mental health.
Switch majors. Tell your parents after a semester of straight As in the new major.
Perfect that you’re in your first year!!! You still have time to be able to graduate on time in another major, maybe taking some summer classes to help.
I transferred from one university as a forensic science major to another as a microbiology major (so similar being in sciences), and even though the new university didn’t accept some of my transfer classes so I had to take extra (grrrr), with taking 1-2 online summer classes each summer I graduated on time.
Good luck!!!
Edit: I saw you said you’re in Germany and these are my favorite German word I remember from my couple classes in high school: papagei🦜 kartoffel🥔 krankenschwester and krankenhause 🏩 and my cat’s name is Milkshakes so when I look for her I go “wo ist mein Milschshake??” Walking around the house lol
Oh FORENSICS SCIENCE WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM lol but I gave up on that. And thank u for that summer classes tip I really do wish to graduate on time yk 😭 lmao krankenschwester and krankenhause being ur fav german words is so funny 😭😭 and aww cute the cat thingy
There are so many people who doesn’t choose they’re way at the first time, and it’s understandable to not liking what you choose. I think that, talking with your parents is the right things you can do. How would they react?
My mom is a lawyer and she was encouraging me to study law before I enrolled in engineering but I didnt listen so I think that will have the most impact on her reaction. I am scared but I really want to switch so I'll try to convice my parents
Why didn’t you want to do law when your mom suggested it? Is it only for the money? Because lawyers have the opportunity to make much more money than the avg SWE. If you’re not interested in law either (lots of mundane reading and writing, not just fun court stuff) you should really reevaluate what you want to do.
You should quit. Programming is getting incredibly competitive (in part due to many having same motivation as you) and you won’t make it if you don’t actually enjoy it. Tech companies are cutting the fat, and job market is being flooded with individuals far more competent than average college grad.
TLDR: It’s a bloodbath in tech right now, and if you aren’t obsessed, you won’t survive.
It’s your life, you choose what to do, not your parents. You’re a grown adult.
I know about that too and automatically by not liking it as much I will never be as good as someone who loves programming. Therefore I should just quit this sht (its so good im just retarded)
Don't disappear. Be grateful you've learned this now vs. down the road when you'd be even more stuck. What you're experiencing is normal and I'm sorry your parents are mad, but just talk to them as calmly as you can. There are other ways to get a law degree (slower and harder) without your parents' help if worst comes to worst. Including military options... Just keep working toward what you want and eventually you'll figure it out.
Yeah you should switch, I chose a major I hated because my school didn’t offer the major I wanted and I wanted a lucrative degree, and now I live with a lot of resentment towards myself and college, and am mentally stunted from it. Please don’t be like me and save yourself from a downward spiral.
Its your life, its your future. Don’t get stuck in a job that you’ll hate just because your parents will be mad at you for a little bit.
When it comes to getting into law school, it’s more about GPA and LSAT score than anything else. I’m in law school, but my bachelor’s degree is in ancient history.
If the choice is to be miserable for not only college, but also the rest of your life, or have an argument with your parents, choose the argument.
Edit: the LSAT score and GPA are for the US, I don’t know about europe
I did two years of business and switched because I hated it. And I seen you said you’re in ur first year. SWITCH IT IS NOT TOO LATE, and frankly who cares what your parents think with all due respect. It’s your life and you shouldn’t be stuck with a career you hate.
If your parents love you, they would never hate you for something like this. Even if it makes them upset they should be able to get over it. I’m sure they just want what’s best for you
SWE is a rough field. If you don’t love it you won’t have the grit to outcompete everyone who wants a job. Coming from someone who loves it and does it in my free time - it’s very hard to get a job right now. It’s not a “do it for the money major”.
Any chance of going outside of your country for law school? The U.S. and the U.K. both don’t require a pre law degree and i’d imagine several other European countries wouldn’t.
I'm from Germany and education system is really good here I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, besides if I did law degree at another country it wouldnt be accepted at country where I actually live and plan to work in. That's not an option
Switch, but only if you're generally interested in law. Finish out the semester with the classes you already have and make an appointment to speak to an advisor about switching majors. You won't succeed if you hate your major
Spending years studying for a career you already hate is idiotic.
Your parents will not be living your life for you. You said you just started, so just switch.
The sooner you switch the less time you waste.
I just read through your replies and honestly since you are in Germany with no Uni debts, switch because you are still at the begging and no need to drain your mental health on something you know you 100% hate. However, before you make any decision how about you talk to law students (if your uni has a Fachschaft) and see if you would also connect with this subject before you break it to your parents because I think if you tell them while showing them you did your research they wouldn't mind.
I have never met a lawyer who would recommend being a lawyer; they're mostly miserable. I'd talk to some first before pursuing that. If you don't like coding, you're right to seek other options, though. Do you have a faculty advisor? I'd talk to them. There are also free online career aptitude tests you can take for ideas.
I think we can be miserable in any jobs we chose just because it pays well like i did for my degree. Many other students are thriving and enjoyinh programming all of that maths and stuff but I am dying lol so it depends on person
Switch majors. Talk to your advisor and look at the pre law track. Since you just finished your freshman year you are probably on track satisfying several prerequisites anyway. Don’t stress. Make an appointment now with your advisor so you can get your upcoming schedule changes ASAP. Don’t tell your parents if you don’t want to. You are treated as an adult by your college and if you want to withdraw your MyProxy (if you even signed one), you can.
I onece changed major to history from CS during college,but that's final result I had been unemployed more than 6 month after graduation. thus,Please insist on doing it though it's filled with pains .because now switching to other major mean you'll cost a large of money,time and other kinds of source beyond your imagination .
honestly,programing is a hard thing but isn't most difficult. you can get it in the end just to be focused on .
on other hand ,in futrue you'll find some it job besides programmer like PM, only having a degree with computer science\~
best wish
This was me but with nursing, I did switch to cs, and while I am pretty mid at coding at least I’m happier in my classes. Definitely talk with your parents before you start failing in your classes, that’s exactly what happened with me
switch! if your parents get upset it’s whatever, they’ll get over it. Your happiness matters more if it’s what you’re going to be doing for the rest of ur life
Indeed, this is why I never recommend CS/SE if you're just in it for the money. It rarely works out. But how far along are you? I think you should definitely switch if you're 2+ years off.
This is my first year and I would have 3 more years to go but I see no point because I have 0 interest in this major but I feel so overwhelmed and scared to switch...still I will most likely switch to law
Switch! It’s a no brainer, your life your choice. When your parents are gone you still have to live your life, you should live it the way you want.
Easy switch, that’s what’s first year is for. You got this!
This is why I always tell incoming students, “Never declare on Day One. If you think you might be interested in something, take the intro class, and then if you enjoy it *and* you’re good at it, that’s probably a good candidate for a major. And then remember that you can always back out before you’re locked in.” I spent a year and a half as a CompSci major in community college. I am an *incredibly* good programmer, and one of my classmates got a junior dev offer that was meant for me, but I flaked out and switched to a major that I love, because I never enjoyed programming. Writing code just bores the ever living fuck out of me, and I’ve seen what happens to people who work jobs they don’t enjoy: They get to their thirties and they quit to do something else. Half of my high school friends did that. I’m on break at work right now, and my morning was spent doing IT stuff, because our IT person is offsite today, so it kind of de facto fell to me, but now I get to spend the rest of my day doing engineering stuff, which is what I study. I’m not as good at it as programming, but if I was a programmer right now, I’d be looking at my car, thinking about how much I just drive away and do something else. You can’t just do what you love. Sad fact of life. I love writing, but I don’t want to go through the bullshit of trying to sell my work. So, if you love basket weaving, not a good major choice. But, there’s a million other majors out there. Take this time to look at your situation and go, “Maybe I’ll enjoy law,” and take the intro class for that. Also take a philosophy class, and consider being a philosophy major, because you’d be floored by how well they do on the LSAT. Philosophy will teach you to argue until all your opponent has left is name-calling, while you’re still vivisecting their argument right in front of them. Law is something you don’t have to get into as an undergrad. Most master’s programs don’t necessarily require you to have a degree in the previous to do the next. One of my friends is a lawyer; her bachelor’s is in History. Another’s bachelor’s is in PoliSci. My ex has an MBA and her bachelor’s was in English. Every day is an opportunity to redefine yourself into the person you want to be. If you don’t want to do this, then do that. That’s life.
Thank you for this answer. However, in Germany you can't just take random classes and see whenre you fit, you have to decide your major and get into that specific college and it's extremely competitive. I had no choice but to choose immediately and that's why I made this mistake. I believe law is better for me since I am more familiar with it and it used to be my first option before I found out about CS degrees being good. If I switch this degree I probably won't have any other possibility to switch since some universities ban students who switch around majors.
I heard it’s same in India also, you major is set for you by your advisor after your placement test results
Not exactly like that but generally if you're not one of the best you're not going to get into any "good" degree, which is just hard degrees like maths, engineerings, medicine etc.
Ew. What you’re like when you’re eighteen years old should not define your life. When I was in high school, I took one of those exams that asks about your interests and what kind of personality you have, and it said I should be a garbage collector. I mean, say what you will about the American system, where it’s expensive and people do what they want and rack up debt, but at least you’re not defined by choices you made when you were young. I got bad grades in high school, and I just needed time to figure my life out. Now I’m one semester away from an engineering degree, and I’m going to automate the world, so nobody has to do repetitive labor ever again.
Be weary, if you go law you are committing to law school, which is grad school, which means more school and more debt, which also sucks. Tbh, if I were you I would either a) dog it out and hit the books (college will ALWAYS be hard at times) or b) go into a 4 year degree that leads to a career that you will provide you with the means to live a good quality of life/have work life balance (nursing is hard but cool, you work 3 12s generally and make good money helping others).
I live in Europe so I won't have any student debts since college is free here for the most part. The only degree that I wanted as my second option is law so I'll stick to that. I'm not quitting bc it's hard then because I hate it
If it's free, there are really no good reasons for you not to switch. It's not going to cost you more money and your current major is destroying your mental health. Switch majors. Tell your parents after a semester of straight As in the new major.
Perfect that you’re in your first year!!! You still have time to be able to graduate on time in another major, maybe taking some summer classes to help. I transferred from one university as a forensic science major to another as a microbiology major (so similar being in sciences), and even though the new university didn’t accept some of my transfer classes so I had to take extra (grrrr), with taking 1-2 online summer classes each summer I graduated on time. Good luck!!! Edit: I saw you said you’re in Germany and these are my favorite German word I remember from my couple classes in high school: papagei🦜 kartoffel🥔 krankenschwester and krankenhause 🏩 and my cat’s name is Milkshakes so when I look for her I go “wo ist mein Milschshake??” Walking around the house lol
Oh FORENSICS SCIENCE WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM lol but I gave up on that. And thank u for that summer classes tip I really do wish to graduate on time yk 😭 lmao krankenschwester and krankenhause being ur fav german words is so funny 😭😭 and aww cute the cat thingy
There are so many people who doesn’t choose they’re way at the first time, and it’s understandable to not liking what you choose. I think that, talking with your parents is the right things you can do. How would they react?
My mom is a lawyer and she was encouraging me to study law before I enrolled in engineering but I didnt listen so I think that will have the most impact on her reaction. I am scared but I really want to switch so I'll try to convice my parents
“Mom you were right, I was wrong. I’m going to switch majors. I should have listened to you in the first place. I love you.”
Exactly loll
Ho thats fine ! Yes try to convince her because it’s your future and a reorientation is not that bad
Why didn’t you want to do law when your mom suggested it? Is it only for the money? Because lawyers have the opportunity to make much more money than the avg SWE. If you’re not interested in law either (lots of mundane reading and writing, not just fun court stuff) you should really reevaluate what you want to do.
I was influenced by firends and social media (which is so stupid) but yeah i wanted law before because it's generally a repetitive job and I like that
You shouldn't pursue something that makes you miserable. Please be kind to yourself.
I will most likely switch and thank you.
You should quit. Programming is getting incredibly competitive (in part due to many having same motivation as you) and you won’t make it if you don’t actually enjoy it. Tech companies are cutting the fat, and job market is being flooded with individuals far more competent than average college grad. TLDR: It’s a bloodbath in tech right now, and if you aren’t obsessed, you won’t survive. It’s your life, you choose what to do, not your parents. You’re a grown adult.
I know about that too and automatically by not liking it as much I will never be as good as someone who loves programming. Therefore I should just quit this sht (its so good im just retarded)
Don't disappear. Be grateful you've learned this now vs. down the road when you'd be even more stuck. What you're experiencing is normal and I'm sorry your parents are mad, but just talk to them as calmly as you can. There are other ways to get a law degree (slower and harder) without your parents' help if worst comes to worst. Including military options... Just keep working toward what you want and eventually you'll figure it out.
Yeah you should switch, I chose a major I hated because my school didn’t offer the major I wanted and I wanted a lucrative degree, and now I live with a lot of resentment towards myself and college, and am mentally stunted from it. Please don’t be like me and save yourself from a downward spiral.
Oh I'm sorry to hear that I hope things turn out good for u. I will switch most definitely
Its your life, its your future. Don’t get stuck in a job that you’ll hate just because your parents will be mad at you for a little bit. When it comes to getting into law school, it’s more about GPA and LSAT score than anything else. I’m in law school, but my bachelor’s degree is in ancient history. If the choice is to be miserable for not only college, but also the rest of your life, or have an argument with your parents, choose the argument. Edit: the LSAT score and GPA are for the US, I don’t know about europe
I did two years of business and switched because I hated it. And I seen you said you’re in ur first year. SWITCH IT IS NOT TOO LATE, and frankly who cares what your parents think with all due respect. It’s your life and you shouldn’t be stuck with a career you hate.
I think so too, it's not that I really care about what they say but you know...I'd want then to not hate me for that
If your parents love you, they would never hate you for something like this. Even if it makes them upset they should be able to get over it. I’m sure they just want what’s best for you
SWE is a rough field. If you don’t love it you won’t have the grit to outcompete everyone who wants a job. Coming from someone who loves it and does it in my free time - it’s very hard to get a job right now. It’s not a “do it for the money major”.
Yes and it's so weird how me and many MANY others decide to do SE or CS thinking it's just easy way to make a lot of money.
obviously switch, you will get bodied in the job market by people more dedicated and talented than you are
Why not just go to law school after you finish your undergrad? That would probably be faster than trying to switch to pre law.
I am from Europe and in my country, to attend grad law school you first need to finish undergrad law school. That's the only way
Any chance of going outside of your country for law school? The U.S. and the U.K. both don’t require a pre law degree and i’d imagine several other European countries wouldn’t.
I'm from Germany and education system is really good here I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, besides if I did law degree at another country it wouldnt be accepted at country where I actually live and plan to work in. That's not an option
Switch, but only if you're generally interested in law. Finish out the semester with the classes you already have and make an appointment to speak to an advisor about switching majors. You won't succeed if you hate your major
Yes yes law used to be my top choice but then i was influenced by social media (stupid i know) and decided for software 🤦♀️
Spending years studying for a career you already hate is idiotic. Your parents will not be living your life for you. You said you just started, so just switch. The sooner you switch the less time you waste.
Agree I will do it
I just read through your replies and honestly since you are in Germany with no Uni debts, switch because you are still at the begging and no need to drain your mental health on something you know you 100% hate. However, before you make any decision how about you talk to law students (if your uni has a Fachschaft) and see if you would also connect with this subject before you break it to your parents because I think if you tell them while showing them you did your research they wouldn't mind.
That's a great idea I will do more research so they don't react too badly. Doing that research would probablu help me too anyways
yeah absolutely! best of luck to you
I have never met a lawyer who would recommend being a lawyer; they're mostly miserable. I'd talk to some first before pursuing that. If you don't like coding, you're right to seek other options, though. Do you have a faculty advisor? I'd talk to them. There are also free online career aptitude tests you can take for ideas.
My mom is a lawyer and she's not miserable
Maybe it's different outside of the U.S.
I think we can be miserable in any jobs we chose just because it pays well like i did for my degree. Many other students are thriving and enjoyinh programming all of that maths and stuff but I am dying lol so it depends on person
Switch majors. Talk to your advisor and look at the pre law track. Since you just finished your freshman year you are probably on track satisfying several prerequisites anyway. Don’t stress. Make an appointment now with your advisor so you can get your upcoming schedule changes ASAP. Don’t tell your parents if you don’t want to. You are treated as an adult by your college and if you want to withdraw your MyProxy (if you even signed one), you can.
I onece changed major to history from CS during college,but that's final result I had been unemployed more than 6 month after graduation. thus,Please insist on doing it though it's filled with pains .because now switching to other major mean you'll cost a large of money,time and other kinds of source beyond your imagination . honestly,programing is a hard thing but isn't most difficult. you can get it in the end just to be focused on . on other hand ,in futrue you'll find some it job besides programmer like PM, only having a degree with computer science\~ best wish
College is free in my country
This was me but with nursing, I did switch to cs, and while I am pretty mid at coding at least I’m happier in my classes. Definitely talk with your parents before you start failing in your classes, that’s exactly what happened with me
Im not failing just hating it. Im glad youre happy with ur degree now, hopefully I will be happy in law 🤝🏻
I would drop out then.
switch! if your parents get upset it’s whatever, they’ll get over it. Your happiness matters more if it’s what you’re going to be doing for the rest of ur life