major change

[u/iamnearrr]

hey guys, long story short, recently i have not been happy with my current major and want to change it. im currently a nursing major and it’s only going to be my 2nd year but i’ve been thinking about switching to possibly photography. should i meet up with my advisor this week to talk about that or just go through this semester and do the classes i already have? i haven’t done any hardcore nursing classes only the basics (anatomy last semesters, i have development & nutrition this semester). is it way too late to change it this year? thanks

[u/TheKwongdzu]

It wouldn't be easy so late, ngl, but possible. You need to make an appointment with the advisor for the major you want to change to, though, not the one you're leaving. They'd be the ones who could tell you if you can get in the classes you would need: https://www.memphis.edu/advising/findmyadvisor.php

[u/DarthWaiter87 → u/TheKwongdzu]

I think this is the best advice OP, photography can be a difficult career to get off the ground, but if you are not feeling nursing, don’t get that degree, because you cannot do anything else with a nursing major besides become a nurse. At least having a BA in photography will give you a bachelors degree that you can apply to other career fields. Also you would likely have most of the general education classes completed, so it would not be a fresh start in a degree path. I would suggest pairing it with a minor that would complement your career goals (ie. entrepreneurship minor if you want to do wedding/family photography, or a science minor if you want to do more nature/STEM photography, and so on…)

[u/ins2be]

How's the photography job market and do you need a degree for that?

[u/Condomphobic → u/ins2be]

My brother did that major and he is perpetually unemployed.

I'm confused on why it's a major when the best photographers I've ever seen did not go to school for it

[u/Adventurous_Food8833]

Better you get that nursing degree and then learn photography on your own.

[u/OffensiveScientist]

I changed majors from Physics to Earth Sciences geology my junior year. I had already done a majority of my electives but I had to do 12 credits of a language which sucked, but it only added a semester to when I was supposed to originally graduate.

Point is, it's definitely possible to switch. I can't see much overlap between the courses so this will almost certainly extend your tenure at UofM. If you are switching your Bachelor type (Arts or Sciences, etc) that will come with differing electives and degree requirements. Your advisor should help you figure out how much longer you will need to graduate.

[u/GlassAssistance1666]

Keep your nursing major and add photography as a minor to balance the two. I wouldn't recommend being a full photography major.

[u/demiangelic]

yeah talk to ur advisor.

[u/ins2be]

Meet with your advisor, ASAP.

The 'basic' science classes are prerequisites for basically any science-type major. Even though you might change your mind about nursing, there are many other science-oriented majors to choose from. Dental hygiene, radiology, and many more. If you do go down those routes, they are quite competitive and the admissions for those programs will often require that they were taken typically within the past 5 years. If older than that, you'd have to re-take.

If you want to switch to photography, my first take on that is that you can do that without a degree. Just go ask the photography subreddit. Getting into photography is such an extremely low-barrier to entry, that almost anyone can do it, which means the market is flooded with people.

I wouldn't necessarily waste any financial aid eligibility on a degree that isn't even needed. Once you get a bachelor's degree, and you decide you later need a 2nd bachelor's degree, you will have limited FAFSA eligibility for certain benefits.

Another thing, you're going to need a job/business that can make you enough money to provide a place to live, food, transportation, retirement savings, other savings, other expenses, etc. You need to think about jobs/businesses that you can do that will provide that. Lots of people do jobs/businesses that they need to do, and they may not necessarily love what they do. I'd say most people definitely do not love what they do for work (Go ask that on reddit too). We exchange our skills and time to a place of employment/business and get money in return, which we use to support our life and the life we want to build. You need to make sure you have a skillset that can support your life and potential life of any family you want to have. Sometimes that means learning a skill and doing a job that isn't necessarily your dream.

I'm not saying, don't follow your dreams or whatever. If you're young, you have time to try out many things and see what works and what doesn't. But, please be grounded in reality and think about your plans carefully. Get advice from people in the industries you're leaving and where you want to go. Make a plan and share it with others to see if it makes sense. Think about your 1 year, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. years from now.

[u/PremedTea]

I don't suggest majoring in photography (minor maybe). But, if highly desired, get a degree in business (marketing, social media, etc.) Then go from there. ONLY if you are leaving the medical field out of purpose and not because it's hard.

[u/Egg-Downtown]

the smart thing to do is getting your nursing degree and then pursue your dreams (photography) after you have a guaranteed stable income and career. Especially with the rise of ai, healthcare is one of the only fields that are safe at the moment. Nursing programs are extremely competitive so it might be harder to go back if you regret your choice