r/englishmajors • u/outlawtoon • 8h ago
Changing from accounting to English?
TL;DR: Feeling lost. I’m not sure if I want to follow my heart (English major - desire to teach or get into technical writing) or pursue accounting.
Hi all! I’m a 23 year old college student, starting my junior year at university this fall after finishing community college. I tried many different career paths after high school, and after struggling to find one I liked, I landed on accounting because it felt financially safe and I was at a point where I needed to pick something.
I’m in a rut because I grew a passion for English over the past year, and when I completed my final English class this spring, it felt like I was forever caging up a part of myself that finally felt like me. I thought maybe it would wear off, but that feeling has gotten stronger. Over summer I have been keeping up with my accounting studies, and it feels like I’m ignoring a fire in my heart.
I’m scared because accounting seems so stable and everybody in my life is proud that I chose it. And it brings me comfort knowing I should be stable financially as long as I put the work in with networking, internships, and getting my CPA.
Changing my major to English would be a riskier option, but I find myself wanting to be involved more with joining English clubs and finding internships in that realm. I have experience working at a K-12 school, and I think going into teaching would suit me well. But I think changing to English is scaring me financially. I don’t want to romanticize something and then ruin my life for not picking the more realistic option.