Major not minor, students say
by Brandy Bramblett, Reporter

    For many students, the hardest part about going to college is not getting to class on time or even taking finals; it is figuring out why they are there in the first place.

   Choosing a major is one of the toughest decisions a student will ever face. What if a student is no good at the field she is most interested in?

   What if a student graduates with a degree in nursing and then realizes he would have been happier managing a shoe store?

   Once students have finished their basic courses, they are faced with the daunting and often stressful task of selecting a major.

   Cortnie Stuerzenberger, a NE Campus student, recently decided to major in marketing.

   "After nearly four years at TCC and changing my major about half a dozen times, I decided to choose a field where my options would be open and I would not be committed to just one career for the rest of my life," she said.

   "Marketing seems like a pretty general field, except for those accounting classes," she added.

   Other students, like Andrew Cloud, who attended TCC for two years before transferring to University of North Texas, choose their majors after realizing what they are not interested in.

   "I was majoring in information systems," he said.

   "Then I realized that I like playing with computers, but I don't like the technological aspect," he said.

   Cloud recently switched his major to human relations, which he believes will give him a strong foundation for any future career choice.

   "If I ever wanted to start my own business, I'd get most of what I needed to know out of that field," he said.

   Others, such as Colby Srader, who attends NE Campus, choose their majors based on hobbies acquired outside of school.

   Srader is an amateur photographer who began taking pictures while living in Arkansas during the fall.

   "There was this tree that was bright red, like it was on fire. I borrowed my dad's Canon Rebel X to take a picture of it, and I've been taking pictures ever since," he said.

   "I want to be a photographer because you can make the entire world fit inside that little box. Not everyone can say that about their job, but I get to do that every day," he said.

   Some students, such as Scott Donihoo, who attended TCC before transferring to University of Texas at Arlington, choose a major that builds on a talent they already have.

   "I chose to major in graphic/web design because I have fun designing and maintaining my Web site and would like to make a career out of it," he said.

   After three years of college, and classes in numerous subjects, Donihoo feels secure about his future.

   "Now that I have taken more classes, I'm reassured that this is what I want to do," he said.