Switching Majors Based on Co-op Experience

While applying to colleges in high school, I felt very lost about what I wanted to pursue. I was good at math and science, so I decided to go to school for Mechanical Engineering. I worked really hard but never felt completely satisfied with what I was doing. I still felt just as lost going into my first co-op at Dietz & Watson, but it pushed me to work even harder the next term so I could get a more fitting second co-op.

I am so glad I got to have co-op because it made me realize that I was unhappy [in my previous major] and I still had time to change it.

My second co-op was at ESM Productions, a company that produces live events and concerts. It was the co-op of my dreams because it combined engineering with something I love, which is live music. That co-op pushed me really hard and I learned so much and made a lot of great professional connections, but I still felt like I was not doing what I wanted to be doing.

Since I still felt dissatisfied, I felt confident to switch my major to Product Design. I feel as though this is the best major for me because it is more creative but still is very technical. I am so glad I got to have co-op because it made me realize that I was unhappy and I still had time to change it. I think if I went to a normal 4-year school, I would have never realized this and gotten a degree in engineering and it would have been too late to switch career paths.