In the growing “economy” of college degrees, choosing a major based on anything less than pure passion is a waste of money.

“[Higher education] is increasingly seen as a commodity to be purchased by a consumer,” said Philip G. Altbach in an article in International Higher Education.

Apply this concept to your own choice in majors. Have you ever considered what it would mean to pursue your greatest passion in learning, instead of the field with the most promising income?

Higher education should be a way to learn more about the things you care about.

Ryne Tudela, current sophomore math education major, realized during the fall semester of his freshmen year that he actually hated his major.

An engineering graphics class convinced Tudela that engineering was not the major nor life-pursuit for him.

Tudela made the decision to change his major relatively early in his college career. Whether or not you have a declared major on your transcript, the Exploring Majors Fair on Oct. 2 in the Holmes Student Center is a way to gather information about a potential life path.

As with any important decision, a strong, informed foundation is key. NIU’s Academic Advising Center provides resources to help students find the right major out of the 55 available.

Resources such as the Exploring Majors Center, located in the lower level of Grant South Tower B, are directed specifically at freshmen and new students.

This emphasizes the point that changing majors and deciding upon the right one should not be taken lightly. Those decisions should also be made rather early in a college career.

Junior biology major Graham Stanford-Hudspeth experienced the consequences of waiting a little too long to switch majors. Starting as a studio design: time arts major, Stanford-Hudspeth thought he “was working toward a degree [he] couldn’t use in the real world.”

Now he has switched to biology, but the drastic shift means Standford-Hudspeth is taking general education courses with freshmen and working harder to graduate on time.

Changing a major later in college can mean thousands of dollars lost to classes that may not count toward your degree.

Tudela says to “talk to as many people as you can” in the process of deciding upon a new major. Advisers can help with the technicalities, but talking to people who have either graduated or are in the major you’re considering gives you a personal perspective.

The college career path doesn’t always end with a major. NIU offers 59 minors to supplement a major.

Changing your major shouldn’t be a scary move, but going through college in a major that you are not completely passionate about is a recipe for failure.