I need some life/school advice.

Hi everyone.

I have been depressed lately thinking about school, my future, not knowing what to do. I am going into my Junior year of college, and am currently a video game/computer design major. I started this major last year, I was a math major as a freshman (switched cause it was kinda boring). I chose my current major because (like most of you guys) I really like games. I have very little experience though with programming and animation. I am starting a class this semester where I make a game and it spans out to the Spring of next year. My professors are good, but I don't know if I love the programming that I did last year.

I am considering switching my major to be a music education major. I have been a musician for many years, and have even tutored kids in my instrument (tuba). I have enjoyed teaching kids and most of the friends I have made have been through music. I have still been playing over the years, but have not been practicing as much since I just don't have all the time in the world.

So my problem is that the semester has already started and it would be too late to do a full 180 with my classes. I do have some things that can contribute to music education like lessons, some classes and being part of the band, but I would have to meet with someone to see what else I would have to take (I have been trying to meet with someone to talk to them, but they haven't gotten back to me yet). What my plan is to stick with my classes now, see how I feel about game design at the end of the semester, and then from there chose between games or music. It's tough since I love playing games a lot and being a part of it like watching Giant Bomb, but a part of me has just been missing since high school where I was part of everything music wise.

I just want to do something that makes me happy. Thanks for reading and for input.

I'm just gonna put this out there: you need zero qualifications to make games. You need a ton of qualifications to be allowed to teach kids. Well, you do in Britain.

Taking a course in game design is good and all, but it's nothing you couldn't learn at home. Learning code and building a game is entirely possible in the comfort of your own home, whereas I'm not entirely sure you can do music education sitting half dressed in front of a computer.

You are right to try to do something that makes you happy. You spend more time at work than anywhere else. I think sticking through it for the semester is also a good idea - you can talk to your current advisor and an advisor in the Music dept to see what options you have.

Don't pressure yourself with the "enormity" of your decision - it's never too late to go back to school if you decide something else is better for you, even years after the fact. I am in my forties and working on my masters. Lots of people graduate and wind up realizing the job wasn't what they expected. Lots also wind up doing something completely unrelated to their degree.

Lastly, as a non-game software engineer, I can say if you don't love writing code, you probably are right to switch. But I do hear there is music in games, so maybe that would be an avenue to explore. Best of luck to you!

Look on the positive side aleast your in college and have something going for yourself. Its alot better of a situation then mine, hell I would have been happy to be in college in general.

I'm sure in time you'll find what works best for you, just relax and try not to beat yourself up about it.

Doing game design, you can at least shift over into software engineering, which will almost guarantee you a job, although it might not be one you want. The job pool for music majors is tiny, but if you do get a job you will probably enjoy it a lot more.

Don't be afraid to change majors, usually by the time you are in your senior year, you know whether you are going to enjoy doing this crap for the rest of your life or not.

I know a guy who is a substitute music teacher. He told me that 70% of people who graduate with an education degree never get a job teaching, at least in Ontario anyway. That's not great odds. The one other person I know with a music degree used to teach Piano privately, but work was very limited so he went back to school for something else.

As far as game design majors go, it seems to me that it's something schools offer only because people want that as a career. It seems like every school is offering it now and I can't imagine there are as many jobs in the field as there are graduates. That job market will get saturated unless you are capable enough to be self employed and make your own games.

Basically what I'm saying is that either way you go there will be massive competition for jobs and only the hardest working people will succeed. Good luck to you.

Do what makes your heart sing (within reason).

Whatever you do, don't be afraid of your decisions. Obviously finances always matter but shouldn't feel you can't change majors just because you're already down the road.

There is music in games, last I checked, so maybe you could become a music master then take your skills to games? If you're passionate about the design aspect of games, marry the two. Start working on a game where music is the gameplay.

2 birds, one stone. :)

Whatever you do, don't be afraid of your decisions. Obviously finances always matter but shouldn't feel you can't change majors just because you're already down the road.

There is music in games, last I checked, so maybe you could become a music master then take your skills to games? If you're passionate about the design aspect of games, marry the two. Start working on a game where music is the gameplay.

2 birds, one stone. :)

Your education is only going to get you into your first career (and even then only if you are lucky), you will probably have many different completely unrelated careers over your working life; When picking a major, do something you enjoy as long as it has at least some earning potential/available jobs; don't worry about that choice pigeonholing you for the rest of your life.

This might be crappy advice, but I would look for a rewarding career that has nothing to do with your hobbies. If you can work 8 to 5, make some money, not be poor, and then go home to play/make games or music, I'd take that. Everyone likes music and video games so there's a lot of people trying to make that their career, which drives wages down, increases average hours, etc. I just feel like if you are that ambivalent you'd probably wouldn't do what was needed to succeed in either.

Thanks everyone for the advice! It has calmed me down a bit (I usually am relaxed but have been stressed out a lot over this these past few days).

I think taking into account what you posted and the recommendations from others I would probably agree with them. If you make it through this semester completing many of these programming courses you will be in an excellent position if you want to change your degree to a different specialization of computer programming. If you decide to go into music it may lose some of its value but don't look at this so pessimistically right now. You have plenty of time to evaluate where you are now and where you ultimately want to end up at the end of your education. I'm sure you have an excellent career planning department at your college, go to them with these concerns, talk to your parents or other people in your life that you respect and they will care, because they want you to be happy and successful too. I wish you the very best as you work through this, in a lot of ways this could very well be a post I would make, because I am struggling with similar concerns as I finish school. So you are certainly not alone, just don't give up and keep pushing forward.

I am a computer engineering major, I just started taking classes so I dont know if ill like it. I wont know until I try. Dont feel bad about changing majors, unless their are money issues or time constraints, you should take your time in college, because it will have a major impact on the rest of your life.

Just my two cents worth, if teaching is what you really enjoy and working with students then you will be much better served in the job market with a focus on science or math. From what I know in the U.S., liberal arts majors have a really difficult time finding employment in education because those majors are generally more popular and have a higher fraction that try to go into education. I believe with a lot of school systems reducing funding to the relatively high cost music/theatre programs within the past several years it would be even tougher to find a job. If you want to teach, you would probably be much better off using your interest in either programming or math to land a teaching position.

I would agree with everybody saying to stick it out for the rest of the semester and see how your current classes go.

With that said, music education is a HARD curriculum. Having recently graduated from college and being heavily involved in the band and the music fraternity, I have some very good friends who have been music ed majors, some of whom graduated and are currently teaching and some of whom changed their majors after a year or two. My impression from both sides is that you should only consider studying music ed if you can't imagine spending your life doing anything else. If you have some alternate career aspirations to fall back on, you have a significantly reduced chance of actually finding the motivation to finish a music ed degree and then stick with what is often a difficult job requiring a great deal more time and energy than some other jobs.

If teaching music is your passion, though, I have it on good authority that it is an incredibly fulfilling career. I'd imagine that since you're still involved in organized music, you've had some teachers who went way beyond simply teaching notes and rhythms and really invested themselves in their students. The opportunity to have that type of significant (and hopefully positive) impact on a group of students and seeing them progress in the art you love is the reason to go into that field. In my experience, the music education graduates who are technically proficient AND truly want to have that positive influence have very little trouble finding a job.

Unfortunately I don't know any video game designers so I can't speak to that side of your question. Sorry.

Listen to this dude. He knows things. Finish what you start! It almost doesn't even matter what path it is. JUST FINISH. Get down, lean in, and put your god damned back into it.

You don't have to give up music or gaming. You may have to turn one of them down a notch until you finished college. Just remember: If you turn your hobby into a job its no longer a hobby. I've some friends that play professionally in an orchstra. They all say while they like playing, its just not the same as just playing when and what you want.

Think about which of the two options you would rather do just for fun and also where you're better at if you have to compete on the job market. Then choose and stick with it.

I was a music major. Don't major in music.

@noobsauceg7: Let me say man. I am a primary school teacher and there is nothing so fulfilling as the knowledge that you are positively changing these children's lives for the better.

Todays job environment is pretty tough place for most of the people. So as others have said it would be probably a good idea to finish with your current major.

On the other hand it is important that you are passionate about the job that you do otherwise a paycheck at the end of the day might not be enough to keep one going.

Unfortunately in tough economic times culture is one of the first things to get pushed aside. So making a living as a music teacher might be hard. But in the end you have to take a gamble either way.