College majors aren’t carved in stone, and that’s okay

Choosing a college major is often framed as a defining moment; a single decision that charts the course for a lifetime. But for many students, that decision is less like carving something in stone and more like sketching in pencil.
National data confirm what families have long observed around their own kitchen tables. Roughly one-third of U.S. undergraduates change their major at least once. Some studies suggest the number may be as high as 80 percent, which is what I recall hearing at the time our daughters went through college admissions at UNL 15 or so years ago. Fewer students change multiple times, but the reality is that exploration is sometimes part of the journey.
For the Hamilton County graduates featured in this week’s College Bound section, that exploration looked different in each case. Some knew early on what they wanted to pursue and stayed the course. Others pivoted once or twice after discovering that the path they initially chose didn’t align with their interests, strengths and/or long-term goals.
For those who changed direction, it wasn’t always easy. There were difficult conversations, added coursework, sometimes extra time and expense. There were moments of doubt. But there was also growth that comes from reassessing, recalibrating and choosing again with greater clarity.
Too often, we unintentionally send young people the message that changing direction equals failure. In truth, it reflects maturity. An 18-year-old making a college choice is doing so with limited life experience. It should surprise no one that a 20- or 21-year-old, exposed to new ideas, professors and internships, might see the world and their place in it differently.
That’s where communities in Hamilton County make a difference.
Our young people are not exploring in a vacuum. They grow up surrounded by opportunities to test-drive potential interests long before declaring a major. Local businesses open their doors to interns. The Edgerton Explorit Center offers hands-on exposure to science and learning. Volunteer experiences, summer jobs and after-school work teach responsibility, communication and time management, which are all skills that matter regardless of the career ultimately chosen.
And then there’s detasseling.
For generations, Hamilton County youth have walked cornfields under a relentless July sun, pulling tassels row after row. It’s hot. It’s dirty. It’s demanding. It’s also a rite of passage. Few experiences teach the value of hard work, or inspire reflection about future career paths, quite like a long day in the fields. For some, it affirms a love of agriculture. For others, it provides powerful motivation to pursue a path that relies more on air conditioning than endurance.
Either way, it teaches something essential.
The common thread among the students we interviewed isn’t whether they changed majors. It’s that they learned about themselves, about work, about resilience. Whether they stayed the course or shifted direction, they took ownership of their futures.
That’s the real goal of higher education. Not simply earning a diploma, but discovering where one’s talents and passions intersect with meaningful work.
As this year’s College Bound edition demonstrates, there is no single “right” timeline for that discovery. Some find it quickly. Others arrive there after detours and forks in the road prompt thoughtful course corrections.
In the end, success isn’t measured by whether a student ever changed majors. It’s measured by whether they found a path that fits, and had the courage to pursue it.
And if Hamilton County has played even a small role in preparing them for that journey, through opportunity, mentorship and a few long days in the cornfields, that’s something our entire community can take pride in.
-- Kurt Johnson