Should I change my major?

I wanted to major in Electrical Engineering because I never had the chance to learn about electronics growing up. After my first semester of EE courses, the prospects of success were dim. At the end of youngster year, it was evident I had no aptitude for Electrical Engineering.

I was considering changing my major to Math or Physics – disciplines in which I was much more successful. I decided not to give up on EE because: I would be giving up, and I would be joining a very large crowd of EE majors jumping ship.

In the '70s, if you completed an Engineering program, your degree was designated in that discipline. Everybody else received a BS in Naval Engineering. I stuck with EE, endured several years of frustration, resigned myself to miserable grades, and graduated with a BS EE.

 
When ships were made of wood
  And men were made of iron.
In the Marine Corps, I was in the back seat of F-4s. My college major was irrelevant. I separated after 6 years. In my "career transition" to civilian life, it was apparent that my degree in EE, which was weak to begin with, had atrophied. Schlumberger was hiring people with a 98.6 body temperature and a technical degree. I was hired – and laid-off 4 months later when the rig count plummeted.

I used my GI Bill and completed a Masters in Computer Science with a 4.0 GPA. Even though my BS EE didn't represent meaningful achievement, the combination of it and an MS CS on my resume has generated a lot of interest over the years.

Another useful anecdote ... When I was applying for the Computer Science department's "leveling" program (the 16 hours required in lieu of a Bachelors in CS), the minimum Bachelors GPA was 3.2. My GPA was 2.9. The professor who interviewed me was himself a Naval Academy graduate. He quickly dismissed this apparent show stopper by declaring, "A 2.9 from Navy is worth at least a 3.4 from anywhere else."

So ... should you change your major?   The answer is   ...   no one can say but you.   But here are some things to consider ...

Here is a summary of my academic career at Navy.