Persuasion for Plan B

At one point during my time here at BYU I thought I was going to graduate in a major that is different than the one I currently have declared.  My previous major—International Relations—heavily emphasized political science, a foreign language, and economics.  Fortunately for me, I found myself comfortably proficient in the first two subjects, however economics was not yet a strong suit. 

Professor Kearl did an excellent job at persuading me to switch my major. 

I am kidding, of course.  However after a very diffi

cult semester trying to understand a subject matter so bewildering and foreign to me, I had to sit myself down and have a coming to terms.

During a self-reflection, I laid out my career goals and then weighed my strengths and talents against my weaknesses.  With my uncertainty in understanding in economic principles, I begin persuading myself that International Relations was not the major for me.  I recalled several fleeting moments throughout the semester—usually when I was reading my textbook or completing my homework—when I thought to myself, “I don’t think I want to do this for the rest of my professional life.”  Unbeknownst to me, I had been priming and conditioning myself for the final moment and the end of the semester when I was debating a change in course.

After some investigation I discovered a new major that could help me reach the same career I aspire for while covering valuable subject material.   Now, a year and a half later, I am well on my way through the Communications major and apply to the Public Relations program at the end of this very week.  The experience was valuable to me.  I learned that taking a different track and going with Plan B is not necessarily a bad thing.  Through reason and strategy I am able to persuade myself in different directions while still being very aware of my intent and purpose.