Doing what’s best for you

If you failed your degree it would be the end of all of your future prospects, right? You’d taken the leap, moved away from home, left all of your friends and family behind, and it’d been for nothing.

Well not necessarily. As Jim Carrey said: “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love”.

Failing my degree opened up more doors than completing it would ever had. Weird concept, isn’t it?

Back in 2015, I turned down an offer for a degree in Psychology and instead applied to study Drama at Lincoln – deciding that a creative degree appealed to me more.

In the first semester I made new friends, performed in theatre shows and short films, and was happy with the quality of work I submitted.

It wasn’t until the second semester that I began to feel unhappy with the course I’d chosen. I dreaded going to lectures and seminars and I fell behind on my work. It also began to impact other areas of my life. In short, I started to feel that a Drama degree wasn’t for me. But, I was stuck with the idea of being judged as a failure if I chose to quit, and so didn’t know what to do.

Eventually, I made the decision to switch from Drama to a degree in Media Production. This choice was not made lightly, but was met by some scepticism from my family and friends as I had never openly discussed an interest in the film industry.

So, in 2016, I started my degree in Media Production. Now, in 2018, I can look back and say it’s the best decision I ever made. I have met some brilliant people, found myself in some amazing opportunities, and I’m even looking forward to writing my dissertation – something I never thought I would say if I was studying a subject I wasn’t this passionate about.

University is becoming a more popular way to get into an industry or sector, but I’m here to tell you that failing doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Don’t feel trapped studying a subject that you no longer find enjoyment in.

Changing a degree, granted for the right reasons, shouldn’t be something to be feared, as it can leave you with the opportunity to pursue something you’re actually passionate about and enjoy. It will be much more beneficial to your future if you invest your time and energy in something you care about – rather than just ticking the box of graduating from University.

By all definitions of the word, I am a failure. I failed my Drama degree. I dropped out before the second semester of my first year had even ended, and I’m happy to say that I did. Failing my degree was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.