Abby Workman, a junior in English, took the first steps into the rest of her life this week at N.C. State University.
As an English major with a concentration in Language, Writing, and Rhetoric, Workman plans to take courses that will teach her more about literature, writing, and editing. This year, she is particularly eager to start taking classes that are more related to her major and what she wants to do.
"This is actually my first full year as an English major. I switched my major last fall in the middle of the semester," Workman said.
"My dream is to become a big-time fiction editor," Workman said.
But that wasn't always the plan. In high school, Workman dreamed of going to veterinarian school, starting her own practice, and helping the world's companion animals. Working part-time at a veterinarian's office for over two years, Workman chose to apply to NCSU for its popular Animal Science program.
"From the start of my first semester, I already had decided I didn't want to be a veterinarian. My time at the vet's office proved that it was too mundane for me."
So Workman began exploring new possibilities for a degree in Animal Science. In the summer of 2011, she interned at a large cat facility in Mebane, North Carolina, called the Conservators' Center, Inc. There, she prepared food, cleaned cages, and spent some one-on-one time with all types of exotic species, including lions, wolves, and tigers.
While it was very rewarding and a once in a lifetime experience, Workman didn't enjoy the low pay the staff received and still didn't feel quite satisfied.
When Workman returned to school that fall, she found herself lost in the sea of chemistry and biology classes that are required for the Animal Science major.
"I wasn't having fun in any of my classes. I knew I loved animals and wanted to possibly work with them, but this wasn't how I wanted to remember my college days: bored and infinitely confused by my coursework."
The science classes weren't the only reason Workman ultimately decided to change her major: there weren't any more courses in the major that she found interesting.
"They were all agricultural animal classes, like cows and goats, and I knew I definitely didn't want to work with those types of animals. So I felt I was wasting my time, the professors' time, and my parents' money!" Workman recollects.
So Workman talked it out with her parents.
"My parents and I discussed the possibility of changing majors. My backup has always been English. My mother is an English teacher, and I have a knack for catching mistakes in a text."
Her parents supported her fully, and even her brother threw in a comment of his own, saying, "I thought you were already an English major."
When Workman went to speak to her Animal Science adviser (who will not be named, for shame's sake), she got the push she needed to officially change from CALS to CHASS.
"My adviser basically said I was dumb for wanting to change my major. She didn't want to release my hold on registering for classes for the next semester because she didn't want me to 'just take whatever classes I wanted.'"
The disrespect Workman's adviser had for her best interests told Workman to run and not look back.
Today, Workman talks about the joys of being an English major.
"I actually enjoy my classes, and I'm good at the subjects they're in. That's something I could've never said about being in Animal Science."
Workman even has a new internship under her belt at TIPS Technical Publishing in Carrboro, NC. There she is dipping her toes into the waters of editing and publishing, which is on the right track to where she wants to be in ten years.
"I am really excited about my future. I just can't wait to see what it holds."
