There is a certain kind of conversation almost everyone has at some point.
You tell someone you are thinking of changing direction, and the first reaction is rarely curiosity. It is usually concern. Sometimes judgment. Sometimes that subtle look that says, “Are you sure you are not messing this up?” And when it comes to career decisions, that pressure gets even louder because suddenly everybody has an opinion on what is practical, what is safe, and what has “scope.”
I have always found that word interesting. Safe.
Because sometimes the so-called safe choice does not feel safe at all. Sometimes it feels like a slow way of getting disconnected from yourself.
Back in 2021, I was studying Computer Science. On paper, it made sense. It was the smart choice. It sounded stable. It looked impressive enough to make people nod in approval. And for a while, that was reason enough to keep going. But deep down, something felt off.
Not dramatic. Not the kind of breakdown people notice. Just a quiet, everyday feeling that I was stuck in something I could continue, but not fully become. And I think that feeling is harder to talk about because nothing looks wrong from the outside. You are still showing up. Still doing the work. Still technically on track. But inside, you already know you are forcing something that does not fit.
That is eventually what pushed me to switch to Mass Communication.
And no, it was not just because I was good at it. It was because I liked being good at it. That difference matters more than people admit. There is a different kind of energy that comes when you are doing something that feels natural to you. Something you can actually see yourself improving at without resentment. Something that feels alive instead of heavy.
I think that is the part no one really prepares you for. The silence that comes when the “good scope” no longer feels good. The confusion of realizing that something can make perfect sense to everyone else and still feel completely wrong for you.
And yes, choosing what you like is not always simple. It does not always impress people at the dinner table. It does not always sound like the mature answer. But at some point, you have to ask yourself a more honest question.
Can I see myself doing this without hating Mondays? Without pretending to care? Without slowly losing who I am in the process?
Because once the decision is made, you are the one who has to live with it. You are the one who has to show up, work through the hard parts, and keep going when the excitement fades. So it makes more sense to choose something that feels true to you than something that only sounds good to other people.
Sometimes the smartest thing you will ever do is not follow the safest path. It is simply listening to yourself before your own voice becomes too distant to hear.