While college students should be encouraged to choose a major and make the most of their education, students at De Anza College should do their best not to obsess over their major.

Your major will most likely not directly determine your career.

According to a 2013 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, only 27.3 percent of college graduates work in a job directly related to their college major.

For example, my father earned a creative arts major from San Jose State and ended up working as a project manager at Apple. That job was not anything close to what he envisioned during college, but has supported him and his family well.

Plans change, and you can be exposed to opportunities that you would never expect.

Even on the off chance that your college education will determine your career, the average student does not have choose a major while they work on their GE courses, especially with the less expensive tuition at De Anza.

If you take more than two years to figure out what you want to do with your life, you will still only spend a fraction of what you would at a four year university. Community college is a safe space to experiment and find a feasible career you can excel in.

Of course, if you have a grasp on what major you want to pursue, go for it. But don’t panic if you decide to change majors. Just adjust your education plan and keep going.

If you don’t know what major you want to pursue, start working on GE courses, declare a placeholder major to keep priority registration, and keep your eyes open for something you might love.

And if you have college figured out, don’t pressure your fellow students into committing to a major.  Students don’t need even more stress.

According to the American College Health Association, 34.5 percent of college students felt so depressed that it became difficult to function at some point in 2015.