A major desicion

So I've been thinking a lot recently, on the direction I'm going with my college career, which has been to major in physics and minor if not major in math as well. Recent events (namely my second semester) have forced me (with no small encouragement from my parents and siblings) to seriously consider the focus of my education, and the direction I want to go with all this. Now originally I wanted to after completing college, maybe try my hand in industry or pursue graduate school, either for physics or for math (or maybe something else that I have yet to consider) the hope would be that I would eventually earn an advanced degree in one of those (preferably a PhD) so that I may move on to pursue my eventual goal of research and then teach at the university level.

Now I've been thinking for some time, whether physics was the right path for me, and with the constant badgering of certain relatives (who shall at this time remain nameless ....but you know who you are) I've come to really, dig deep and consider if I'm on the right path. Now don't get me wrong I love physics and math for that matter, and that won't change (at least not in the foreseeable future) I'm just not sure if what I want to do with my life requires me to have a physics major, or PhD or any advanced degree in it for that matter (though I someday wish to complete my studies in physics, though that's for another time) I realized today that, research (which was my eventual career goal after all this) may not be what I really want, sure I love to read and learn new things, but if I want to go into research I would need to take another 5-10+ years out of my life to even get the opportunity to really do research (with the exception of what I may do during my time in grad school) and I realized that, the idea of sitting in a lab or office (or a cubicle for that matter) just doesn't appeal to me, spending my days alone, or as a part of a team working towards an answer that may not even be there. Science is not absolute, there's nothing firm and stable to base anything on, it's all there because it hasn't yet been wrong. So even if I do, go through all the hassle of grad school, and research it may all become invalidated in one fell swoop. In fact as I think about it, if I were to do research it would likely be in math, which is (as opposed to many other sciences) very open and collaborative, not to mention sturdy and logical.

Now my decision to leave physics as my course of study is more than just "it takes too long, or my research may be futile or even become invalidated" though that has a strong influence on this decision. I have lots of interests (as you've no doubt noticed if you've read my blog) not just physics or math, but computers, and programming, and all sorts of things. So I've come to this conclusion that perhaps it's best if I not just constrict myself to this one path doesn't help me, as I begin to lose track of the other things that hold interest in my life.

Probably the most important realization of all of this, is the one that, I don't need to constrict myself to the deadlines imposed by society, I don't need to be done in exactly four years or less, I don't need to stress so much over what I major in, as if that is going to be the sole determinant of my future. And even once I graduate, there's nothing to stop me from pursuing my other interests (including physics) afterwards. I think that was the hardest part of all this, that the path that I choose now, doesn't necessarily lock me into one specific unalterable path, that I can change my mind, and that it's okay to take more time, so long as it's worth it for me to do so.

So after lots of mental deliberation I've decided that I'm going to try my hand at computer science, this next semester my schedule will contain a hearty helping of programming (which is fine by me) as well as a few humanities courses, and who know what else to fill in the blanks. Now don't look at this and think that I've completely given up on physics, just as it's possible for me to still incorporate physics in my work with computer science the converse is the same, and while this next semester I won't be taking physics I plan to do so (depending on how I fare this fall) in the spring, how knows maybe I physics might not be as far out of my reach as I've come to fear, so I'll keep in mind that just as I can switch to comp sci, I can just as easily switch back to physics (or math).

Now I realize this may have been a bit less interesting than my other recent posts highlighting different technological things of note, this was just something I felt necessary for myself (and perhaps others facing a similar dilemma)
Though never fear! my next post shall not fail to satiate (or at quell) your immense appetite for knowledge.