When I told my parents I wanted to make a lot of money, they told me the “smart” major would be business. They didn’t recommend my dream major, journalism. 

I kept their suggestion in mind. Throughout high school, I convinced myself that majoring in business was the only way to be successful. 

As I actually started the college application process, I applied for a business major. 

Even when I first wanted to write this column, I wanted to leave a message that told people to do the “smart” thing; don’t major in your dreams, but major in what will become a successful job. 

I had the luxury of believing in the equation of business major = money = happiness. 

Eight months later, I think the business major = money part could still be true; however, I learned doing something you have no passion for, no matter how much money you make, will never make you happy. 

Although my beginner level Economics class is not an exact reflection of classes or activities I could be involved with as a business major, I know that it is not something I could see myself doing for my career. 

According to a study published by the Journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, there is actually a direct correlation between people’s positive affect states, a state of mind characterized by happiness, confidence, and friendliness, and rates of mortality. This means staying in a negative affect state, a state of subjective distress and unpleasurable engagement, or, in other words, doing something you hate, may actually lead to an early death. 

If you know you are not going to be happy with your major, consider what that means for the rest of your life. South offers a variety of elective classes that give students a first look at future careers; utilize these resources to make sure you are picking the major that will help fulfill you.

Approximately 29 percent of Americans say their jobs give them little or no meaning, according to a Pew Research survey. Don’t let yourself be in that statistic. That’s why I decided to take a shot in the dark—I applied to my dream school as a journalism major and somehow ended up getting in. 

Take your shot in the dark. Pursue what you want to pursue. With enough passion, determination, and luck, you may be able to succeed. 

If you follow your dreams, they might just follow you right back.