Did trying to keep doors open leave me underprepared for the careers I actually want?

I’m going into my junior year as a double major in mechanical engineering and psychology, and I’m realizing that my attempt to keep doors open may have created a different problem: both have proven to be a major distractor from the other, and I now feel underprepared to confidently pursue either path. I haven’t had an internship in either field yet, and I don’t have formal research experience. Since I’m entering junior year, I feel like “keeping options open” has turned into needing to choose a direction before more doors start closing.

On the engineering side, I would most likely pursue design, R&D, product development, or industrial-design-adjacent work. I like the creative side of engineering: making things, prototyping, solving open-ended problems, and thinking through how products work. But I’m miserable in the foundational coursework right now, especially the math-heavy analytical side, and I worry that this is a warning sign. I don’t think I would be happy in a generic engineering role. I would probably need a very specific niche, and I’m not sure what company, industry, or product area I care enough about to build a career around.

On the psychology side, my goal is much more specific. I would want to pursue a funded Ph.D. in clinical psychology, eventually open my own practice, and focus on cognitive assessment for children and adolescents. I’m also interested in the possibility of forensic-adjacent or expert-witness work in divorce, custody, or foster care proceedings. Psychology feels more aligned with the kind of work I can imagine sustaining long term: assessment, diagnosis, child/adolescent development, report writing, and helping families understand complex situations.

My conflict is that engineering seems like the much cleaner financial choice. With a bachelor’s in engineering, I could start earning earlier, build stability sooner, and potentially begin building long-term wealth faster. Psychology would require years of additional training, a competitive Ph.D. admissions process, and delayed earnings. Even if the doctorate is funded, I would still be giving up years where I could have been earning engineering money.

At the same time, I’m worried that choosing engineering mainly for financial reasons could trap me in work I find draining or meaningless. I know engineering has a better starting ROI, but I’m not sure that matters if I only tolerate a narrow slice of the field. Psychology feels like a better long-term fit, but I’m afraid of making a financially irrational choice by spending years preparing for a career that may pay less than engineering despite requiring more education.