In just a few days I will officially begin my senior year of college. It doesn’t feel entirely real, but I am eager to see what the year holds for me, and I look forward to continuing to grow through my degree. However, as a communication major, I often have people questioning my decision and asking the infamous, "So what are you going to do with that?" And for my fellow comm. majors, you’ve probably had similar experiences. But whether you’re a freshman in college or a senior on the cusp of the real world, rest assured knowing that this degree is not a waste of time, or money. Here are 10 reasons to be proud of your communications degree.

10. The degree builds social relationships.

Here are two things to know about communication majors: We love to talk and we are forced to participate in countless group projects over the course of our college career. In this scenario, you are more or less thrown into the arena to make social relationships. Not every group member you have will turn out to be someone you keep in touch with for years (let alone the semester), but many group relationships often turn into legitimate friendships.

When discussing having strong communication abilities, Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert for Forbes, says that, "this is the most fundamental people skill because it encompasses your persona and ability to get along with other colleagues, persuade others to listen to your ideas, and much more." Group communication is all but a requirement for any job field, and having this group-centric mindset for the course of a degree quickly develops the skills to build and actively participate in effective and essential social relationships.

9. Interviewing training.

Through the countless hours spent preparing for and delivering class presentations, we learn how to conduct ourselves in a professional environment. Appropriate body language, clearly communicating your ideas, and speaker confidence are all elements of a successful college presentation and, according to Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., these are also the elements of an effective employment interview. Through these college experiences, we enter the job market with our resumes held high, knowing that we are ready to apply for and snag the job we want.

8. Expressing ourselves through our work.

While identifying a certain idea or completing a specific task is at the core of our degree, we are also encouraged to incorporate our own voice and creativity into all of our work. Having to write countless essays -- as well as make more Powerpoint presentations than we’d like to think about -- offers us a unique position to truly embrace creative solutions to common problems. This approach is not only makes a typically mundane assignment more approachable, but it is also a great opportunity to exercise our creativity, the skill that Barbara Dyer of Fortune.com says, "is no longer an option in the workplace."

7. Ability to harness your complete communication potential.

Powerful communication skills are essential for the workplace, but people often forget that the term "communications" encompasses both oral and written abilities. Nearly every job listing cites strong written and oral communication skills as a requirement for the position, and according to US News & World Report, honing these talents is imperative to your employment opportunities. While the countless written assignments in this degree may be time consuming, they offer a non-stop opportunity to further develop and craft our writing ability. This, in turn, can lead to more effectively constructed resumes and cover letters, which lands us communication majors the interview that everyone is after.

6. We learn to fall in love with the first draft.

We have to double check, triple check, proof read, and re-proof read our work in order prevent any typos or mistakes. And when it comes to our presentations… practice, practice, practice. Because of the sheer amount of written and oral presentations, we do both quite frequently. But this allows us to develop the baseline skills of becoming effective editors, leading to more streamlined and powerful work for our classes. And in the future when we are forced to pitch ourselves and ideas to employers, these self-editing and refining techniques will be crucial to successfully communicating ourselves to employers.

5. Not everyone can do what we do.

We love hearing people question our degree choice and reduce it to nothing more than making a powerpoint presentation. But most of the time those same people are the ones who are stumbling through a five-minute presentation. Public speaking is hard, and it is definitely a learned skill -- a skill that everyone can develop. But if you’re going to challenge our degree choice at least be able to get up in front of a class without breaking into a full sweat and saying "um" 73 times.

4. It Is a 21st century degree.

Today, there are more unique jobs than ever before. Modern society is dominated by app usage, social media, and mobile technology. Thankfully, our degree has us covered. Not only are these areas fundamental elements of our degree and coursework, they also offer some of the most interesting and appealing career choices to date, careers that are perfectly suited for communication majors. Jobs like social media managers are more relevant than ever, and have been cited as one of the fastest growing fields today. And thanks to the skills used over the course of our degree, we are being set up for success in this fast paced, 21st century work environment.

3. Many paths to success.

The degree offers multiple coursework tracks, providing a more personal and enjoyable college experience. Rather than being confined to the restrictions of some degrees, universities offering a communications degree let you choose where your focus will lie. Youngstown State University alone has four (including telecommunications) different paths for a comm. major to travel down. Want to focus on media, along with marketing communications? You can! How about honing your persuasive communication skills in preparation for law school? Go ahead! Or are you interested in becoming a master at social media communication and 21st century business-to-consumer interaction? Look no further!

2. We’re communicators -- and that’s essential.

Every communication major will be the first to admit that they love to talk, they love to hear themselves talk, and they love to have all eyes on them during a presentation. Its alright, don’t be ashamed to admit it. Be proud! This desire to communicate with others is not only essential to the degree (hence the name), but as Carmine Gallo of Forbes.com writes, "Presentation skills are critical for career success."

1. Modern day skills.

At the core of any communications degree curriculum lies modern day skills essential to the ever changing and evolving workforce. Thanks to the abilities we gain, we are ready to take on the workforce. All of the skills that we practice are driving modern employers to seek a new wave of employees and, as Lydia Dishman of FastCompany.com writes, are some of the "biggest skills that new graduates lack." Due to the wide reach of our skill set and abilities, we have a greater chance of taking our degree wherever it is we want to go.

I still have a year before I graduate, but I am confident in the abilities I have developed, and I am excited to see where the degree takes me. Here's to a glorious senior year!