Ever since I decided to become a Comm major, there was no turning back. It was scary at first, especially to be transitioning from Nursing. It was a long process of pro and cons and numerous questions I asked myself: Will I have a job after I graduate? Will I make enough money? What can I do with a Communication degree? These were of course incredibly important questions, but I didn't exactly know the answers at the time. However, when I asked myself the most important question, that’s how I knew I made the right decision: will I be happy? And the answer was absolutely yes. Being a Comm major is the best choice I have ever made and these are the reasons why:
1. There are so many fields of study in our major.
Public Relations, Journalism, Film, Public Communication, Radio and Television, etc. Then, within these, there are even more areas of focus. Crazy, right? More like #clutch.
2. The students in our department are unlike any other.
To be a Comm major, you have to have a unique personality; creative, courageous, comical or maybe even crazy (the good kind.) We all come from diverse family backgrounds and separate cliques on campus. Whether you are Greek or a sports captain, hipster or geek, SGA secretary or Film Club president, in the Comm building everyone is a part of the same #squad.
3. The professors are off the chain.
Who else is going to teach us innovative minds the wonderful ways of communication other than older versions of ourselves? They can be book nerds, movie junkies, laughers of their own jokes…whatever their hobby, they are incredible.
4. The bond we have is indescribable.
Even though our fields differ, we still click in different ways. We may not know all the same terminology, but we all appreciate each other’s company. Conversation isn’t always easy at first, but give us a few minutes to find a common interest and we can talk for hours. We are Communcation majors, we kill it at communicating, what do you expect?
5. We meet all kinds of people.
Sure, any profession allows you to meet people. But with ours, literally every single person we come in contact with becomes a networking opportunity. Not on purpose, it just happens…it’s in our blood or something. As soon as we meet a new person we automatically connect the dots to see how we could potentially help each other with opportunities. Networking is part of us and, if you ask me, it is one of our best features. We are walking, talking, and breathing opportunities. Actually, have we met yet?
6. Our possibilities are endless.
With all of our areas of study, there is not much that we don’t have the ability to cover. Whether you love fashion, video editing, writing blogs, public speaking, politics, event planning, sports reporting, broadcasting, advertsing, nonprofit work, creating scripts…you can accomplish your passion. There are jobs that involve every one of these interests and more that are possible with a Communication degree.
7. Our skills are versatile.
We Comm majors have countless abilities. Although you may be a Film major, you still know how to write. Even though you are a Journalism major, you can still edit video. This is because our major introduces us to all kinds of talents. We know that our concentrations all somehow relate to each other. We know that we are all family. The more the skills, the more opportunities and chances we have to help our co-workers. We are a team and we work together to generate a #DOPE final project or product.
8. Social Media is our job.
Yeah, you know the apps and websites you use to procrastinate from those big tests or assignments? The time suckers? Everyone’s escape from reality and or only way to reality? Yes. The Internet and apps are our ways to work. What other students have the chance to tweet for class or develop a new hashtag for a class assignment? We need to know who won the Oscar for our class the next day, not just for conversation. We are required upload a video to YouTube for a grade, not just for fun. As social media is a common hobby for other majors, it is a necessity for ours. And if that’s not cool, I am not sure what is.
9. We know the First Amendment by heart.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Everyone should know this anyway, but if you are a Comm major, there is no way you do not know this front and backwards. Go ahead, test us. This is something we take pride in as, as we should.
10. We create what the public sees and hears.
You know that podcast you just laughed out loud to? Odds are a Communication major was a part of the production. Same with the tweet you just read from your favorite company. Not to mention the person you just watched report the evening news. Ye, we cool.
11. We LOVE what we do.
This may be a generic statement and I don’t know about all other students in all the other majors. However, I do know that every member of my Comm fam is passionate about what they are studying. They have dreams for themselves that they are absolutely determined to make true. We are some of the most stressed students on campus, but you better believe we all know that it is all worth it.
There are definitely much more reasons why being a Communication major is the greatest, but if you want to how else, you should consider stopping by our department and checking it out for yourself (wink.) It is not the “easy” major, it is the best, most rewarding major there is. Amirite?