Just about every major comes with its preconceived notions—some may be accurate and others may be way off base. It’s natural for humans to go off assumptions if it’s something they don’t’ engage with themselves; we all do it. If someone’s studying something mathematical or engineering based it’s assumed that that person is an analytical, logical, intelligent person. If someone’s studying art, it’s assumed that that person is spontaneous, a free spirit, and maybe not as intelligent. Obviously these assumptions don’t apply to everyone and are not based on any solid truth.
Every major has its own set of stereotypes or assumptions, and as a communications major, these are the ones I’ve experienced.
1) When you tell people what you’re studying, they think you want to be a news anchor.
While this obviously may be true for some pursuing a communications degree, not everyone wants to go into broadcast. Broadcast is only one of the several facets dealing with communication. Plus doesn’t television add like 10 pounds? No thank you.
2) They assume you can tell them exactly what’s going on in the world.
I’m only in my early 20s. I don’t even know what’s going in my world.
3) People think social media has made communications jobs easier.
Au contraire, it’s only complicated things and made the future of media/jobs more unpredictable.
4) They guess that all you learn about is reading and writing.
Maybe we don’t focus on arithmetic, but it goes a bit beyond that.
5) They think it’s unrealistic.
I mean, computers are taking over anyways, right? Who needs people to run things anymore? Wrong. The future of media is so wobbly and unpredictable right now that without the hands and ideas behind the people running it, robots would take over everything. Might be exaggerating that idea, but you understand.
6) Finally, they think you're really good at communicating.
Despite taking speech classes, giving presentations, interviews, etc., I still trip up on my words all the time...or am at a loss of words a lot of the time. I can get across what I want to say in 250 words, 500 words, 1000 words, but do not ask me to make a speech. I refuse.
