When we first meet someone on campus, the first questions asked are “what’s your name,” “what year in school are you,” and “what’s your major?” After college, it’s questions like “where do you work” and “what do you do for a living?” Our major and career is often what defines us. We are always defining ourselves based on our age, class, gender, and employment, but why? Why do we choose to define ourselves by these things?
There is so much more to a person than their career or socioeconomic status and knowing what a person does for a living doesn’t mean you know them as a person. A job is a big part of a person’s life, but it isn’t the only thing in their life or the only thing that can tell you something about that person.
There are 7 billion incredibly interesting people in this world that are all different from each other. I’ve made so many friends in college that have different and unique experiences that I haven’t had and I have learned so much from them. We all have different majors, but that’s not what makes us who we are. It’s the things like our different passions, hobbies, and our one-of-kind laughs. It’s the stuff completely unrelated to our majors.
So the next time you meet someone new, ask them something completely unrelated to their major or job, like “what’s your favorite color,” “do you like mac and cheese,” “how do you feel about Zayn leaving One Direction,” or really anything else that comes to mind.
And the next time someone asks you about your major, answer them, but tell them something else about yourself. Tell them about your hobbies and passions because there is more to you than your major.
Don’t let society decide how you should define yourself, define yourself how you want to.