Yes, I'm a Communications major. However, that doesn't mean what you think it does.
No, I'm not taking the easy way out. I'm not simply trying to coast through my last four years of education with easy classes. Guess what? This may come as a shock to you, but I am still required to take math, science and history classes. Being a Comm major doesn't mean I have any less work to do than any other major. It's just a different type of work. Maybe I don't have to stay up all night memorizing mathematic equations, but I do have to stay up writing 20-page qualitative research papers. Just because I'm a Communication Arts major doesn't mean I am not getting a well-rounded education.
No, I didn't choose Communications because Nursing is too hard or Marketing is too cutthroat. I chose Communications because it is my passion. Yes, believe it or not, I am chasing my dreams, not money. When I think about what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, it's writing. I want to wake up and go to a job where I can express myself and my creativity, not one where I would wake up and sit in a cubicle doing a job I hate just because it's higher paying. I am pursuing what I love. This is not my Plan B because Plan A was too difficult.
No, I am not worried that I made the wrong choice. When graduation day rolls around, I will have learned countless valuable skills that I will use in my everyday life and career. Communications teaches you how to develop interpersonal skills, public speaking skills, writing techniques--the list goes on. If it's something that excites you, something you love, it can't be the wrong choice.
Yes, I will be able to find a job. Nothing grinds my gears more than hearing, "Communications? What are you going to do with that?" Don't you think it's a little rude to disparage someone's interests? That's the best thing about the major! Communications is a wide open field that doesn't leave you feeling pigeon-holed. There are so many careers under the umbrella of Communications; we can pretty much do whatever we want! Jerry Seinfeld, Brad Pitt, Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman, Denzel Washington. I'm sure you've heard these names before, right? They were all Communications majors. So don't worry about us, I'm sure we'll be just fine.
So, next time someone tells you that they are studying Communications with a fire in their eyes, don't extinguish it. Chances are, it happens to them far too often.
