Being that the posts on this site are written by students in multiple colleges in multiples states across the country, I think that the following subject matter is something we can all relate to.

Most students start college straight out of high school, and while 18 is the age that legally indicates adulthood, studies have shown that the adolescent phase of a person's life lasts until the age of 25, or even a while after that. This means that even in our mid-20s, we're still developing as people. We're not done figuring out who we are or what we want out of life.

If you're like me, and are a little bit older than the average college student, you can probably look back to when you were 18, and then to your early 20s, and see yourself now, and find marked differences over that period of time in how your brain worked, the way you processed information, and how you went about making significant life decisions. Maybe you had a boyfriend or a girlfriend in your late teens who, at the time, you were desperately in love with, but now you wonder what the hell you were thinking. Or maybe that was just me...

So, think about this: Because most students start college once they are legally considered an adult, they are asked to make one of the most crucial decisions of their entire life at a time when their brains haven't yet developed to the point of fully comprehending real-life implications of their choices. So what do they do? They take advice from their parents, who often want them to go for the "high paying" degree options, or they read all of the news articles that talk about the top 10 highest paying careers and how to get them, and make their choice about their major based on what they think will give them the best shot at making a bigger paycheck in the future. Not often enough do students choose their major based on what they want to learn. And it's sad.

What I'm getting at here is that it is okay for people to not know what they are going to do with their lives as soon as they turn 18. It's okay for people to explore their options. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing a degree based in a subject you're passionate about.

I talk about these things because I am an English Literature major, and too often, I hear people joke: "Oh, so you had to go to college to learn how to read and write!?" And at this point in my college career, it's just not even worth a rebuttal anymore. If you're an English major, you know how intensive it is, and to argue against ignorance is probably going to be as effective as nailing jello to a tree.

If you're an English major, you're probably also used to the jokes about how you'll end up working at Starbucks.

It's all just so unnecessary. Because if you're an English major, or a history major, or a philosophy major, or any other liberal arts major, you've probably thoroughly enjoyed your education, and will come out of it with analytical, rhetorical, close reading, critical thinking, comprehension and research skills, with such a profound perspective of life that students of some of the other, more "practical" subjects couldn't dream of. And yes, you will be better at writing than essentially any other student, and if you've been paying attention to the current state of discourse on the internet and in other forums, that is actually a rarity. These are the skills that many employers are specifically looking for.

I know full-well that it is a struggle for any college student of our generation to find a career that relates specifically to their degree, and that's what is so great about liberal arts--they aren't specific degrees that can only be useful in one career. I'm an English major, but my courses have given me insight into history, science, philosophy, sociology, political science, psychology, and a myriad of other subjects for a well-rounded education, and a strong understanding of the world.

So, don't make fun of people for the major they choose. Not all English majors end up as successful writers or publishers, but at least they have made the choice to follow their passion, even if just for a short period of their lives.

At this point in time, all that matters for most jobs is ANY degree, no matter the topic. In fact, according to this Forbes article, "Your degree is a prerequisite for the competitive workforce; the topic is irrelevant."

Ultimately, we will all end up in debt, just the same. And hey, if you're super passionate about accounting, that's awesome! Go you! But choosing a degree only because you feel the career will make you money is a sad way to start your adult life.

I once had a friend who said he couldn't care less about what job he ended up with, so long as it made him enough money to enjoy himself while he wasn't at work. While outwardly, that would seem to make sense, it is poor logic. The average career requires 45, 50, even 60 hours a week at work. Then you have approximately three hours of free time, most of which is spent deciding what food your diminished appetite from feeling sick about your unsatisfying job will allow you to eat for dinner, before you crash on the couch while watching Netflix. And, go figure, as soon as that friend got a job as an assistant at a pharmacy--a job he didn't go to school for, and didn't particularly feel passionate about, but one that paid well--I stopped seeing him. He no longer had real free time.

And if my degree does lead me to work at Starbucks, hey, at least people who work at Starbucks are happy.