There has become such a huge stigma on certain degrees that are low-grade income. Nowadays, if you’re not going ambitiously into school to become a doctor, nurse, or into the business field the degree you are receiving is insignificant to the rest. For example, this devaluation has been placed on the helping professions. Professions that don’t pay significantly, but they do the most impact on the lives of people in communities around you. They are the most humane, the most germane, and the most positive.

I started out as a nursing major in my first and second year of college, and I was swallowed up whole and spit back out. It was rough couple of years, but I finally discerned what truly made me happy—people. I wanted to talk, help, assist, and be a light to others in times of need. As a result, I made the decision to switch my major to Human Services. It was a significantly lower paying job, but I found myself feeling more passionate and happier in my major than I’ve ever been. On the other side of the spectrum, I received a multitude of negative responses wondering why I would choose a job that wouldn’t give me “a good life” or that would help me “live comfortably.” I got looks of distain or comments to “think again” before I received my degree. It was, in a sense, unsettling.

Human Services is a degree that is, in my eyes, described as helping others who can’t truly help themselves. Areas of work consist of non-profit organizations, hospitals, criminal justice, or even creating your own practice. It’s a revolving door of options.

Choosing a career such as this one means just as much as any other career. Choosing to help the helpless, to be an advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves, and giving without receiving anything in return is something very special. You are choosing to be selfless, compassionate, and patient. You are choosing to lend a hand to others with lesser pay because people mean more to you than money. Spending your life doing service for others is “a good life” and it makes me “very comfortable.” If I were a parent of a child who chose this field, I would be so proud of the way I have raised them, and even more proud of the difference they would make in the lives of others.