From the moment I stepped onto the University of Kentucky's campus, I knew I wanted to major in journalism.
After taking a broadcasting course in high school, I found myself enamored with the idea of production and seeing something I helped create on TV and other media sources throughout the country. For me, this dream seems normal because of its mine. Its what I envision for my future, and its what I aspire to do with my life. However, the idea of me majoring in something that isn't related to the medical field or engineering didn't sit well with certain people in my life. To this day, my major is still considered the joke of whatever conversation I may be having with these people.
Just because I am not in the medical or engineering field does not mean my degree isn't good enough.
This isn't to say anyone studying in either of these fields is invaluable or wrong, but to ridicule others because they aren't aspiring to be a doctor or a mechanical engineer isn't right. Careers within the medical field are just as necessary as careers in the communications field. Not everyone on this planet can be a doctor, and not everyone wants to be. Each of us is different in how we think and act, and not every person's personality or desires fit into the mold of something within the medical or STEM fields. Trust me on this, you would not want me to be operating on you someday.
Journalism does not mean I want to be a news anchor or giving reports on the weather.
A common misconception about a journalism degree is that it strictly prepares you for either being a news anchor or writing for a paper. While it definitely does prepare you for those career paths, journalism is an all-encompassing major that equips you with the tools to do so much more. Communication is key in any and every career path you take, and my major simply focuses on that aspect more than other majors. So no, I don't want to be a news anchor or "weather girl" because that is not the path I aim to take with my degree (and BTW if I wanted to give weather reports, I'd be studying meteorology).
College is all about finding yourself and your niche in life - whether that be in the sciences, mathematics, arts, or anything in between.
Any major is a good major, especially if its the right one for you. At the end of the day, college is what you make of it, and I'd rather be doing something I absolutely love despite the ridicule than pushing myself through a major I cannot stand. This is my college experience and this is my future. No one can tell me how to experience life except myself.
