College – you meet all types of people here. Recently, I had an unpleasant experience with a fellow student. Within 5 minutes of meeting this individual, I was left nearly speechless; unfortunately, not in a good way. I walked into Peets Coffee, saw a friend at a table and went to join her. Being a social person, she had, of course, introduced herself to the other people at the table; and, when I sat down, proceeded to introduce me to them. I held out my hand to the one who would leave me speechless and we did the common ‘nice to meet you’ dialogue:
“Hello”
“Hi”
“Nice to meet you”
“Same”
Blah, blah, blah; no need to go in-depth. Next, we said what every other college age person asks when meeting a fellow student, “So, what’s your major?” He told me his focus and I made a polite comment about the nature of his degree and then proceeded to tell him mine, English literature. Let’s just say, I was not exactly prepared for his response.
“That’s the most pointless and useless major I have ever heard of.”
….uh… what? Yes, I had just met him 5 minutes before. He then proceeded to tell me that it was completely irrelevant in society today; the only real way to use it was to obtain a law degree after graduation. My face fell. I was in shock. I fumbled for words, a rarity with me to be sure. A swell of emotions rushed over me as I went from passive, to angry, to hopeless about where I was headed, to simply pure confusion. College can cause a big enough identity crisis on its own merit, without outside help. I did not know what to say at the time and, indeed, it is probably best that I did not. After having time to mull over what my critic had to say, I have made some realizations. So, here is an open-ended letter to he who left me speechless:
Dear Major Critic,
Thank you. Thank you for helping me to see that I am where I am supposed to be and pursuing something I truly love. To be honest, it really hurt me when you said I was in a useless major. I wanted to slap you. Here I was, going to school for four years away from my family, spending thousands of dollars and countless hours in classes and on homework that, apparently, was pointless. Your seemingly careless words left me feeling very discouraged and angry. So, let me say this one thing to you: I would suggest you have more tact in telling a person you don’t agree with their major or that it is not for you. I gladly welcome your differing opinion, but the delivery needs some work! Yes, I was angry, but after I cooled off, you made me stop and think why I am here — I love English literature and I am passionate about this major. It’s not for everyone and I realize that, but not everyone can be a nurse or a business major. Not everyone can be a physical trainer, an artist, or musician and that is okay; it doesn’t mean they are pointless degrees to be pursuing. I know I will not make a lot of money and may not make huge discoveries that will change the world. However, I’ll be happy. Thank you for making me think about all the little reasons I love this major; the fact that I get the opportunity to study culture, language, history, science, religion, and so much more just by pursuing English. It was a humbling experience and I now have more confidence that I am where God has placed me to be. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The English Major
Love what you do. Don’t let anyone’s sharp words cause you to second guess your purpose because, in the end, it’s your major, not theirs.
