"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose…"-Dr. Seuss, Oh!, the Places You'll Go
Dr. Seuss has always had an interesting take on life. Seuss' books appeal to the 6-year-old in all of us, no matter what age we may be at the time of reading his books. His book, Oh! the Places You'll Go, is practically quoted in every high school speech for graduation. Although his book is used as a positive note, the quotes may not help a student pick their college major so easily. There are so many stereotypes around a variety of college majors that no one wants to do.
According to PayScale.com, Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theatre Arts majors can earn anywhere from $32,103 to $74,396 annually. The pay will vary, depending on place of employment. For example, if someone was to be employed at The Walt Disney Company, an employee can make almost up to $96,000. This is quite shocking, considering ThinkAdvisor has Theater as a college major listed as one of the worst majors as of 2017 listed.
Many college students, both past and present continue to experience heat about their college majors. Hence why many students have such a hard time deciding on a major. Although, some can be supportive of their college major, despite it being such a dreaded major according to many. Liberal Art majors experience a good amount of criticism, and it's not always the best.
Leeann Stempien, alumni from LCCC and Bloomsburg University was a theater major during her college years. She experienced some turmoil from people when she declared her major from education to theater. "So many people always told me that theatre was one of the worst majors because it was almost impossible to ever get a job unless you knew someone," Stempien said. "So, I had a lot of criticism along the way, but also a lot of support. Really depends on who you talk to." Upon switching her major, she realized her love for the theater went deeper than a degree. "I changed my major to theatre in hopes of eventually ending up on Broadway."
Although Stempien has not made it to the Broadway stage, she encourages those who want to major in whatever they want. "Major in what you want, but always have a backup plan," said Stempien. "For example, if you want to major in music, have a backup like maybe teaching or something that you might be able to apply your major to. Nevertheless, major in what YOU want and not what others tell you or think you should do. Do for you!"
Carlane Costello, an Art Therapy major, at Marywood has had nothing but positive vibes throughout her college experience. "My dad was a music education major and my mom wasn't really even interested in college to begin with, so whatever I chose they'd be okay with. My parents and I have a really strong relationship." Her parents supported her decision to do whatever she had pleased in college, as long as it would make her happy. Carly has intentions to work with autistic children and adolescents or in an inpatient setting with medically ill children after college comes to an end. "I thought about even opening my own studio space at one point in the future. I want to hold one-on-one sessions with my clients, and be referred to as Carlane Costello, ATR-BC (Art Therapist Registered-Board Certified)."
Many students who are undecided feel pressured into declaring a major, have a hard time dealing with the pressure of family and friends. Kendyl Kalish from Wilkes University is an undecided major, as many others are. " A lot of people have been on my case about declaring a college major. My dad is the primary person who tells me I need to decide on a major, but I have even had people outside of my family tell me I need to decide on a major." Kalish explained. So many students have an extremely hard time deciding a major after not meeting certain requirements for their dream major.
Kalish wanted to go into nursing but didn't meet the requirements for the nursing program at Wilkes. "My dream job was nursing. I didn't choose that as my major because I didn't meet the requirements of my college for that major," Kalish said. "Nurses make a good amount of money, but also have a lot of crazy hours that they have to work, and I have decided that it wasn't for me." This is another thing that steers many students away from obtaining their degree in that said field of study. Kendyl hit the nail on the head when talking about a career in the near future for herself. "Money isn't necessarily everything when it comes to a career. I'd rather make enough money to get buy and be happy than have a lot of money and be miserable going to work every day." Kalish is hoping to declare Mass Communications this semester at Wilkes, as she has been taking the classes and has found them very interesting.
Some famous celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jenna Fisher (also known as Pam from The Office), David Hasselhoff, and even George Taki are just some of many theater majors who succeeded after college. Despite the pay and unemployment rates of this major in particular, it isn't always about landing the big break in Hollywood; it isn't about the ginormous pay that movie stars make, or an artist makes. It's about what's in the heart of someone, and what they will do with their college major is up to them.
College isn't meant to be easy. Picking a major and sticking to it is quite hard. Many students are going to chase their dreams, despite the opinions of others. Although the field of study doesn't make a significant amount of money, it is all about the love of that person's interests.
As Dr. Seuss said, ". You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." -Oh! the Places You'll Go
