Lately, Facebook has been promoting lots of articles that list the best and worst degrees to have coming out of college. One day, I decided to read one of these articles--it was published by Forbes, and listed the best and worst master's degrees for jobs. This accounted for mid-career median pay and projected employment increases for jobs related to these degrees. I was pretty shocked that a publication with the esteem and credibility of Forbes would publish something like that.

Even worse than articles like this (which at least back up their content with some business-related research) are remarks from people studying certain things--there seems to be this sort of misconception that the students with harder classes are getting a better education and are bound to be more successful in the future than others. But I resent that.

I've always found that someone's work ethic speaks more than a piece of paper from a university. I accepted an internship this summer in a field that doesn't really complement the classes I've taken toward my major at all--I didn't get it because of what I was studying, I got it because I have worked with that company for nearly five years and have shown them time and time again that I put forth good work and exemplify the values of their corporate culture.

The Forbes article I referenced listed "Physician Assistant Studies" as the best master's degree to get for a job…and I'm not going to lie, that mid-career median salary looked awesome. I'm sure that if I really put my mind to it and cleared up a ton of time to study, I would be able to get that master's degree. But it's not something that I'm passionate about; if I did that job I would not enjoy it. My work ethic would probably be terrible and I would never get anywhere; nobody would want to promote me and I would be stuck at the bottom of the totem pole forever. It would be pointless and I would undoubtedly be deemed unsuccessful.

I hate that articles and attitudes that imply that certain degrees are better coerce people into spending their life doing something in hopes of money. The money won't ever come if you're doing something you don't love to do. Forbes also listed the 10 worst college majors, with anthropology topping the list--but can you honestly tell me that an Anthropology major making straight A's is not as successful as a Physician's Assistant struggling to pass?

I truly think that everyone has something special that they are destined to do, but the attitudes on a lot of college campuses may be steering people in the wrong directions. A lot of people think writing is a useless career path to pursue, but I enjoy doing it for this newspaper, and if you have made it this far into this article, I would consider that a success. And yet, if I had listened to what Forbes had to say I would've never even bothered.

I don't mean to imply that everyone pursuing a degree that will likely pay good money and have endless employment opportunities is doing it for the wrong reasons. I don't even think that most people who are in those fields of study are like that. This article isn't for them. It's for the people who have to hear over and over again, "Good luck finding a job," or, "Let's hope you marry rich," when telling others what they're studying. People shouldn't have to question what they're doing if it's what they're good at. A manager who's looking to hire you is going to look at the enthusiasm you have and your ability to apply what you learned in a meaningful and constructive way more than what's printed on your diploma.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the money, the titles and the success will come from you…not your degree. At the end of the day, yes there are certain majors that will lead to jobs with greater availability and higher starting salaries--but there's so much more to your career than that. If I've learned anything in school, it's that an article in Forbes can't tell you how to be a success--it's entirely up to what you do, and you alone.