There are over 160 academic programs offered through the eight colleges at Western Washington University. There are thousands of careers out there in the real world and just as many graduate school programs for those who desire or need a higher degree. Many of these careers and programs don't require a specific undergraduate degree or field of study, either. So how are young adults supposed to know what they want to study? And why are some majors more revered than others?
As a sophomore in college, I've seen many of my peers declaring their majors or finally deciding what they want to do. For years, I thought that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Go to college. Go to graduate school. Finish with a master's degree or higher. Work. Have a family. Enjoy life. I thought I knew what major I wanted and what career I was shooting for. But as I've been completing my prerequisites and finishing my general requirements, I've realized that I still don't really know what I want. I am so lucky that I get to go to a school with so many options and interesting classes. But at the same time, I feel almost like I'm cursed. Along with all of these incredible opportunities, I have to narrow down what I like and actually pick a major. And sometimes when you pick a major, you have to face potentially negative judgment from family and friends.
It seems like there are several stigmas surrounding each major. Some majors are supposedly "easier" than others. Some majors are "extremely difficult." And some majors are even called "useless." As unfair as they sound, they are still present in most universities. Just because a major is classified as "easy" does not mean that it is truly easy. It also doesn't mean that a person picked the major because it was "easy." In today's academic society, there really aren't any "useless" majors, as most careers don't require a specific field of study. Everyone picks a major for their own personal reasons. Maybe they love the classes, or it relates to a career that they want. What you are studying does not define who you are as a person, and neither do the subjects you enjoy. I was always taught to do what you love and to not let others discourage you from being who you are. It should be the same way with selecting a major. So then why do people still judge?
I grew up thinking that my undergraduate degree would decide what I would be doing for the rest of my life. If I graduated with this certain degree, I could only go into this specific career field. But the reality is that my major doesn't force me to follow a specific career path; it actually allows me to pick and choose where I want to go. I can continue my studies, or I can choose from a variety of careers that look for specific characteristics that I possess, not what degree I graduated with.
I'm not saying that your major doesn't matter. Your undergraduate studies build up a background of knowledge that can help with your future career or studies. They also allow you to be more hirable anywhere. According to a study completed by Jaison Abel and Richard Dietz of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, only 27% of college graduates have a career that matches their major. This just proves that even if you choose one path, it is not the only path you must take.
The most important thing that I have learned during this process is that whatever major you choose, you are still graduating with a bachelor's degree. My major does not in any way decide my future, and it does not define me as an individual. My major does allow me to grow and learn about a subject that I enjoy. It also prepares me for a future in many different career fields and allows me to choose what I want to do.
