Most people start college with a specific major in mind. Of those people who supposedly know what they want to study, many end up changing their major. Maybe they absolutely couldn’t stand their classes. Maybe they found another study that they hadn't known about before and immediately fell in love. Regardless of what one chooses to study and specialize in, he or she is putting in tremendous effort in order to graduate with a degree in that field of study.
Earning that degree usually takes about four years -- sometimes more and sometimes less. Those four years are filled with papers, exams and projects that will push you to your limit. There may be times when you want to give up, but you must remember the final result and push through. You will be challenged and tested from day to day. The point is that there is no such thing as an easy major or an easy academic career.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says something like, “Oh, you should switch to [insert “easy” major here]. It'll be so much easier!” Yes, there are some majors that require additional schooling or more rigorous classes; however, that shouldn’t take away importance from any other majors. Art majors are just as important as biology majors. History majors are just as important as engineering majors. Everyone has their place, and everyone and their majors deserve to be treated with the same respect.
Every major has an important purpose, and there is no reason that people should demoralize or ridicule someone because they chose a supposedly easy major. Once again, the truth is that there is no such thing as an easy major. If pursuing a degree in any level of higher education was even remotely easy, everyone would do it. Everyone would get a degree, and everyone would be qualified to work in certain fields.
I most often hear people jokingly tell their friends to switch to something like art or psychology. While these people may joke that these are easy majors that anyone can do, they are majors that are people’s livelihoods and that are by no means easy. I have friends who are art majors, and they slave over artwork that looks like it belongs in museums. I have friends who are psychology majors who want to go on to graduate school and become psychologists to help people better themselves. I watch these friends study and work just as hard, if not harder, than anyone else. The fact that people in these majors do different kinds of work should never take away the relevance and seriousness of their choice of study.
The backbone of these students’ studies are just like anyone else’s -- they study, do homework, take tests, write papers, etc. Yet, people of “challenging” majors still find it in them to ridicule students with supposedly easier majors. In the end, you can’t do anything but ignore the people who try to bring you down. You have to pursue what makes you happy, and in the end, you will be more successful.
