Dear friends, family and anyone else who thinks that studying communications is “easy.”
You are wrong and I’d like to explain my frustrations to you. Some of you still do not understand the pain and anger your words cause. Or the value of what exactly it is I do.
Almost every other day, I’m asked one or more of the following questions.
“Don’t you have any homework?”
“You’re out of class already?”
“Do you ever have tests?”
“I wish I could just write papers too.”
To answer your questions, yes, I do have homework. I just don’t complain about how much I have.
Yes, my class did end early, so we had time to work on our eight-page paper that was just assigned and is due next class period.
Yes, sometimes I have tests. However, I don’t spend hours memorizing formulas or equations. My tests are based on real-world connections and on what I learned from class, not on what I was able to cram into my head the night before.
And finally, no, you do not wish you could just write papers. Trust me. There is nothing easy about writing a 12-page paper with a minimum of 15 sources and an annotated bibliography to go along with it.
While you may think the content I study in class and the assignments I’m given reflect that of an “easy” major, you could not be more wrong.
You don’t see the hours I spend in the computer lab struggling to make finishing touches on a design I had two days to develop. You don’t know the exhausting process of filming and editing a raw video to make a well-developed, A-deserving video.
You don’t have to conduct five to 10 interviews per week. You don’t get up at 6 a.m. in the morning to produce a live TV show and you’ve never spent all day editing and producing a newspaper.
Unless you were a communications major, you have no idea the effort and dedication necessary to develop an impressive portfolio while still remaining over-involved in school activities, maintaining above-average grades, and securing as many internships/work experiences as possible.
The never-ending stream of belittling comments is a constant reminder that simply because I chose to follow my passions, I chose the easy way out.
Did you ever think that maybe my major seems “easy” because I’m good at what I do?
News flash: I love journalism. I love design. And I love my major.
I have the utmost respect for those of you who decided to follow your dreams and go to medical school. Why not show me that same courtesy?
I am in no way trying to depreciate your career choice. I’m not blind to the necessity of doctors, engineers, accountants, etc., however, I don’t think you fully understand the value of communications to the world either.
Who do you think is responsible for all the patients who visit the hospitals you dream of working in? Or the articles telling everyone about new technological and medical advances?
Communications majors are the ones responsible for creating and maintaining every organizations’ positive image. We are the ones broadcasting the amazing work others do so they can keep doing it.
If it weren’t for marketing and advertising, businesses would not be successful. Without journalists and reporters, there would be no online news sources, no magazines and no live news broadcasts.
Just because I’m not pre-med or studying engineering does not mean I’m stupid or lazy. Your major says nothing about your level of intelligence – it says something about your passions. Science and math are not the only subjects that require brilliance and dedication.
Sincerely,
Frustrated Communications Major
