I was originally going to college to study Nursing, but I quickly realized that it wasn't the career for me. After considering multiple other majors, I decided that Communication Studies was the perfect major for me.
However, most people don't agree with my choice of major.
I have unhelpful comments thrown at me almost every day regarding my choice.
The most common things I hear are:
"How do you plan on making money with that?"
"Isn't that just talking?"
"That's too easy; anyone could do that"
I knew it would be much different than Nursing, but it is definitely not an easy major.
No college major is easy.
Here are some cold, hard truths about Communication Studies majors.
Communication Studies is considered a social science.
Other social sciences include Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, etc.
We don't go to class just to talk to each other and leave.
We have lectures just like everyone else, and we have to pay attention and take notes just like everyone else.
We also have days where we can't bring ourselves to focus on what the professor is teaching just like everyone else.
The only time we really get to talk is before and after class or if there's a group activity that day.
Yes, we have homework. Everyone has homework.
No, our homework doesn't involve us having conversations with our classmates, recording them and submitting them to Blackboard.
We have to purchase textbooks just like every other major. We have reading assignments, chapter summaries, short answer responses, group discussions, papers and presentations just like everyone else.
Communication Studies majors are required to have a minor (at least at my college).
Some of the common minors for Communication Studies majors are Psychology, Foreign Language, Sociology, Political Science, Creative Writing, and English. Personally, I love Sociology and would like to get a Master's Degree in Sociology.
Not all Communication Studies majors excel in public speaking.
Even though Public Speaking is a required course for Communication Studies majors, almost everyone of every major hates public speaking. Personally, I love public speaking and I don't get stage fright, but I can see why others would find it scary.
Communication Studies students are expected to be well-versed in many other areas.
Most of our classes build upon other areas of study. For example, my Persuasion class involves aspects of Psychology, such as understanding one's personality traits and level of neuroticism before finding the best method of persuasion to use on them.
My Interpersonal Health Communications class requires us to have a thorough understanding of various physical and mental illnesses, how they affect communication between providers and patients as well as how to break the news of bad health to patients in the most effective manner.
Fun fact: most medical students are now required to take a Health Communications course.
My Intercultural Communications class requires us to have an understanding of sociological concepts such as prejudice, discrimination, majority and minority groups, privilege, cultural competence, ethnocentrism, universality and relativism.
In a way, Communication Studies is a mixture of multiple areas of study combined into one.
Yes, I will get a job with my degree.
There are many career opportunities for Communication Studies majors, such as sales, marketing, motivational speaking, Public Relations, advertising, journalism, creative writing, directing organizations, politics, social media, etc.
I love my major more than anything, and I wouldn't trade it for a six-figure career job in any other field.
Everyone is a genius in some field. I'm not sorry that my field isn't the same as yours.
