I am a Communications major and I love it. Despite Comm getting a bad rep as a “joke” major for student athletes, greek life kids, or people who struggle with math, it has a lot more to offer than just a skate through to graduation. If you agree with any of the latter statements then I invite you to educate yourself on the incredible doors that can open for you as a communications major.
I can openly admit that before taking so many communications courses I was a shaky communicator at best. I had trouble identifying my goals and separating my emotions from the situation. However, after attending only a semester’s worth of classes, I began to notice that my professors were describing conflicts and relationships that sounded very familiar to me. I started to understand why we act and react the way we do in the face of conflict.
The most important facet of communication is the interpersonal experience, understanding that we study relationships that take place on a personal level, specifically people who are important to us. This is such a critical skill to have. If you can’t communicate with the people who are important in your life then you very well may be a miserable person. Since learning how to deal with and understand conflict in class, I have had less fights with my boyfriend, been more understanding of others, grown closer to my family, and been more successful collaborating with others at work and school.
What I love about Communications is that you discover the true nature of your relationships and how various methods of communication impact those connections. Now as a junior, not a day goes by that I don't find myself implementing the strategies I learned in class into my everyday life. The thing about a communications degree is that it’s actually applicable to real life--professional, personal or anything in between. It prepares you to walk into every situation and be able to resolve a conflict or understand a dynamic relationship.
On top of that, this major shows you how to understand the world from an array of perspectives. You may consider yourself a generally objective person, maybe you’re more interpretive or perhaps you have a critical view of the world. No matter who you are at the beginning of this degree, you will learn to think abstractly and walk away with a completely different and versatile idea of the world around you.
You may be wondering, how does a new found understanding of my surroundings and relationships equate to a career? Well, the beauty of a communications major is that you can apply these lessons to almost any field. Just to gloss over a few: marketing, public relations, business management, media, advertising, politics, social services, international relations, law, publishing, journalism, broadcasting and countless more. Employers want people who can write well and no one does that better than a Comm major. Communications students know how to formulate an authentic, well constructed idea and present it with an original perspective in a clear vision that anyone can understand.
Many people struggle with communicating to their peers and loved ones. If you’re one of those people I strongly encourage you to test out just one communications course. Even if it seems like something outside of your comfort zone, I can't imagine a more beneficial subject to study for improving your everyday life while providing you with a professional edge.
