I grew up understanding that when you go to college, you change your major a couple of times. Sometimes you even change your major before you get there. I was the latter. I applied to EKU as a Pre-Med major with full intent of becoming some type of doctor (obviously I hadn't figured my whole life out yet) but as soon as I realized that wasn't what interested me, I changed to Criminal Justice.

When I was younger, I watched crime shows with my mother and sister - this has never stopped. From the original CSI series to Criminal Minds and Bones, watching these shows has never not been interesting and we've always bonded over them. Through these shows, I wanted to learn more about the Criminal Justice aspects in life and having a mother who graduated with the same degree pushed me in that way. I wanted to know the routines, the stuff the shows got wrong, and honestly, it doesn't hurt to know my rights and the processes in case I'm in a tough spot.

As soon as I declared my "wanna-be cop" major, I was immediately hit with "your major means nothing" "you'll learn this all in the academy" "change your major to psychology or forensics, you'll go farther." I was frustrated because in today's society it's all about getting ahead and what will get you the farthest, the quickest. No one seemed to care about my genuine interest in these classes offered to me, no one seemed to understand that I know it might be repeated in the academy, no one seemed to accept that I didn't care that it wouldn't get me far but that I was learning what I wanted to learn about.

We, as a society, used to go to school to learn about the things that interested us in hopes of being part of that field later. However, the passion has been taken away and it's about the money and the title, forget the happiness. Criminal Justice, in a twisted sense, makes me happy and I have already settled with the idea that police officers don't make six figures but that's not what it's about. Through these classes and professors, I've already been able to have discussions about arrests, the court systems, I actually know and understand what I'm talking about and if my mom could say anything, she could tell you I get excited and can't wait to expand my knowledge.

I'm only a second semester sophomore and granted, I still have a lot of my life ahead of me, but it's difficult to hear people tell me what I'm doing will not amount to anything and I'm wasting my time. I have close friends in the same major who have heard the same and we've all agreed that we hear it way more than we should but it hasn't stopped us. We continue in our studies but add our own flavor to it, me tacking on a French Major, and another tacking on Police Studies with his.

All we are trying to get out of major is a better understanding of the field we are going in. All I am trying to get out of this major is exactly what I came to EKU for, an education.

So please, don't bash my, or anyone else's major, just because it does not line up with your beliefs. Don't bash theses majors because they don't make enough money, have horrible hours, or don't get a person far in life.

I chose my major for a reason.