When you are in college, word spreads fast in your hometown and through your family. Soon, every family event you're at will be full of questions about what you are doing in college and how it is going. Once you decide on a major, people begin to chime in on your decision. Sometimes it is genuine curiosity and they want to know what you're doing currently and what you plan on doing after you graduate, and other times it is "advice" that is unnecessary and can borderline on being rude.
1. Education Majors
"Why?"
"I could never do that to myself."
"You'll be miserable."
These are all things you've probably heard if you plan on becoming a teacher for any grade. Why would you want to break down someone who wants to dedicate their life to educate children? People who want to become a teacher have taken thought into what they've chosen to major in, and they already know that teachers don't get paid enough, and the education system is difficult to deal with.
2. Psychology and Philosophy Majors
"Good luck with getting a job after you graduate."
"What are you supposed to do with that?"
When you tell someone things like this about their major, it is hurtful and demeaning. You are judging someone based on the idea of what you think their major is, not what actually can be done with it, or what the focus of their studies are. It's very hard to find something that you like learning about so much that you want to work in that field until retirement, so don't take that away from someone who is lucky enough to find what they love.
3. Sociology
"Oh, so you're going to do social work?"
"What exactly does that mean?"
"What kind of work will you do?"
Do not assume that a major is one-sided; there are many different angles and courses of study within a major that will point you in different career directions. Chances are that as a college student, we don't really have an idea of what kind of work we want to do, the main focus for us is to graduate and get hired by any good job we can qualify for. It could be helpful if instead of asking loaded questions about someone's major, to do some research on it so you can have a real conversation.
4. Communication Majors
"You're getting a degree in talking?"
Once again, do not belittle a person's degree, a person's major -- it is a huge part of their identity while in school. Communication is not simply learning how to talk to other people, it is a very complicated major that is important to many businesses and companies.
The bottom line is that you cannot belittle someones major just because you don't understand what it is, or because you cant see the point in spending money to get that degree. While in college, a person's major helps define who they are as a student, and in part who they will be when they graduate. There is a way to correctly talk to someone about their major, and judgment doesn't need to play a part in it at all.
