We all have certain things that we’re passionate about. The lucky ones are able to combine those passions with the wonderful world that we live in and create a career out of it. And the most successful people I know are those who own what they’re interested in. At the end of the day, a college major isn’t going to matter that much, because the people who make it are those who know what they want and go after it. Yet, I still hear people make fun of or misunderstand other people’s degrees, so I asked some of the most intelligent people I know to clear up some of these misunderstandings about their college degree choice.

Religious Studies:

It’s a real degree. I don’t get high all the time. And it’s not a dead-end degree. I’m actually doing a degree I enjoy. And it’s not pointless because literally everything in this world has religion at its core.

Gender & Women’s Studies:

It is super fucking useful. We need it now more than ever, to understand the world around us. And it opens your eyes to the world.

Education:

Teaching is actually really hard! Good teachers put in tons of extra hours and go beyond what is expected. There are few teachers that take the whole summer off and do not work on school stuff. Teachers should be valued more and respected for all of their work.

Human Service:

I wish people didn’t look down on it as being an “easy” major. No, I’m not taking higher level math and sciences, and I couldn’t do what those people do, but they couldn’t do what I do either.

Communication:

It’s not just a way for people to get through college easily or for people who have no clue what they want to do in life. It is a major that provides many opportunities, lets you be creative, and interact with others. It is also not easy to do. Just because we don’t deal with math doesn’t mean writing critical analyses or writing research papers is any easier.

Organizational Leadership/Management:

I know that my degree has the reputation for being easy and what people choose to do if they want to just get by. I wish people understood that it has depth to it and can be a lot more challenging than people think.

Apparel Design:

It is extremely expensive and time consuming. But it’s so rewarding and well worth all the work at the end!

Early Childhood:

Early childhood teachers and daycares make positive impacts on children. A warm, loving, environment enriched with education and social play is incredible for children and at an early age it sets your child up for BIG success in the future.

Nursing:

Well, the first thing people usually say is that they couldn’t be a nurse because of the blood, but seeing and being around blood is such a small part of being a nurse. There are so many components to the job.

Public Health:

I think sometimes it gets narrowed down to a single career path, but public health is actually really vast and a career could be anywhere from going into epidemiology, working for the Center for Disease Control, pursuing policy change, becoming a nutritionist, or being a city planner.

Statistics:

I wish people understood that there are many applications and there’s more to it than sitting around solving math problems all day. And I hate when people ask, “Sooo what do you do with that?” and expect a simple answer!

(Women in) Business:

I think people misunderstand how truly male-dominated the business major is. I’ve had upper-level business courses as the only female before. And, I’ve also only encountered one female business professor.

Food Science:

Most people think it’s either cooking or nutrition, but it’s clearly not. Most people also think it sounds like a joke, but it’s not. There’s a lot of hard science involved. You’re basically learning all the science and processing you need to know to take foods from their raw form into value-added food products.

Agricultural Communication:

The response I get is usually somewhere between, “So you talk to corn?” to “Anddddddd will you get a job in that?” Agricultural communicators/journalists take classes in both hard science and liberal arts. We are trained to take dense scientific terminology and turn it into a digestible and inviting message for a variety of audiences. I’m really proud to be trained in a variety of disciplines and be involved in an industry that I’m passionate about.

After hearing each of these responses, I was filled with so much respect for each individual for pursuing a career and a degree that they really love. Next time you think to bash someone's career choice, remember that it is inherently bashing them and their passions.