When I first entered college a few years ago, I was a nursing major. It did not take much thought when considering it. I liked the medical field, it was a stable field, and there were people around me that had been successful within the profession of nursing.
I was so sure I wanted to be a nurse.
However, when I entered college, I did not feel the same way. I worked hard for the grades I earned, but they weren’t good enough. I felt as though this wasn’t where I was supposed to be. My fellow pre-nursing peers held something that I lacked. They had a drive from the heart to be in this profession. Most of them had possessed this drive since birth to enter the medical field.
I did not.
My heart belonged somewhere else. My passion lied on the other side of the campus and it took me forever and a day to realize it. I’ve been a writer since I could hold a pencil. My imagination ran wild during my youth, but I let it slide to the back burner when things started to get serious.
Needless to say, I changed my major. While my major is not necessarily titled ‘English literature”, it is amongst the same field. Professional and Technical Editing is the best field for me as it allows me to have what the girls I envied in nursing school had. The drive and the passion.
I was happy.
I am not sure if I speak for college majors revolving around the door of English or maybe just for myself when I say it's okay to be an English major. You are probably thinking; what kind of discrimination could I face? I’m a 20-year-old white college student. Much less one that is going to school for English of all things.
It’s a lot easier than you think.
Job shaming is very real.
I remember once I made small talk with someone during my summer job as a cashier. It was normal chit-chat, the how is your day (I’m a cashier, how do you think my day is going…). The customer then asked me about my college education. I gave him the short version of my major area of study by calling it “English” rather than explaining to this man I’ve known for all of 5 minutes the entirety of my university curriculum.
Did I say it in a way that was too proud?
Did this man see me saying this two syllable word as “I am throwing thousands of dollars and my time away to pursue a degree that is going to get me nowhere!”
He responded with “It's good you have a job because you will be working here a long time with that major. English majors don't get jobs. Hope you have a plan B."
I do not normally get angry over stupid things, but this made me want to scream. I wanted to shove whatever this customer had left on the counter to the ground. It’s not good that I had a job at that store because it exposed to me hollow-brained individuals such as yourself.
Shouldn’t the fact that I am working towards any degree rather than throwing myself to the wolves of the street? Does that not count?
I guess not.
But the funny thing about life is, it’s okay.
It is okay for students to have motivation to do what they love. Whether they are a nursing student, an English student, or a basket weaving student.
It is okay for this man to feel the need to harp on some 20-something looking college student for potentially throwing her life away.
It is okay for this man to toss what I love and do for a living onto the ground and dismiss it like its nothing.
It’s also okay for me to dismiss him like he is nothing.
And it is okay for me to continue in my path. I would rather be happy doing what I love (or at least trying, right?) than to be so miserable that I must cut others down.
Meeting people like this shouldn’t define your happiness.
