A lot of people think that if you graduate college with a liberal arts degree or a general studies major the real world will be hard. I have even had some advisors tell me that if I graduate with a liberal arts degree that I won’t have a “title” when I graduate. Which is in fact partly true. However, in my case I want to become an herbalist. To become an herbalist all one needs is a certification, which one can get through online classes, in person classes, or a college degree in herbology as a start. There are so many other careers that one can become a part of that do not require a specific major or that are not even offered at any university near you or that is affordable. As a liberal arts major you get to basically make up your own major and explain to people why you followed a certain path versus the socially accepted one.
A liberal arts degree allows a student to focus on multiple subjects at once. It is a way for a student to become familiar with different subjects that interest them. In my case, I focus on health and wellness, anthropology, and writing. It is a way for me to go through college and take all the classes that I find interesting. In some cases, we have to take classes that are required for our major, minor, or concentration and we don’t think that they are really going to influence us and what we want to do. As a liberal art major I get to pick which anthropology classes I think are most going to influence me and my future career as an herbalist. I also find classes that are not considered health, anthropology, or writing except it focuses on the health subject. For example, my schools offers health psychology. Not a requirement but, as a liberal arts major I can take that to help me understand the subject deeper and on another level. If I went with a degree in health and wellness I’d need a concentration subject as well. My schools overs fitness and nutrition. Therefore, technically I’d be taking classes as if I was a double major. Including my general education classes I wouldn’t be able to graduate on time and take any other classes offered to me that sparked my interest. I would be stuck to stick to the required classes and not even get to take any writing or anthropology. However, as a liberal arts major I get to take classes to fulfil the requirements to be a health and wellness major, as well as minor in both anthropology and writing. It is a way for me to get the experience I want and think will help me out the most.
College can be extremely stressful for anybody. Picking your major is like picking your future career for some people. That idea of picking your future is stressful, overwhelming, and exciting all at once. College is supposed to be time to find yourself and to enjoy yourself. If you are interested in more than one subject and want to be able to take advantage of college a liberal arts major or general studies might be the perfect match for you. It opens up so many more opportunities for you then you would expect. If you are stressed about not having a “title”, all you do is explain why YOU choose this path. It can ery inspiralation due to taking that chance and learning about what you are passionate about rather then just taking all those classes because one had to. College adds enough pressure to everyone in many different ways. When your college degree is in your own hands, it makes it a lot more bearable.
