I'm a communications major. To answer the obvious questions here, no, that doesn't mean my major isn't worthwhile, difficult, less important, or trivial.
For that matter, no major is. There is so much societal pressure to pick your major based off money or even the prestige it holds in the public opinion. We are encouraged by our parents to become doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, and business experts. Although these careers hold a very valuable and extremely strong importance, sometimes they don't exactly fit our passions. Some of us are less traditional in our thoughts, our values, and strive to do something a little less normal. We want to creatively engage our minds and focus on the more abstract qualities in this life.
This pathway is already a challenging one to take because it's a break from the traditional. There are so many assumptions made about com majors that our workload pales in comparison to others. In some circumstances that may be true, but we are just doing what everyone else in college has the freedom to do--run rampant with a subject they love, and devote their time to it even though sometimes there are ups and downs to the process.
In all reality, sometimes choosing this pathway can be a little scary. Focusing on something as broad as communications, you can really apply it into any area of life. With this amazing diversity we create a future that we leave open to the forces of life to guide us to. In contrast, a major like this makes it harder to not worry about potential financial stability or even where we are going to find our dream job in a sea of possibilities. Sometimes narrowing down what you want to do is the hardest part of anything.
We com majors are important because we will analyze your words carefully. We will speak with thought and precision, and write with clarity. We will travel and broadcast important events, and give you the understanding of the world you might not have previously known. We will write your Buzzfeed articles and your newspapers, we will be the ones who film the moments you don't want to forget. We are the voices on the radio, the innovators in social media, and the ones who market the product you're now budgeting to purchase. We keep the good reputation for the businesses. We are the teachers. We are the writers, and the readers. Our limits aren't bound by a profession, they are versatile. Calling our major trivial or lacking use in the real world is an extremely false and inaccurate statement to make.
So, to all the com majors, laugh at the silly questions your families may ask you about, "What do you plan on doing with that again?", because it will inevitably happen. All we can do is try to break the stereotype, and show our importance. Stop comparing your career path to someone else's. We are able to use our voices in the way a lot of people can't, and because of that, we should always be proud.
