For anyone who may not know me personally, I am a senior mass communication major with a concentration in multimedia journalism. I have been in the communication major since my first day of freshman year, and I have never regretted that choice because I know it aligns with who I am and what I want to do with my life.

However, I admit I am irked when I see people’s reactions to learning my major. Whether this be a high school teacher, an old family friend or even a stranger, as soon as I tell them I am majoring in communication, I see a familiar flash across their faces, some biting mixture of disappointment and dismissal. 

I admit I have always performed well as a student. I was a high school honor graduate and genuinely a great student all my life. I say this not to brag but because I constantly feel the need to mount a defense for my choice of major and my goals. High-performing individuals are often expected to pursue the “toughest” careers; we are supposed to be doctors, lawyers and rocket scientists. 

But what about what I want?

Any major can present a challenge to the most exceptional of students, and any student, regardless of GPA or perceived academic intellect, will find something easy in the “difficult majors.”

I do not think that all majors are equally rigorous. That simply is not the case. I have firsthand experience watching my best friend, a chemistry major, pour over her classes and labs, spending hours each night studying. I have known physics majors who sweat in shop class and nursing students who fight tooth and nail to get into their cohort.

But this perceivable difficulty does not negate the rigor that finance, art, English and communications majors face in their courses as well. The fact that we in the humanities or business schools did not choose to pursue a career in science does not mean we lacked the capability to. I have never had to take a college-level biology course or sit in upper-level computer science. But do not look at my choice of major and dismiss my capabilities. 

When the conversation of college majors arises, I often feel as though STEM and humanities are at odds with one another. Why is this the case? If either group ceased to exist, the world would change drastically. Yes, we need our nurses and teachers; they are crucial. But do we not also want our museum curators, film producers, paralegals, accountants and musicians? GC offers over 40 different majors to choose from, and I would bet that there is a student in each and every one willing to relentlessly defend their program and its importance.

I am not going to turn this into an essay on my love for mass communication, and I by no means aim to put down those who pursue what outwardly presents as a difficult career path, such as our beloved chemists, nurses, veterinarians and lawyers. The world needs and loves you! But I want to be a journalist. My fellow communications majors hope to become filmmakers, radio hosts, public relations specialists, social media managers and event planners. 

“I’ve become very interested in ethnic and feminist studies through the classes I get to take through English and French,” said Lily Gauntt, a junior double major in English and French. “On a larger scale, I think both majors are important for people to study because it provides insight into different cultures and identities on a global level that you don’t get through STEM.”

I cannot speak as to the dreams of management, finance, art, philosophy, foreign language and countless other humanities and business majors at GC and across the country. But to those of you who struggle daily with an obviously challenging career path, we see you. We just ask that the next time we complain about the struggles of our major and the challenges we face, instead of trying to one-up us with your difficulties, listen to what we are working on and respect that we are following our dreams. 

I will never know if I could have done well in any other major but the one I am in. Unless you have explored the other departments on campus in-depth, you really do not fully grasp what they teach and do. You do not know about the clubs, organizations and partnerships they offer. You might not have known that Terrell Hall houses a television studio or about the AI Lab in Atkinson Hall. Ennis Hall has a room where photography students can develop film, and Porter Hall has free-use piano labs for all students.

Although the path to our goals may look easier, do not immediately assume that to be the case. We have all pulled all-nighters and cried over assignments. I just hope that each student follows their heart and paves the way to a work life that they will love, rather than choosing a major based on perception or prestige. After all, here at GC, it is called the College of Arts & Sciences, so we ought to be united and support one another, right?