Stop talking down to people with ‘easy’ majors

“What’s your major?” — it’s a question college students are too often asked, and it tends to be a filler when there’s nothing else to talk about. Realistically, schoolwork is the last thing most college kids want to talk about over a game of beer pong.

Too many people talk down to students who decide to take the a different route than them. College is a way for people to take classes, discover their passions, and determine a career path. Aside from homework and exams, it’s a time to use your connections, get the internships you need, and go from there. You don’t need to come out of school with a degree in Biochemistry to be considered smart or successful.

Photo credit: @eliassmitty

To be fair, most people don’t care what your major is, or how hard it is.  All majors are difficult in their own way.  Whether you study biology or basket weaving, that’s your choice. You can study your ass off to remember the anatomy of the body or film videos all day — that’s the beauty of college. No one asked you to choose a “hard” major and that doesn’t determine your success.

Coming into college as a Business major, people already assumed I was taking the easy way out. People say that management classes are a joke and that they could pass with flying colors compared to their marine science homework and lab reports. If you decide to switch to the Communications school, well that’s a whole other story. At that point, people just think you’re a complete joke. Let me remind you: I’m not, and neither are you, no matter your major. Regardless of what others think of us, we know we’re taking steps toward our desired career path. 

So for all of the people who talk down to “easy” majors, remember this: Just because someone might have an “easy” major or isn’t planning to become a surgeon one day, it doesn’t mean they’re taking the painless way out. Those people would love to see you try and write a perfect English paper or kill it on Wall Street.  Next time you talk down to someone with a major you don’t think is as scholarly as yours, just stop.  We’ll get back to you with our success stories.