There are a few disclaimers that I lead with when I meet new people. For starters, I tend to always tell people I am from Los Angeles so they understand my perspective when I complain about the weather or I say something that I believe is moderate, but seems quite liberal to others. Secondly, I let people know that I am an only child with a single parent so it’s not as weird when I bring up my mom five times in a conversation. Thirdly, I usually have to explain to people why I am a history major.
While disclaimer one and two are very much a part of who I am as a person, disclaimer three is a personal academic choice. It’s personal in the same way my religious or political beliefs are, but I feel that I defend it more than anything else I believe in. Not once has my vote for Hillary been questioned. Not once has my Catholic faith been questioned. But at least once a week my major of choice is questioned.
Some people are genuinely curious as to why I am history major and what made me choose to study history. They ask questions about the eras that I am interested in and what I ultimately want to do with my degree. But then there are others who will ask, “Oh, why history? What can you do with it anyway?” My pet peeve is when people automatically assume I want to be a teacher. While I admire the passion and patience teachers have, I don’t plan on using my history degree to be a teacher. If I wanted to be a teacher, I would have been an education major.
Why am I always defending my choice of being a history major? Unlike most degrees, a history degree is not a narrow track in life. My degree requires and promotes the ability to read, research, write and think critically while focusing on how an event or outcome pertains to both the past and present.
With the skills and knowledge that I have gained the past couple of years studying history, I feel that I should not have to defend my major. Of course it is slightly easier than STEM majors in that I do not have as many tests. But while STEM majors study and memorize, I research and write papers, which can be just as tedious.
Isn’t college supposed to be the time when we experiment and figure out who we are? So, why do I need to explain my every move? Everything I do is a part of my personal journey and the choices I make are entirely my own. I do what makes me happy and I get involved in things that interest me. I take random classes, like German, that have absolutely nothing to do with my future career or my major. I’ve joined random clubs and organizations. I am enjoying my youthfulness and finding out what makes me happy.
So, the next time someone asks me why I am a history major, I won’t kindly defend my academic choices. I am history major simply because I love and enjoy history. I owe you no further explanation.