In the two years I have been at Kenyon, I’ve taken a smorgasbord of classes, both to complete my distribution requirements and for myself. That’s one of the beauties of being at a liberal arts school. We are encouraged to take the time to discover what we are truly passionate about before jumping on a pre-med bandwagon or declaring that time-intensive English major. Taking a mix of classes and majoring in a humanity or social science comes with a cost, though. The cost is this conversation, which we all have memorized at this point:
Distant relative/ family friend: So, what college do you go to?
Kenyon Student: I go to Kenyon College. It’s a small liberal arts school about an hour north of Columbus. (How many times have you said that, am I right?)
Distant relative/ family friend: Hmm, interesting. What’s your major?
Kenyon Student: English. (Or psychology, sociology, philosophy, etc. Take your pick.)
Distant relative/ family friend: Oh, no. Please don’t major in English, sweetie! I want you to be able to get a job.
After being told how unappealing a your major is ten times per holiday break, you’re bound to start wondering if you’re destined to forever live off of Ramen in a shitty apartment, popping over to Mom and Dad’s house every so often to get a home cooked meal and that 40 bucks they might slip you. This stressful thinking tends to build up at this point in the year, with final papers and exams stealing precious sleep and social time. The stress is high from that alone, not to mention the unanswered summer internship applications hanging over your head. Stress raises self-doubt. Would employers want me more if I switched to an econ major? Should I add bio as a second major?
But I am here to tell you to do what you love. We get to be at college for four years; don’t waste the time (and significant amount of money) doing something you don’t enjoy. Our society is increasingly becoming a service-based economy, where what you major in is not the deciding factor for employment. Having critical thinking skills and being a good learner are traits that are constantly gaining significance. Your major here doesn’t have to define the rest of your professional life.
No matter what you major in, working hard is part of college, but don’t torture yourself taking classes you hate. Do what you love. Happiness is a choice, my friends.
So let’s add a final line to that tedious conversation:
Distant relative/ family friend: Oh, no. Please don’t major in English, sweetie! I want you to be able to get a job.
Kenyon Student: Thank you, I really love it, though! It’s a great way to develop interpersonal skills and critical thinking, which are some of the most valued features in potential employees. Kenyon’s a great school, and lots of humanities majors go on to get desirable jobs. I love my major and I’ll be fine.