College, as we are told all the time, is this weird phase in the middle of being a kid and a real functioning adult. In these short four years we are suppose to make all these decisions about how we plan on making a living for the rest of our lives. It makes me wonder: why is it that people choose a certain college major?
Growing up we were always asked what our dream job was. Kids would say firefighter, teacher, doctor and even garbage man (because we all wanted to ride on the side of that truck at one point in our lives). As kids we picked what we wanted to do with our lives based on what we were interested in and what seemed fun. We never said that we wanted to be a firefighter because we wanted to be seen as smart by our peers, we said it because it seemed exciting. So why in college do we focus so much on having a “smart major” instead of focusing on doing what we love? Why do I need to prove to those around me that I am “smart enough” to be an engineer or a scientist when I hate those subjects?
People no longer choose a career path because the job seems fun, allows them to help people or they get to ride on the side of a truck; the most common reason people give for pursuing a career is that the job will make them a lot of money, or it will make them seem smart. It’s true that certain fields have a greater starting salary when we graduate college, but starting salary does not equate to raw IQ. Is a premed major really smarter than an English major or does the English major simply have different interests? The scientist that you think is so smart for getting straight A’s in physics could be getting C’s in English Lit if they were taking that class. Everyone’s brain works differently and that’s okay. We have to stop saying that one way is better than the other because both people can be equally smart, but better at different things. The real “smart major” is the one you pick because you love it.
As a member of the business school I have been told that my major is “easy” on multiple occasions because it is not in the science field. People have equated me not wanting to be a doctor or an engineer with a lack of intelligence. I hate to break it to you: a lot of really smart college students don’t enjoy science classes and don’t want to suffer through them to receive the coveted label of having a “smart major.”
I chose my major because I think my future job will be fun, and I suggest that other students do the same. Do what you love and the money will come with it. It makes life a whole lot more fun. There is no such thing as a “smart major”- just a person who is smart enough to take after their five year old self and choose the major that will allow them to get their dream job.