The big icebreaker everyone asks you in college, and leading up to it, is “What’s your major?” Along with that, everyone seems to feel the need to voice their opinion on the subject.
“You know you’re not going to get a job with that, right?” or, “That will just be a waste of your time. You’ll never make enough money with that job.”
As a senior who has changed their major five times, I can attest that this question gets more irritating every time it’s asked. It puts extreme pressure on you to figure out the answer. I started my college experience as a journalism and mass media major, which quickly changed to theatre. After about two weeks of being a theatre major, I changed it to undeclared, then to general studies. About a semester later I changed it to English, and then landed all the way back to where I started, journalism. It was a whirlwind, and the more I changed my mind the more nervous I became that I wouldn’t finish on time.
It’s a frustrating experience because how could you be expected to know? You’re barely an adult, fresh out of high school. You haven’t experienced half of what the world has to offer, so how could you possibly know what you want to make a career out of, let alone what you’re interested in?
Starting early on as a general studies major helped narrow my path down, immensely. I was able to take a wide variety of classes and discover topics that were interesting to me, as well as learn which classes or subjects I didn’t want to continue with.
Now, your general studies path may open up a variety of doors for you and you won’t stay in the major like I did, but that is a benefit as well. General studies can help you narrow down what you actually feel passionate about.
If you do continue down the general studies route, Touro University Worldwide cites general studies as “The most personally rewarding degree program available to students.” It builds communication and critical thinking skills, and it allows to you create a college experience at your own rate.
Though I’m a journalism major, some of my favorite classes were about anthropology and theatre. While you may assume these classes aren’t relevant to your degree path, you learn much more from them than you would think.
They not only give you a solid foundation for adapting to the transition of taking college courses, but they teach you new, important perspectives about culture, economics, politics, belief systems and more.
If you’re worried about finding an adequate paying job with a general studies degree, My College Guide has a list of the top 40 general studies careers and their salaries. Because of the diversity of a general studies degree, there is a wide variety of careers to offer.
According to My College Guide, one of the highest paying jobs you can get with general studies is an account director, with a median annual pay of $98,515. Others include a brand manager, with a median annual pay of $76,669, or a software consultant with a median annual pay of $76,669.
For those of you starting college, or those of you almost finished with college, know that you have options and plenty of time. Know you aren’t alone, and so many people are confused about their life trajectory as well. Most importantly, pick a path that interests you and that you know will be a benefit to you in the long run.
Bailey Brockett can be reached at [email protected]