Stop Telling College Students That Certain Majors Have No Value

Who determines which majors or degrees are valuable?

A family member of mine who is a freshman in college asked for my advice. She was deciding whether to major in two subjects: Biology and Art History. In high school, she had developed a burgeoning love for art, visiting various museums all over the world. Also, she really enjoyed history, did well in all of her Advanced Placement classes, and even watched historical documentaries in her downtime.

I was confused about her choice of Biology. She’d never once told me she was interested in the sciences, but I didn’t want to discourage her, seeing as though this could be a new interest that she had recently discovered.

She then told me she had chosen Biology because people respected a degree in that field. She could become a doctor or go into research and make a decent living.

“But Biology is so boring,” she said casually.

“I agree,” I responded. “That’s why I didn’t major in it.”

“But what can I do with an Art History major? Uncle Marlon says that Art History is a useless degree,” she responded.

Why do people say ridiculous comments like this to young people?

It’s not even an accurate statement. Who determines which degrees are useless? Society? Your parents?

Or maybe it’s people like Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who said, “[Jill Biden] is not a physician, she’s a Doctor of Education, which means nothing.” Now, I don’t have a doctorate, but I have a master’s degree. And I can tell you that attaining a master’s degree is definitely higher than “basically nothing”, no matter what you get the degree in. Getting a Doctorate in anything is a tremendous accomplishment that requires an enormous amount of sacrifice, initiative, and commitment.

But Dr. Jill Biden is an intelligent, accomplished individual who can take care of herself. I’m more worried about the younger generation, especially those who are considering majoring in something that isn’t considered “mainstream” or “acceptable”. I am worried that there’s a certain segment of society that may dissuade these young people from venturing into these fields because they don’t see value in learning about certain topics.

For example, in college, I took several courses in Native American and African and African American Studies. I felt like I woke up reading books and went to sleep writing notes. Some days I would read hundreds of pages and would still not be caught up.

And I wrote A LOT of essays, many of which had a great deal of red ink on them. Those classes exposed me to literature and topics I had never seen. They helped define who I am as an individual.

But if you tell some people like Tucker Carlson that you received a B.A. in disciplines such as African and African American Studies, Native American Studies, LGBT Studies, Women’s Studies, or other topics, they act like you got your degree from a vending machine. If these limited people don’t see the value, then those degrees are not seen as valuable to them. They seem to think that their method of valuation is the only one to consider.

Ultimately, if you don’t see the value of majoring in something, don’t major in it. But don’t tell someone else that their degree is useless.

So what should you major in?

I told her to major in something that she not only loves but is willing to work hard in. The major you choose should be not only interesting to you, but challenging and rewarding. And if you are good at something, the advancement opportunities and money will follow.

In college, I had some classmates who became financially successful investment bankers, lawyers, doctors, and business owners. Many seem to have quality lives. And quite a few developed horrendous drug and alcohol addictions, even using them at work. Although I never asked, I’ve always wondered if their drug addictions were partially linked to their dissatisfaction with their career and life in general. Perhaps it was hard for them to find true happiness, even with millions of dollars in the bank.

I saw a post where someone was bashing a major in Women’s Studies. But I know of people who majored in Women’s Studies who have filmed documentaries, founded non-profits, written books, served as local politicians, and started successful businesses.

Ultimately, college students are fortunate these days. There are so many opportunities available and you can create their paths. All you have to do is research all of your options thoroughly.

You determine the value of your degree

I worry about those students who want to venture down a certain path but are worried that their degrees may be perceived as “nothing” because they aren’t “mainstream”.

To people working hard, trying to achieve your Certificate, Vocational Degree, Associates of Arts, Bachelor’s Degree, Masters Degree, JD, MD, or Doctorate, remember that there will always be someone out there who won’t find value in your educational accomplishments. But it’s up to you to understand your self-worth and be proud of your achievements. And major in something that challenges you and that you will work hard in. And you determine the value of your education.