I am a psychology major. No, I’m not still “figuring it out,” or “trying something new.” I plan to graduate next year with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Coming into college, the number of paths I could take was overwhelming. Did I want to work for a major company, pursue a medical career or maybe even try out architecture? As I started taking classes, I realized that my psychology electives were the courses I looked forward to the most. Once I discovered that I could major in psychology, I came to a decision that it was the path I wanted to pursue. It can be draining, though, having to justify my degree to those with more “practical” majors.
One specific example of this forced justification comes to mind: Over the summer, I visited my cousin and his wife living in Salt Lake City. My cousin majored in computer science and graduated within two years, received his master’s and now works for a start-up company. He is very good at math and engineering, and computer science was his calling. However, he did ask me in the car one day whether I was “actually” majoring in psychology or if it was just a placeholder until I figured out what I really wanted to do (i.e., something more “pragmatic”). Now, this comment could have insulted me. Psychology was what I am passionate about and my cousin assumed it wasn’t a serious major. Instead, I took the opportunity to explain why I was majoring in psychology and all the benefits of having a liberal arts degree. Liberal arts degrees are not always directly related to a specific skill or job like accounting, business or journalism. Rather, the liberal arts and sciences cover a broad range of studies; everything from biology and mathematics to philosophy, English and sociology. According to Southwestern University, students who obtain a degree in the liberal arts are better able to adapt, collaborate with others, examine issues from multiple points of view and feel a higher degree of social responsibility. Around 85% of jobs that students will eventually hold do not exist yet. Think about jobs such as social media manager and drone operator that were non-existent only 10 years ago. Degrees within the liberal arts and sciences are preparing students for the future job market by teaching skills that will still be essential in 20 to 30 years. Students are building upon a broad range of knowledge that is flexible and can expand as the job market changes.
However, the biggest question I get asked about my degree is: “What are you planning to do with a psychology degree once you graduate?” I think this is a question every student dreads, even those with business, accounting or marketing majors. Personally, my plan is to go to grad school and maybe even take a gap year. Because I am majoring in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at my university, a good deal of my high school advanced placement courses counted as college credits. I am on track to graduate a year early, giving me more time to figure out what I want to do. With a psychology degree and a couple more years of graduate school, I can be a social worker, licensed mental health counselor, psychologist, health educator, human resource manager, guidance counselor or teacher. The options are quite endless and, to be honest, somewhat overwhelming.
So the next time someone questions your degree choice, hold firm. You are choosing to study what you are passionate about, and that will make you all the better employee. A degree within the liberal arts and sciences will make you a valuable asset in the workforce for years to come.
So long story short, you don’t need to justify your degree choices. Make the advantages known, but the only reason you need to be pursuing your degree is that you want to do it. The validation of others may feel good, but your own validation is the only thing that matters at the end of the day.