I had no idea what to expect when I began my first year of college. I had no idea what my major was going to be, no idea which classes I would be taking, and no idea what the hell a compost bin was.
The typical response from those who have already endured the collegiate naivete is, “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time. Just take whatever interests you until you figure everything out.”
So even though I still don’t really have a clue about how compost bins work, after my first quarter at the UW, I accidentally stumbled upon an area of academics that I was drawn to: communication.
Now I’ve finally revealed what it is that I’ll most likely be studying for the next four years of my life, go ahead and get those initial chuckles out.
I know the communication field is the laughingstock of the academic community and that nothing makes all you computer-engineering majors happier than getting to look down on me with that smug grin from behind your screens. But let me drop some knowledge on you.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a major in communication studies has a longer list of career opportunities than a major in engineering, biological sciences, and mathematics.
With a degree in communication, I could become anything from a public-relations director to a producer of a television show. Sounds like I’m setting myself up to do all right in life, wouldn’t you agree?
Now, I know I’m not going to discover the elusive cure for cancer — you’ve got me there. But while I may go my entire life without a Nobel Peace Prize, there is an undeniable need for communication majors and their professions in today’s society.
We live in a changing world — one that has been in the process of shifting into the information age for a while now. And with this submersion into the world of technology comes the media and its use of tools to communicate news of all kinds to the rest of the world. Communication is a more relevant field right now than ever before.
Whether it be a news broadcast, a late-night talk show, a magazine, or a website, it is more than likely a large portion of the news sources in your everyday life are brought to you by someone from the communication field.
So the next time you find yourself making a “How many com majors does it take to screw in a light bulb?” joke, think about how being a communication major in today’s job market could be more beneficial than knowing how to find the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction.
Here’s something I learned from Communication 201: Media is defined as the middle point between the creator of the news and the public. News is something that is never in short supply, and the world would be a worse place without people who spend four years studying to become an educated part of this media, which we have come to rely on so much.
And so what if I’d rather learn about mass-media messages and the effect they have on the world rather than take linear algebra; college is supposed to be the time when you finally get to take classes that actually vaguely interest you, right? And if that’s the case, then damn it, I’ll never be caught dead in another miserable math class ever again.
So yes, I’m probably going to get a degree in communication, and that’s just fine with me.
Now I just need to figure out how to tell my parents.
Reach opinion writer Tyler Hartung at opinon@dailyuw.com.
Comments
daily_hater_1 3 months, 3 weeks ago
"Sounds like I’m setting myself up to do all right in life, wouldn’t you agree?"
I would not agree, because getting a com major doesn't mean jack, anyone with any social skills could figure out how to do a comm job. There is no shortage of comm majors trying to enter the workforce, but engineers and mathematicians are always in demand. Just because there is a "longer list of career opportunities" then the STEM majors, doesn't mean that there are jobs in all those fields in our current economy. Thats almost as one sided and uninformed as saying that the greek system has higher average GPA than the all undergraduate average. Though that is true, its obviously because most of kids in the Greek system are business, comm, sociology type majors. Your ignorant freshman perspective and reporting style is amazing. Unless you just happen to be the one person that outworks everyone else in the country, a degree in comm will not bring you a high level of success in life, nor will it help you better the world in any significant way. All people in STEM majors will continue to laugh at comm
huskyfan2012 2 months, 2 weeks ago
I've wanted to be a Communication major since I was 12. I understand that obtaining a degree in Communication is less challenging than Engineering/Sciences type degrees. But, man, I found your comment insensitive and rude. The engineering/tech firms/companies you'll be working for will rely on marketing/pr/comm departments in order to stay relevant and build clientele. I currently intern for a tech-firm and our Marketing/Com Division is directly responsible for 25% of our company's revenue.
I will agree with the fact that being in the liberal arts field, it is important to compensate our easier workload with internships and external experience.
Additionally, the UW does not have the brightest Communication department. I would like to see you try to get a Journalism degree from Columbia University.
SirAnonEMuss 2 months, 2 weeks ago
That's a bit of a non-sequitur. You could get a degree in Geography from Columbia and still be more challenged and in a better running for jobs post-graduation than most liberal arts majors at other colleges.
SirAnonEMuss 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I think what tries to be used as the strongest point in this column is actually the weakest one. The large range of possibilities actually further diminishes the usefulness of a degree in Communications, as it allows for more overlap in the outlooks of other majors, and proves that there is very little specialization involved in this field of study. Furthermore, if there is anything we do know about the careers you have listed (talk show host, magazine editor, website founder) it is that one doesn't even need a college education to be successful in them. Not only that, but in any case, they require a certain amount of creativity that no amount of schooling can give you. And you will have to put in a lot of time working up the ranks and improving your skills before you become successful. If you want a real statistic to startle you, look up the amount of people (famous people, mind you) in the creative arts who dropped out of, were rejected from, or didn't even go to college.
If you're not interested in math, chances are you won't be good at a job in the sciences, but to say that science skills aren't useful in a job market with a high amount of demand for them secures your place in a bubble of disbelief.
If there is anything a Communication major is, it is nothing more than the use of college as a vestibule to a piece of paper certifying that you spent four years in classrooms. If you really want to do those things you say are possibilities, do your self a favor and spend your time in the library, and then go out and get some experience to supplement it with. It is your choice whether or not you will live in your parents basement after graduation, but you are going to have to struggle and compete more for a career than will a graduate in the sciences. If that sounds satisfying and you are willing to endure it, then you probably have what it takes and you will be rewarded. Don't think though that college is the deciding factor in anything.
If what you're doing right now, writing, is what you want to do, then keep writing. However you're not going to impress anyone with poorly though out opinions. The only thing people will be laughing at is your ignorance.
daily_hater_1 3 months, 3 weeks ago
said very eloquently. and in a much nicer way than my first post. very insightful
MikaylaHall 3 months, 3 weeks ago
As a proud grad of the Communication department, I must echo the post above me. A college degree, if you aren't doing the more in-demand sciences, is not enough. You need internships, extra curricular activities and a drive to succeed. The job market is not good, but if you're passionate about communications and willing to work your butt off, it can be rewarding. I kept all my notes and continue to use what I learned in class, in the Speaking/Writing Center, etc. in my daily work life. But I'm not naive enough to assume that my diploma is going to be the deciding factor when applying for jobs.
Also, recommendation: If you go the Comm route, don't take 4 years to only major in it. It's only 50 credits. Major in something else on the side to make yourself more marketable.
simonruw 1 month, 2 weeks ago
More journalist majors are graduated every year than current journalist jobs. The list of jobs for a comm major are long--but the good ones are profoundly competitive. And they often do not pay that well either. You are more likely to work your way into a PR position by having social skills, relevant internships, and a degree in information systems.
It's too bad. It's not the fault of communications that it is a joke. It is the way it's taught. If communications were a competitive major, rigorous, and difficult, you wouldn't get so much riff-raff. Instead the department is taught as an easy joke. It's not that communications is intrinsically easy, it's that for whatever reason the departments are not at all difficult.
The truth is a single degree in communications is easy. It's just easy. It might be fun and the love of your life--but it's easy. I know CSE majors who also completed a degree in Comm. I majored in honors polsci and added a business degree as well (so I would have a competitive degree).
The bottom-line is that comm is just not all that difficult. And you really won't learn a terrible amount. Why not add on a second major in economics? Embrace the difficulty and competitive nature of one of the most powerful social-sciences so that you can augment your communications degree.
When you graduate it is not difficult to read and continue to teach yourself topics in communications at a college level. Employers know this and as a result they are not particularly impressed. However, it is difficult to study and teach yourself economics (just as an example).
I do know comm majors who pursued wonderful internships and now work in HR and PR for firms like Amazon. I know Art History majors who are team leaders at Microsoft and French Lit majors who are investments portfolio managers. With the right ambition, business acumen, and intelligence, you can almost always major in whatever from wherever and go on to 'prove everyone wrong.' But the bottom line remains, in a dismal job market having a degree that has a bit more of an 'oomph' will make your life easier.
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