While the question of whether or not a college major is necessary can seem incredibly loaded and puzzling, it’s a valid one given the current trend of disciplines merging more than ever before. In a world where even the Environmental Protection Agency has a Twitter account, many job positions are looking for broad skill sets and the flexibility to take on a range of responsibilities. To quote my neighbor, an Anthropology professor at the University of Michigan, “You do not need a major anymore. All you need is a degree.”
What’s the Point of a Major Anymore?
After reading the New York Times article “Six Myths About Choosing a College Major,” I began to understand why choosing a major is so difficult and why people rarely stay in that same field of study throughout their careers. Essentially, the article reflected on how archaic many majors are because of the material they must teach, making them less applicable to our ever-changing world. Unless a student is thinking of teaching in their undergraduate major, future jobs will probably vary based on the skills gained from a general college education.
My Experience as a Tutor and Student
As a peer tutor, I’ve had many conversations with students at the Writing Center about how they feel lost or boxed-in by their major’s curriculum. There’s a mutual understanding that college students must endure having outdated information packed into their brains, only to graduate and rarely use that knowledge again. Yes, college teaches students how to work in teams and think critically, but that can be learned through any, or no, major.
As someone who is currently major-less and confused herself, I’m constantly experiencing the pressure to pick the “best” field of study. It seems like it doesn’t matter if a major might not fit with what I want to do after graduation or that some of the required classes could feel like a waste of time and money. I’ve also heard similar responses from my friends at a variety of universities; they know what they would like to do after college, but during college is a different story.
So what do you think? Would you create your own major if you had the chance?