Why College Majors Are Important Essay

College majors are one of, if not the most important aspect of college. Starting at young ages, students are pressured to think about their future and the possible career paths they will take, leaving little room for them to relish in their childhood. In high school, they are told the AP classes they take and the clubs they join should be reflective of the major they will have in college. This pressure ends up being a source of stress for many incoming college students who have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Moreover, when students are rushed to make a decision, they may end up in debt, unemployed, or working a field they have no interest in. Additionally, the necessity of bachelor’s degrees to get well-paying jobs,

there is more competition in the workforce, which leads college graduates to work in fields that are irrelevant to their major. Thus, the question is posed: Do college majors really matter? Some may say that college majors are essential if students are going into specialized fields, while others say that if students are considering majoring in the liberal arts they aren’t. All things considered, college majors do not matter due to the fact that college students find work in a variety of unrelated fields post-college, their experience outside of school is more important to employers, and their network plays a bigger role in the field they pursue employment in.
To start with, college majors are irrelevant post college because students often find work in other fields. In the Forbes article “Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter” by Ashley Stahl, an entrepreneur, speaker and career coach, she reassures millennials that their degree will not be a significant factor in regards to gaining employment after realizing that graduates’ declared major has nothing to do with their success. Stahl reiterates this by explaining, “Your degree is a prerequisite for the competitive workforce; the topic is irrelevant… According to recent research, 62% of recent college graduates are working in jobs that require a degree, yet only 27% of college graduates are working in a job that even relates to their major.” This affirms that college students rarely work in fields that coincide with their major, and presents the argument that students merely go to college to help them enter the highly competitive work field. Thus, if students want to get into a field that does not need a degree for a specific major, students are free to take any type of course they want or maybe even opt out of college all together to get a head start on their career, especially if they seek an unconventional job. Moreover, many students’ indecisiveness about their major has led them to studying a subject that has nothing to do with their current career. Eric St. John, a contributor to the journal Black Issues in Higher Education, wrote the article “Do Majors Matter?” to identify whether or not college majors are crucial to students’ success. While interviewing a college graduate, St. John found:
“’…a lot of students have no idea what they want to do, or it comes to them so late, and then [the only importance of the major] is to get out [of school with a diploma]. Even when I was in school, I found out that I could go into banking with a communications degree or a psychology degree or a business degree. Students today are very astute. They are looking for something to enhance their skills’” (John).
This coincides with the fact that many liberal arts students end up with jobs that do not reflect their degree due to the fact that the skills they attained while in school are more essential to their success than the title of their degree.

The New York Times article “Does the College Major Matter? Not Really” by Jeffrey J. Selingo, a world-renowned specialist on higher education and editor for the Chronicle of Higher Education, also echoes this assertion. After realizing many of his colleagues are in a field they did not major in, he offers college students advice on how to hone the necessary skills needed to succeed in the workforce. He argues “…many say that the skills they gain in college will be useful on the job no matter what they major in. Majors are also seen as fungible — if you don’t like your field of study, trade it in for another one or add a different major to the one you already have” (Selingo). All in all, college students must know that their major is not going to make or break them when they go on a job search post-college. If they so choose, students can make a career out of any major and shouldn’t be afraid to think outside the box. Thus, college students who are undecided on their major should not stress out about choosing a major, but pick one that helps them build skills that they can use in a variety of

fields.
Hence, college students’ experience outside of the classroom is more important than their major to employers. The previously referenced article “Do Majors Matter?” also touches on the significance of passion and experience for a successful career by concluding, “[George Mason University officials] suggest that a student choose a major that captures the student's interest, motivates them, makes them happy and allows them to use their strengths… students should be provided with a foundation of knowledge, skills and experiences that are useful in a variety of career settings” (John). The ability for students to submerge themselves in a field to build relevant experiences and skills needed for a profession makes them vastly more employable than their college major does. For example, English majors can pursue a variety of careers depending on their experiences in and out of the classroom because many employers seek great writers and communicators. However, if students lack the proper internship or work experience needed to gain necessary skills in a certain area, there is a low probability that they would be hired in that field. Also, soft skills and passion that students gain through internships and volunteering are at the utmost importance to employers. In the article “The Myth That College and Major Choice Decides Johnny’s Future” published in the College Student Journal by Dr. Janis Dietz, Professor of Business Administration at the University of La Verne, the topic of whether a students’ college and college major forecasts their career success is discussed in hopes to enlighten college students on this misconception. She interviewed E. Nevill Ivester, the former CEO of Coca-Cola, who made the claim, “’To be hired for a leadership position, they must of course have good business skills, but that's not enough. The differentiator is whether they are able to lead and manage people, whether they have genuine spark, drive, and enthusiasm… Most importantly, they also must have a sense of curiosity’” (Dietz), which ensures that college majors do not necessarily help students get hired, but rather the skills and passion they have for a field possibly attained from previous internship experiences do. For that reason, to better situate students in a position to succeed, college students can opt out of college to get internships or jobs in the fields that they are really passionate about rather than just getting a degree in a subject they find lack luster. This can improve their chances of success by investing in their experiences and skills to build a career that is worthwhile without having to stress about deciding a major.
In relation to skills that students attain through experiences, networking is another huge reason why college students’ major play a menial role in what career they end up with. It is evident that students who intern and volunteer at various companies are very likely to use those professional relationships to help jumpstart their career. Again, “Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter” asserts, “Your network matters way more than your college major. You can choose a major that correlates with a high-paying job in the real world…you can hunker down and score A’s in your classes and graduate with a perfect GPA…but without a solid network of contacts, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle…”(Stahl). Due to the fact that the workforce is increasingly becoming more and more competitive, most students need an edge that will help them get employed. With thousands of students with the same major competing for a job, students have to rely less on their major and more on their skills, experiences, and network to really secure a job. In fact, the article “Why networking is more important than your bachelor’s degree or diploma” by Ram Castillo, an award winning Design Director, Blogger, top ranking Podcaster, Speaker and Author, goes on to explain to college graduates that networking is a key factor in jumpstarting ones career, regardless of their major or degree. He even asserts that former colleagues and supervisors help students to find new employment because they offer a detailed review of your skills, efficiency, and work ethic. Furthermore, students can use them to get their foot in the door of new companies (Castillo). With an ample amount of internship experience, college students can get into any field they so choose by simply knowing the right people. In relation to knowing the right people, there have been many successful business owners and moguls that have either opted out or dropped out of college who have been greatly successful because of their connections. For example, Bill Gates used his father’s connections, and his money, to help get his business off the ground. Although it is well known that Bill Gates came from an affluent family and not all college students have the same privilege, the overall concept still holds true. Students whose parents own a business can work for them and gain connections and experience in that field, or they can just ask their parents directly for connections. In the end, the skills that students will develop during college, as well as the connections they make, will play a major factor in their success. Therefore, networking plays a significant role in getting a job post college, rather than solely relying on one’s college major to gain entry into a field.