<p>Epicbacon, you might want to consider this: social skills, tact, and some semblance of appropriate behavior play a huge part in one’s future success - in the job market and in life.</p>
<p>yeah its absolutely rude to call somebody’s major useless.</p>
<p>that doesnt mean some majors arent useless though</p>
<p>Any major that teaches a student to analyze, think and write well gives good preparation for the real world after college. A lot of high school students (like the OP, apparently) don’t realize that there are a whole lot of jobs out there that don’t have “labels” on them. My neighbor double majored in anthropology and dance at a small, mid-level LAC; she is now the head of PR for a Fortune 100 corporation.</p>
<p>Very few jobs require the specific knowledge you learn in college classes; it’s more the assimilation of what you learn over the span of time and the cerebral skills you hone. </p>
<p>The girl the OP met will probably do just fine in life. The OP? I’m not so sure–personality flaws like his can be toxic to career progression.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, maybe I’m just be too honest, but if someone came up to me and said that they’re going to school for queer studies, I’d raise my eyebrows to that. Queer studies. Who goes to college for queer studies? It’s not something you hear everyday. Anywho, the girl OP spoke to could have something going for her. She’s also majoring in anthropology. She could be an advocate for the LGB(and whatever letters are tacked on) community. She could get her PhD and write books tht provide further insight into the community. Her work could help millions.</p>
<p>No it’s not. I’ve had people tell me my major is useless and it made me smile. Don’t be a ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Some majors are more lucrative than others statistically.</p>
<p>There is stuff you just shouldn’t say to people. that is just straight D-ish</p>
<p>You are correct in that those majors are, more or less, useless. However, she is a stranger. Given that, you shouldn’t have said that to her. 1) in society, it is considered very rude. 2) by picking the majors, she’s already set in her ways; there’s no way a stranger younger than her that she met for 5min can possibly change her mind. So no matter how you look at it, it’s pointless to have even said that. The truth should only be told if there is any positive effect from it.</p>
<p>"What’s more important, assuring that a young woman lives a good life, or acting as society desires me to? "</p>
<p>Impossible for you. Leave that to people that she will actually listen to like her parents or close friends.</p>
<p>It’s none of you’re business really.
Maybe she found the queer studies classes interesting, took a bunch and realized that it could be her major. Maybe she’s on a full ride to the school and milking it for all she can. Or maybe she wants to be a cultural anthropologist, a lawyer, or she’s secretly loaded and going to school because she wants to. The point is, you don’t know what motivates her to do what she does so you shouldn’t comment on it.</p>
<p>OP, friend. Pal. Unless her desired career involves ruthless murder and identity theft, then she, nor any other human being, is obligated to justify her choices to you. It’s okay, buddy. You have your own opinions. That’s totally okay. But expressing your opinions tactlessly or at the wrong time is totally not okay. </p>
<p>That being said, I do disagree about the “useless” part. Those majors aren’t useless at all. Not very lucrative? Possibly. Not incredibly marketable? Likely. But useless? Definitely not. She obviously has an aptitude for people and likely desires to study them going by her majors. As it’s been stated earlier, she could publish groundbreaking books on the nature of society. Or she could be a hobo. Her choice, not yours.</p>
<p>@lilmelonred</p>
<p>I’d ask for the numbers. I’d ask for an elaboration as to why it is useless. I, by no means, would be upset. My aspiring major, for the longest time, was Journalism. Tons of people told me, “Oh! Go for your passion and you’ll be amazing!” Sugar-coating the reality. Then, someone, and I’m so grateful that they did, told me the harsh reality of what it really means to be a Journalism major. I saw the numbers and, well, I knew that despite loving Journalism, that major alone would not be good. </p>
<p>So, to answer your question, if someone were to tell me that my aspiring/current major was useless, I wouldn’t be upset, in fact, if they were willing to elaborate on its use, I’d be thankful, if anything. :)</p>
<p>I would consider this very rude. Not everyone picks a college major due to it’s earning potential and widespread employability. Some people follow their passions and don’t just pick a major because they can make a lot of money with it. </p>
<p>Implying that theater is never going to go anywhere with her because she’s “not attractive” is ridiculous. I’m sure your idea of what is or is not attractive doesn’t constitute a universal truth. Additionally, not everyone that works in theater or film has to be absolutely drop dead gorgeous. </p>
<p>Anthropology may not be the most highly employable major, but it does offer plenty of job opportunities, not the least of which is a college professor.</p>
<p>I’ve gotta call ■■■■■ on this post.</p>
<p>So, because many people encouraged you to pursue a major which has limited employment prospects, anyone who encourages someone to pursue what you consider a useless major is harming people?</p>
<p>Per your OP, I know engineering majors who are not telemarketers, does that mean their engineering degree is useless? My own original major, in Aeronautical Engineering resulted in 4 classmates with jobs at graduation - one of them playing in the NHL. Useless major? Perhaps, at that time. The future of the Shuttle program was in question at the time, and JPL was hiring computer scientists, not engineers.</p>
<p>While the job prospects may be limited, they are not nonexistent. Would you have Jane Goodall or Howard Carter believe that their careers were useless?</p>
<p>EpicBacon reading about how you interpret social interactions remind me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory lol.</p>
<p>You are like Sheldon without the genius…</p>
<p>edit:</p>
<p>You must not know what passion is… Following your passion (or creating a passion out of something your deeply interested in) isn’t choosing a major that your supposedly “in love with”. Following your passion is being in the career that your extremely interested in and enjoy being in.</p>
<p>My mom graduated college in a degree in economics I think or something…
After she became a dentist receptionist (she managed everything in the dental office basically) for 14 years or so, then became a Real Estate Agent for about 7 years I think, and then decided she wanted to be a Chocolatier because she realized after a mother daughter cake decorating class that she loved working with chocolate. Now she owns a very successful small family-owned high-end chocolate company that has worked for prestigious events such as providing chocolate to the Emmys.</p>
<p>She is now extremely happy doing something she loves and at the same time makes the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted (and a majority of the people who have eaten her stuff says the same). Could she have ever guessed that this was where she would’ve ended up while she was in college? Absolutely not. Does she apply her major to her business in any sense? I really doubt it.</p>
<p>@CTSCoutmom I pressume you meant you know engineering majors who ARE telemarketers, is that correct? If that’s the case, well, let’s focus on the ultimate reality: what’s the rule and what is the expection? Do you honestly think a Nursing major is just as likely to be working at the night shift at McDonalds as a History student? Probably not. Is it possible? Of course! I’m not looking at individual cases. There are plenty of famous actors who have majored in theater. By this logic, are we to encourage people to study Theater because it will offer them golden careers? No, of course not! We should inform them of the reality of must people who enter that field of study. They’re waiters who do plays in hopes of a big break, but, by an overwhelming percentage, they do not get it.</p>
<p>Does this mean you should completely abandon your thesbian dreams? No. But, at the same time, do NOT place all of your eggs in that basket! Majors are like divorce; first one is done out of love and the second one is out of a desire of money.</p>
<p>Imagine a job posting with at LEAST at 50k per year income saying, “We NEED people have Bachelor Degrees in Anthropology, Queer, Studies, and Theater!”</p>
<p>That sentence, has never been uttered in a serious context.</p>
<p>Epic, I see your point and I do agree.
However, for the sake of social politeness, don’t voice unwarranted concerns pls.</p>
<p>@SopraNope Are you genuinely unaware of how condescending that post you just made is? Or did you intend for it to be that way?</p>
<p>@alexissss Oh, I didn’t actually say it to her face that it was useless. I suppose that’s the source of “trolling” that people were screaming about. There was a girl who told me those were her majors, and anyone here would probably think the same thing that I claimed to have said. However, by actually saying it, I’m supposedly a jerk. I was expecting people to give me suggestions as to how to address someone who is making terrible decisions that will result in them being in an egregious quantity of debt and not being able to find a lucrative career. To me, it is ultimately more rude to not say ANYTHING.</p>
<p>Is it possible to get a career in those majors that is worth the debt? Yes. But, then again, so is winning the lottery.</p>
<p>Again, not everyone picks a major on the sole premise of employability and availability of jobs. Some people follow their passions. Just because you feel differently about selecting a major, does NOT mean that everyone else should feel the same way as you. So what if a combined anthropology/theater major doesn’t seem like it has a lot of prospects? Usually people who are in these majors are very well aware of the job market in their fields of study…that’s not why they major in them. They pick these majors because it is what they are passionate about. All that aside, your major does not absolutely dictate what you’re going to end up doing with your life anyway. Maybe she’s planning on med school or something for all you know. There’s been a huge trend lately of med schools accepting people with liberal arts/humanities/social science type majors, because they know how to think more creatively and critically than a typical med school applicant who just majored in biochem because they thought it was the only option for premed. The single most popular major for students that have been accepted into med school recently is philosophy. Philosophy is another one of those “useless” majors though, right?</p>
<p>I think it’s rude, and it’s frustrating that everyone’s more focused on the direct, tangible career a major is likely to provide than on the versatility of liberal arts majors. </p>
<p>A queer studies/anthro/theater major probably isn’t talking about becoming an actress (and, btw, I defy you to point to the Oscar-nominated film this season that features only knockouts. Doesn’t exist)–she seems more like someone geared towards research and academia. Maybe she wants to go to law school and just happens to like theater. Maybe she’s interested in social work. Maybe she wants to work in entertainment management and get an MBA or something! </p>
<p>I admit, a triple major seems crazy sometimes, but I’m not going to say that to someone’s face (unless my sister tells me she’s planning on studying BME, dance and math–three things she’s not going to enjoy studying for four years–and, even then, we’re talking about my SISTER, not some girl I met on a college tour). </p>
<p>Plus, in all honesty, what kind of world would we be if everyone studied only “useful” fields? I hate to imagine what the Tim Burtons of this world would be doing if they were expected to have majors that fit your definition of “useful.” </p>
<p>I’m sorry if this post comes off as angry–that’s not the intent–but it’s really frustrating to hear this stuff over and over again.</p>
<p>ETA: Your logic isn’t THAT great on some of this. I hate to point this out, but there are few particularly secure careers these days–yes, even in the vaunted STEM, there are some issues–so I struggle to identify what makes a major “useful” or “useless.” People create their own opportunities; if a college major was as binding as you make it seem, I doubt you’d see many young people in college at all.</p>