in a world where engineering, math, and science degrees are praised for paying the big bucks and are held in the highest regard, I took it upon myself to major in something that I genuinely liked, and that was:
English.
you might be thinking, "what the heck are you gonna do with that?"
of course, there are the conventional routes of being a teacher, going to law school, or working somewhere involving communications.
all careers which i have considered, which i would likely have no problem getting into, but i've never been like "yes, immediately that."
i was drawn to English because what was my greatest weakness turned into my greatest strength.
let me tell you a little story:
i struggled with reading, comprehending words, and writing as a kid. i couldn't do any of these things until i was in second grade (between 7-8 years old depending on where you are in the world). i remember the days when i was put in a before school reading and writing program for two years before i could really begin to grasp words on pages, and write sentences that made sense. those years were worth it because all through third grade, all i wanted to do was read books and write ones that could be added to class library.
however, that love died between 4th grade all the way up until my final year in high school.
then, there came a day during the school year, i saw a random fantasy book on my near empty book shelf at home (of course there was dust on it and the pages were slightly yellow), and thought,
"huh. why not? i haven't read a lesiure book cover to cover in a while." (only took you 8 years)
i finished that book, and the rest of that author's books (which amounted to 9 more).
and there you have it. my love for reading has been made alive and well again to this very day. so much so it has turned into book reviewing for entertainment websites, my own social media platforms involving books, and maybe even more might come of it.
so, is majoring in English "useless"?
well, that depends. it's really what you make of it. and the same goes for whatever you might be studying.
for me? not at all.
majoring in English taught me to become better at reading, writing, and thinking more critically and intentionally. it has also taught me to be more adaptive, creative, and aware of how to approach all sorts of situations, and the potential roads it might lead me down career wise.
all these acquired skills and possible outcomes have brought more value and understanding to my life more than anything.
is it making me alot of money now? no, and i don't really care much if it does.
do i have a dream job? nope. and i don't think i ever will (that is another post for another day).
i guess where i'm going with this is, who even cares what others might think? as long as what you're doing is meaningful to you, that's what should matter the most.