College search season has started, and needless to say, it has come with a lot of discouragement, specifically through social media such as TikTok. There were various videos I saw on this platform with messages along the lines of “choosing a different major because I don’t want to be broke out of college” or “changing my major because I won’t have a job.”
These messages caused me a week-long panic of choosing a major besides what I really wanted: journalism. For that week, my entire search history was about any jobs, salaries and wages for journalism, and I didn’t really like what I saw.
This bled into my college applications as well. I didn’t click anything that had to do with liberal arts, instead opting to choose my major within the science or engineering field. Something that made a lot of money.
Needless to say, there’s no way my life can be based solely on money.
It’s hard seeing that the subject you want to study, root your entire life on, may not make the most money. It’s understandable that one might be prompted to choose something that won’t have them struggling financially or make it difficult to find a job.
A lot of people these days seem to be too money-motivated and are fine with working in any field or job, the only requirement being that it makes good money.
However, the question stands: is there any fulfillment in studying something you may not like?
According to Stacker, some majors among the lesser-paying professions are performing arts, theology, social work and a few positions within education. These are only four out of their list of 50.
Now, it is good to be mindful when it comes to your future. Unfortunately for a lot of people, the conditions they are living in are not ideal. A few dollars won’t go as far as they used to, and prices are only going up. But, some people won’t even choose the field they want to go into as a major or a minor.
If you like something enough to initially consider it as your major, there is a strong reason to at least study it a little. There’s no reason to trade your happiness for something that might make you unhappy in the long run.
That being said, if you enjoy the major you started with and it brings you joy, then you should keep it. College is a huge growth period, and you’ll find out a lot about yourself, including what makes you happy. Along with that, there’s no shame to people who have chosen a different major for more money. Being financially stable is the one thing we all hope to achieve almost immediately out of college. Though, thinking of how that would make you feel emotionally is also something to take into consideration.
Money is not everything. It should not define your life or how you feel. Money can buy happiness to a certain extent, but it cannot change the person you are. Being motivated by money isn’t a bad thing, but putting yourself and what makes you happy first is the number one most important thing.
