Itās something that a lot of usĀ hear - or dread hearing - when weāre starting off in university.Ā āWhat are you going to do with a useless degree like that?ā Some variation of this question will be said, whether itās by a friend, a family member, or even a perfect stranger who decided that they knew better about your future than you do.Ā
Hereās the thing about academia - all degrees have value, but the amount itās worth is alwaysĀ going to be up to you. Did you go into your university career with a different major than you have now? I did. This degree was less lucrative, lessĀ āusefulā than my previous major would have been. But I excelled in the classes, and I enjoyed them, which was not what I was doing in my previous program.Ā
The experience you have while youāre studying at the undergraduate, or even graduate, level does not just have to extend to coursework, but to other things as well. Did you make new friends? Did you uncover an interest you might have not otherwise known about had you not taken that class? Did you overcome a fear? Did you read more books than you ever thought possible? Did you learn something new about yourself? Did you have fun? Did you laugh? Do you have a professor who will stand out in your mind forever because of their literal catchphrase? (Mine was a Medieval professor who started every first day of class with:Ā āThere is no use of the F-word in my class! You can fuckĀ all you want, but noooooooooooo feudalism!ā - I had him for three different Medieval courses and looked forward to the reactions every single time.)Ā
Your program is there to help you learn and become a better scholar, but it is also to help you grow as a person. To me, there is no such thing as a useless degree - I get more out of my degrees than most people would expect. Do I need to indicate that I have a Creative Writing degree on my CV for my museum work? No, but I claimed it as a double major because I wanted to do it for my own enrichment, my own enjoyment, and if youāre doing something that makes you feel good, then itās not useless.Ā
If you have fun, your degree is worthwhile.Ā
If youāve made friends, your degree is worthwhile.
If you have memories youāll never forget, your degree is worthwhile.
If you learned anything during your program, your degree is worthwhile.
If you found yourself during your program, your degree is worthwhile.Ā
Remember, there is no such thing as aĀ āuselessā degree. If youāre enjoying it, if you love it, and youāre studying it because you want to, thatās more than enough for your degree to be worthwhile. Let no one stop you from doing what you love.
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