Sunday, January 24, 2016

15 Things You Should Stop Saying to Liberal Arts Students


  1. "Psychology is not a real science."-Says someone who does not know the difference between the Thalamus and the Hypothalamus, does not know how to pronounce the word "Amygdala," and the only psychologist they've ever heard of is Sigmund Freud. They also do not have an opinion on the DSM-V, and in fact have never read or heard of the DSM.
  2. "You should reconsider your career choice." People say this more often than you'd think, and it takes everything in me to maintain my composure. No, I'm completely stupid. I have never had any doubts about going into the arts whatsoever.
  3. "STEM careers make so much more money." Yeah, I'm gonna be broke; I get it. But I would rather play guitar on the side of the street than draw another Lewis dot structure any day.
  4. "My [insert relative or friend] did your career choice and ended up..." Okay, maybe they're homeless or miserable. Whatever. That's them. Just because they failed at it doesn't mean I will.
  5. "Well, it's harder for [women, people of color, girls with natural hair, etc.] to get a job in..." Once again, I'm completely stupid and did not notice the melanin in my skin. Never knew I was black. I never realized I was a woman, either. Nope. I never knew racism or sexism existed. What. A. Shocker.
  6. "But you're so good at [insert a thing that you're so-so at and don't enjoy that much]!" But I don't wanna do that.
  7. "It's hard to get a job in that field." It's also hard to become an astronaut or engineer, but no one discourages them. 
  8. "You're wasting your potential." You're wasting my time.
  9. "Hopefully you'll marry someone rich." I hope I will, too.
  10. "[after saying something completely rude and condescending] I'm only looking out for you!" Dude, I'm not a baby. More specifically, I'm not YOUR baby, so stop acting like you're my mom and respect that this is a decision I am making. I know what I'm doing; I've already planned which states/countries I will move to, how long I will stay there, how much it will cost to live there, and what I will do while I am there. You don't have to look out for me unless you're gonna pay my tuition.
  11. "But you don't have the voice for theater/voiceover/broadcasting..." Because you're an expert on that? I wouldn't choose this field if no one told me I had a chance.
  12. "You're in a lot of classes this semester? Yeah, but that's an easy program..." Music majors perform in front of a board of professors nearly every semester; have to learn how to play/sing music just from looking at it right there, on the spot; must learn piano in addition to whatever they're already studying, must be a part of a campus ensemble, and perform in a senior recital. Journalism majors never sleep and are expected to write for the campus newspaper or broadcast on the radio. Graphic design majors do... some really intense stuff, whatever it is. Just because they don't write equations in their notes every day doesn't mean their work isn't difficult.
  13. "You need to have a backup plan." Journalism IS my backup plan. You can fail at something you don't love, so why not take a chance on your passion?
  14. "I always thought you would become a doctor. You could do that, instead." Look, I enjoy underwater basketweaving, okay? Let me basketweave underwater in peace.
  15. "It's just not a good idea." So long as I love what I do, it's a great idea.