Picking a major is not only an important factor for your education, but it is also a huge investment in your future. When deciding on what I wanted to major in, a big factor for me was that I didn’t want to constrict myself into a box for my career.

Having a major that was flexible enough for me to be able to do almost anything was something that I wanted. While not knowing completely what potential job I want, I know that for me, being within the realms of the media is what I like to do the most.

Though, there’s this barrier of words that I’ve heard from almost everyone: “Don’t major in communications.” Well, I ended up doing just that.

I feel like there’s this stigma that communications is a dead major or that it’s something that is easy, when in reality, communicating plays a very big role in society nowadays. And media wise, social media plays a very big influence, so learning how to market and connect with one another through the internet is a valuable trait to learn from the major.

It’s also to note that a communications degree allows you to be very flexible if you have a change in career; that is, if you’re not going into something more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related.

Those fields of study being web design, political campaigning, and even law. Getting a degree that bestows you with an education in digital marketing, writing, and ultimately branding as a whole is valuable towards employers and appeals towards a wide range of careers.

Strong communication is mainly the root of every successful business or organization. I mean, think about it— when you look at products like Apple, or any brand from Sephora that is in high demand, it has a lot to do with how they communicate their brand to people.

When you learn how to properly sell and market other things, you will also learn how to sell yourself as a prospective employee or entrepreneur.

I think it’s also worth noting that most students post-grad with communications degrees are more inclined to get jobs, seeing as communication is the most sought after skill within employers.

Especially with COVID-19, I think that workers are looking for people that can communicate across all platforms, not just in person, but digitally.

Almost every business or corporate job has a communications department, specifically to not only learn how to cater to a bigger audience, but to improve office life.

While it may not feel as tedious as most majors like computer science or mechanical engineering, it’s a valuable degree that most people tend to overlook.

Instead of limiting your options, I think if you are having trouble deciding what to do with your life at the moment, communications is a versatile major and a great gateway to get into a space that will prepare you for almost anything.

In fact, according to MIT’s Justin Reich, “communications is one of the areas where computers struggle to perform as well as humans. The most important skills for the future will be the kinds that computers cannot really do.”

So no matter what you specialize in, your degree shows that you know how to communicate in insurmountable different formats like written, verbal, and almost anything that will make you a valuable future employee.

A big part of having a communications degree under your belt is that employers will see that you are a team player. Because most communication programs teach you how to work with others, your bosses have an idea that you are able to brainstorm and get things done to keep workflow going more efficiently.

So while some people may think this “dead end major” won’t guarantee future success, by picking communications you will be able to look back and laugh at the fact that you have endless possibilities, whilst those same people are stuck in some job that they probably aren’t and won’t ever be happy in.