It may come as a surprise to a multitude of people, but I am more than just my major. I graduated with a degree in Psychology and it’s certainly one of the areas I enjoy studying and learning about the most. It’s definitely an area where I wish to pursue a career and where I plan on spending a majority of the rest of my life. However, I’m more than just that. Lately, it’s been a bit difficult sorting through an enormous amount of thoughts deciding just what needs to be said.
It’s ONE of the areas I enjoy. I am interested in a lot more than just psychology. If I could, and possessed even a small amount of musical talent, I would’ve loved to pursue something in the field of music. Music is one of the many enjoyments I have in my life outside of the area of Psychology. I know more about other topics, I know more than what people assume I know.
It’s the same for a few of my aspiring education major friends and those in the field. The role of the teacher is incredibly undervalued and a majority of them are just viewed as a “pawn” where they’re simply told what to do and then forced to follow through with it. There’s so much more to being an education major and becoming a teacher. For example, a number of them love to draw. They love to take part in countless artistic endeavors. They love to create and they love to paint. They love to coat their classrooms in the creations of their students and put up their own works that they are incredibly proud of.
This is one example where people are so much more than what they pursue in a college or university environment. There are history majors that love to sing. There are art majors who love to study genetics and physics. There are so many people in majors that love to look into areas that would seem to be polar opposite to them. It’s so hard to see people lose interest in areas outside of their respective majors simply because they don’t fit hand-in-hand 100 percent of the time.
The other side of this is where other people know your major but then tend to use you for it. As a psychology major, I aspire to be a counselor and legitimately everyone that knows me knows that. The issue is that I feel that I’ve preached it a little too much and they just use me for that. It’s a bit difficult distinguishing friend from client sometimes. If you want to be my friend then the friendship and effort within the friendship need to be reciprocated. It goes against everything I’ve told numerous people in my life but it’s beginning to get to the point where people only see me for what I’m studying and less for everything else I can do.
It’s the same for my education friends. They can do more than teach. People tend to suggest incredibly subtly that those who can’t do anything, simply sway toward teaching because it’s less effort and you get paid less. It’s, in my opinion, seen as a “bottom-tier” type of job, and that’s, my opinion, a complete fallacy. They work with their students and teach them more than math problems and reading skills. They teach them how to be themselves. They teach them to love learning and they teach them to love others. They shouldn’t be put in a dimmer spotlight because it’s assumed they picked their profession because it’s “easier.” Also, here’s some information for you: It’s not easier. It’s actually incredibly difficult and requires an overwhelming amount of time and patience. Your days start super early and they never really end.
At the end of the day teachers can do more than teach, counselors are more than your outlet, and people in other areas can study whatever else they want on the side and know about so much more than people give them credit for.
