As college students, we all want to feel good about the program we are in and what our future career holds. Some of us know that we will have no problem getting a job and that our major is well-respected, while others aren't quite sure but still pursue their passion. Some majors are "harder" than others, and often times those that aren't considered "hard" receive negative feedback from those not in the program.

First off, we need to address that difficulty is subjective. Yes, things like math and engineering require lots of hard work and skill, but that doesn't mean that all other programs don't require the same amount of effort. So while certain subjects have a reputation for being difficult, all others are also. If something wasn't difficult, it wouldn't require a degree, so, since all majors ultimately get you a degree, then therefore, all majors have their own form of difficulty. While some programs don't have as much difficulty with mathematics, they may require a high level of skill that is not learned easily.

I experience "major shaming" on a near daily basis. My current major is recreation and leisure administration with a focus in recreational therapy. Now, I know for a fact that most people at my school have no idea what recreational therapy is because whenever I mention it I usually get a response something like: "oh, cool... what is that?" Those in the recreation department receive so much negativity by a lot of those in other majors, while those who disapprove of it don't even know what the major is. There is an additional focus of community recreation/recreation management which is equally as difficult and time-consuming as the other focus. While this focus seems rather self-explanatory, many don't know what exactly goes into it, but still say "rec majors don't do anything." Maybe it's a more laid-back major and the professors have you call them by their first names, but that in no way affects the amount of coursework done or quality of education.

Whenever I hear another major getting shamed for being "easy," I can't help but think how ignorant that person saying it is. I was talking about this topic with one of my friends who is an engineering major, and he said that yes, engineering is hard, but if he had to do art he would never pass. This is how everyone should look at other majors because every person in every major has their own strengths and weaknesses, regardless of their reputation. I feel that art majors especially get this backlash from others within the college community, but they spend countless hours in the studio perfecting their technique in order to be successful. Every major requires something different that not every person in the school is good at, which is the point of having different majors.

Even though all this is true, the biggest reason not to put someone down for which major they chose is because it is their passion. Maybe their passion doesn't seem as difficult on paper as yours does, but no one should be undermined because of a programs bad and inaccurate reputation. If someone told you that your choice of career isn't worth getting an education and that you should change it, you would be exceptionally discouraged. If for nothing else, don't major shame because it brings down people who are pursuing their passion.