Four years of a major problem

At Gonzaga University, there are more than 50 programs of study that provide students with an opportunity to pursue their passions and follow their dreams. Students travel through their four-year education assuming that their soon-to-be-acquired degree will provide them with an opportunity to join the work force and change the world.

While in some cases this may be true, the unfortunate reality is many of these young, optimistic, driven individuals will soon be devastated by the knowledge that the degree they worked so hard to attain is merely a framed receipt for four years worth of tuition. Looking through the course catalog, we were able to separate degrees into the following three categories: completely useless, important but with very limited career prospects, and practical but not that fun.

For those who have yet to realize that a multitude of the degrees offered by this fine institution do not lead directly to anything of worth for the carrier of said degree, we are sorry to be the bearers of bad news. Let's be honest, leaving Gonzaga University with a degree in Art, History, Journalism, Theater Arts, Political Science, Sociology, or Women's and Gender Studies is less likely to land you a plum job than the GSBA is likely to plan a good concert this year.

As our roommate, who is currently on a crusade to earn a History degree, never fails to remind us, George W. Bush was a history major. Unfortunately, he was also one of the least-approved U.S. presidents of all time.  Don't get us wrong, we have both appreciated and enjoyed our history classes, but we also realize there are only so many biographies to be written, so many high school teaching spots to be filled and so many anthropologist slots at the Museum of Natural History open at a time. 

Our peers at The Bulletin will be the first to tell you that their Journalism degree will likely get them nowhere. Newspapers are dying out faster than Polaroid cameras, and unless they are trying to become low-educated, tech-savvy basement dwellers who run a blog, the chances of them securing a career that actually relates to their major are slim to none. Political Science, Sociology, Art, and Theater Arts are all appreciated and interesting as well; however, these majors fall victim to the same flaw that plagues History and Journalism graduates.

Our parents always taught us that if you don't have something nice to say then don't say anything at all. Because of this, we have no comments regarding the Women's and Gender Studies program.

Most science-based majors (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) are crucial to the advancement of the human race, and have thus been grouped into the "important but with very limited career prospects" category. In and of itself, a science degree will get you about as far as a history degree. In order to pursue a career in the sciences, plan on spending at least a few years and a few dollars continuing your education as a graduate student. 

Joining science in this category are the thrilling majors of English, Math, Education, and Philosophy. QUICK, name three philosophers who haven't been dead for more than 200 years. Not going to happen. As a Jesuit educated college student, we appreciate our Philosophy classes and the ensuing intellectual discourse they spark, we just know professional philosophers are compensated less consistently than a panhandler on the corner of second and Main.

Other professionals who suffer from of a lack of compensation are teachers. Why is, what could possibly be the most important career in terms of creating a better future for mankind, valued at only $32,000 on average right out of college? We don't know either.

This brings us to the practical majors. These are essentially encompassed by the School of Business Administration, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Professional Studies. While there are some pretty useless concentrations in the business school, there are plenty of mind-numbing job opportunities for all C+ average finance majors in business as long as they know how to network and construct an attractive résumé.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science does a great job of providing employment opportunities to its students following graduation. The only downfall to this degree is that you will be required to take anywhere from 129 to 138 credits just to graduate. Comparatively, a B.A. in Political Science requires an underwhelming 31 credits. The curriculum for all two majors in the School of Professional Studies is also no cakewalk. While job placement for a nursing major is somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 percent, when was the last time you saw a nursing major smile? They spend more time studying and preparing for clinicals than the average person spends breathing.

While your major may not provide you with a plethora of jobs, you will get out of it what you put into it. With enough effort and dedication to whatever your major is, you can accomplish any goals you set for yourself. While most of you art majors aren't likely to find your masterpiece hanging in the Louvre, you can still make a living doing what you love if you spend the time to find opportunities.

In the end, with some sacrifice and a lot of hard work, we hope that you prove us wrong and your completely useless framed receipt leads you to the job of your dreams. 

Best of luck to the Sports Management majors.