For those who haven’t been living under a rock, it’s obvious there’s a rough economy awaiting college students once they leave the safety of the Syracuse University campus.

College graduates are earning less money now than they did in 2000, according to research published by the Economic Policy Institute on Oct. 3. The institute also reported that the average wage for entry-level jobs that college graduates obtain is falling.

Last May, Forbes reported on the “15 most valuable majors in the current marketplace,” according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The list ranged from subjects like biomedical engineering and software engineering to applied mathematics and statistics.

Forbes’ list emphasizes undergraduate majors that go into fields with the highest paying salaries, but one’s definition of valuable doesn’t necessarily translate into money.

SU is home to 13 colleges, most of them specializing in professional fields like business, communication, education and so on. My home college, the College of Arts and Sciences, houses 41 liberal arts majors.

There are only a small handful of students graduating as women’s and gender studies majors, and I’m one of them.

I declared my major in women’s and gender studies during my very first semester of college. I enrolled in the introductory course last minute to fulfill a requirement, and haven’t looked back since. At the time of my decision, though, I didn’t realize the social backlash I would receive every time I mention what my undergraduate major is.

Whenever an adult, professor or peer of mine strikes up a small talk conversation and asks what I study in school, the conversation usually garners responses like, “What do you plan on doing with that?” or “What’s your other major?”

My major in women’s studies does more than just compliment my English and textual studies major, and it certainly doesn’t limit my prospects after graduation. Instead, my academic background enables and increases my ability to provide a unique perspective and thought process in any work place.

The value of my degree in women’s and gender studies at SU goes beyond projected career paths and luxurious salaries. Just like any other liberal arts major, the critical thinking skills acquired in women’s studies classrooms provides a diverse college education and background in preparation for almost any occupation.

My perspective and the ways in which I look at things from a variety of angles often gives me an edge to storytelling and discovering ideas that others wouldn’t necessarily consider important.

Salaries that come from a women’s and gender studies degree may not compare to that of a finance major — OK, they definitely don’t compare — but my broad frame of mind about how society operates and how individuals participate in culture qualifies me to succeed in almost any professional environment.

The intersectional analysis I’ve cultivated as a result of reading theorists and studying activism has changed the ways in which I view the world around me, especially because it applies to everything.

Instead of approaching an issue or a topic from a one-dimensional analysis, I take ideas about race, class, gender, sexuality and ability, among others, into account. Unfortunately, this is always relevant because there’s a constant need to advocate for social justice.

The gender studies curriculum covers a wide spectrum of subjects — literature, politics, religion and economics, to name a few — all through a gendered lens. This lens sneaks its way into everything I think, say and do. Even if it didn’t make Forbes’ list of valuable majors, my major has proven to be invaluable beyond measure.

Krystie Yandoli is a senior women’s and gender studies and English and textual studies major. She can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter at @KrystieLYandoli.

Published on October 8, 2012 at 1:00 am