My dad always wanted me to go into banking.
No, that’s not really fair. It didn’t have to be banking. He liked the idea of banking, but also has been pushing me toward accounting, marketing, and a variety of other career paths. I haven’t said “no” to these, nor have I agreed. I have to admit, it’s pretty difficult to get an internship in a bank without being a business major. It’s a problem I’ve come across more than once: I find a great looking summer internship then suddenly discover one of the requirements is that the applicant is pursuing a business, accounting, or economics major. So why didn’t I just major in one of those fields, knowing how difficult it would be to find a good internship otherwise? First of all, because after my first two intro economics classes and an introductory accounting class, I realized the direction my GPA was heading was decidedly south. Secondly, economics made sense, but it felt dull to me. In pursuing an economics major during my freshman year, I took a class in Political Economy. It was there I discovered my love for politics and international relations. The psychology, the history, and even the economics of it all formed the ideal combination of all my interests, even ones I didn’t know I had.
When I began studying why nations go to war in my Introduction to International Relations course last year, I knew I had picked the right major. I had never been so excited about something; I couldn’t stop talking about it. Family members thought I was crazy to focus on war theory but I found it more interesting than anything I had ever studied. I thoroughly enjoyed writing both research and analytical papers about both history and current events. While economics had always felt like a chore to me, politics thrilled me and I looked forward to both class and homework. (Please note: I am not trying to say anything against economics other than the fact that it is not for me.)
People often say, “Oh, international relations…what do you want to do with that?” My answer is that I first want to study foreign politics and policies and apply it to our own political system. Secondly, I want our country to work toward fostering strong relations with other nations. International relations helps me to understand where this world stands and where we need to go. Perhaps such a major is not a logical choice for someone looking for a summer internship in banking, so I can see why my dad pushed me toward economics and business at first, but IR is important to the world’s future. Above all, though, every time I go to my politics classes, do reading, or write a paper, it makes me happy…and isn’t that kind of the point of college?