Matthew Dickinson, who studies English and communication studies in Iowa, United States, tells Whatuni how he chose to study the subject...
Updated: 15 Apr 2025
Choosing a degree subject can be a tough decision and one that may determine what your career will be. So it can't be something you take lightly.
Since I am from the United States, which has a different university system to the UK, I had an opportunity to change my subject if I needed to. However, this was not necessary as I'm really happy with the choice I made.
Here is how I chose to study my subject - English and Communication Studies - and some advice if you are currently choosing what to study at uni...
Reading and writing have always been important parts of my life. Since I can remember, I was absorbing everything I could from books, magazines, and anything else I could get my hands on.
This drive carried over to writing when I started receiving assignments for papers and journals in school. I found my niche in writing essays, particularly with literary analysis and research papers.
The idea of finding underlying themes and causes behind events intrigued me, and also gave me a way to share my views on the world. This made selecting English as a degree of study rather easy when I had to make a decision.
Along with reading and writing essays, I have also been interested in sharing my observations in other ways. I am an ardent fan of sports, which has given me a wide exposure to the journalistic field. Whether I had read articles online that made me look at a player or season in a new light or watched live coverage of a sports match, I felt that journalism with the hopes of focusing on sports would be ideal.
For these reasons I decided to take on communication studies as a subject. In the United States, I was able to pursue a full degree in both subjects, with an opportunity to change my mind until third year. This proved to not be necessary because I knew what I enjoyed.
Even if you have found a career that you would love with your whole heart, you would be wise to see how likely securing a job in this field would be. Simply put, some jobs are more readily available than others. If you happen to have a dream job that is either scarce or filled with competition, having a backup option that would fit your degree subject will help.
In my case, I knew that many sports broadcasting jobs are difficult to land, and print media is slowly becoming a dying business. To prepare for not getting either role, I pondered other ways I could use my degree subjects to land a suitable job.
Some of the occupations I came up with were radio hosting, public relations, and writing articles for online sites. My rather broad degree subjects helped with this, as I could do more with these degrees than a narrower one that would limit my options.
A harsh reality when entering the real world and “adulting” is living within your means. If a high standard of living is essential, your degree subject may be affected by this choice. Some courses of study are notorious for not having a lucrative market: after all, the phrase “starving artist” didn’t come out of nowhere.
However, if you are comfortable with having a little less in your pocket and stick to a tight budget, happiness can normally be achieved with a dream job that does not pay all that much.
For me, I knew that my prospective field would not pay all that well unless I climbed a long way up the ladder. As a result, I prepared myself for the idea of living a less lavish life than some of my counterparts who are pursuing more financially lucrative careers.
Ultimately, all of the above factors are merely guidelines to deciding which degree subject you should choose. While it is important to keep these ideas in mind when making a decision, you will be the one that actually has to complete the studies.
In addition, the wishes of friends and family, no matter how sincere, should not completely influence what you go into. If they are truly supportive, they will eventually stand by you, even if they don’t understand your choice.
On a similar note, make sure that potential perks like athletic or academic scholarships are ways to build upon what you enter university to do after you leave, not simply as a springboard to get into a flashy place that may not be strong in your degree subject.
All in all, take care when deciding and choose the path that best suits you and your goals.
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