Philosophy major may not be the butt of so many jokes anymore. Now, some student are taking a college major that will likely make many wonder if college is worth it anymore – a degree in Social Media.
Yes, a bachelor’s degree in Social Media is now available at Newberry College in South Carolina. This degree is probably the first of its kind anywhere. Of course, the degree is not all Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr photos. The new major is a blend of communications, graphic design, marketing, business, psychology and statistics.
The thought behind the degree is that it is a way to get students who are interested in entrepreneurship to actually stay in school. It also could be one small way to stop people who are leaving the classroom and going the start up route. But is that what we should really want? Many great, world-changing companies have been founded by ‘loser’ drop outs.
As most people know, Mark Zuckerberg left Harvard to run Facebook (whose stock has been taking a beating this year), and Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to found Microsoft. Also, the late Steve Jobs of Apple fame had no use at all for school. In 2005, he gave the commencement address at Stanford University, where he said that he made the decision to drop out and trusted that it would be alright. Of course, it turned out to be a pretty smart decision!
Also, Paypal founder Peter Thiel is offering some students $100,000 to drop out of college and start their own companies.
So, this new degree in Social Media might help to keep some of these whiz kids in school. But who knows what great new tech company may now never be invented, if all those people stay in school instead of founding new companies? All we can do is hope for the best.