Are you a chemistry major, a music major, or a computer science major? If you are, I am sure you have thought or said this to your art major friend at least once: “What exactly are you going to do with your life?” Maybe even, “How is that even difficult or time consuming?” People in the art world have a hard time convincing people that what we do is relevant, challenging, or worthwhile.

But being in the humanities is no walk in the park. Not only do we fight our peers for recognition, but we often fight our parents for approval. Ask any of your artistic friends about their conversation with their parents explaining why they want to “do art” for a living. Many will tell you that, in trying to convince their families that art is a viable and meaningful pursuit, they were met with hostility or concern.

In reality, an art major opens up a number of possibilities and opportunities. If you ever wanted to be an art major but never were because of the nea-sayers, consider some potential career opportunities for those who major in art. Equipped with a degree in art, one can pursue jobs in teaching, museum work, curation, exhibition and installation, administration, reproductions and retailing, publishing, freelance writing, architecture, city planning, architectural conservation, art law, governmental agencies, video games, and cinematography, as well jobs as art librarians, visual resources curators, art and estate appraisers, and producers — just to name a few possibilities.

You may be asking yourself, “Okay, an art major can pursue a wide variety of careers, but how is all this relevant to me? Why does art matter?” To quote Furman professor Ross McClain: “Ask yourself how many logos you see in a day.” People get paid for that Coca-Cola design, that Lacoste alligator, that Lilly type-face. One of our own studio art majors from the class of 2013 designed the new Furman athletics logo on commission, a legacy that will continue to impact the university for years to come.

Art majors are all around you, working to change the world and make a lasting impact on those around us. We, like you, are working towards orienting our lives toward a greater, more meaningful goal while enriching the lives of others. We are proud to be art majors, with the opportunity to dedicate ourselves to something we love.