geoooology

Okay.

Some things gotta be said.

Mom, don't take anything personally. Tanner, don't correct me.

I'm considering majoring in geology. Very, very seriously considering it. {James E Talmage was a geologist by the way!} It's an awesome program and I like it a lot. Unfortunately, every single freaking time I talk to my dear parents I get this response, "geology..? what are you going to do with that?" and even after I assure them that geology, the study of the earth, is nowhere near art history or psychology, or some other bogus major {no offense my artsy friends!}, they still say incredulously "geology...." and I can totally see their eyes narrowed and one eyebrow up.
I have several responses to this.

1. It's my life. I'm paying for it. Support me.
2. Don't worry! You raised me well {debatable.. ;) } and I'm not going into any major just because I like it. I will only go into something that will benefit me positively after I graduate. I love theater but I'm not going into it am I? No, because you taught me that as much as I need to follow my dreams, I also need to be practical. Geology is practical.
3. You guys are smart, k? But sometimes you can be narrow-minded. To you the idea of a "good major" is engineering or business or something traditional and well-known. Believe it or not, just because you don't hear of successful geologists or volcanologists, they exist just as much as the other, more popular, "typical smart-person" careers. Geology can be so broad!!! It is the study of the earth! Before you scoff at this choice do your research and see that geology is actually a really door-opening option.

Let's take a look, shall we?
"In modern times, geology is commercially important for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and for evaluating water resources; it is publicly important for the prediction and understanding of natural hazards, the remediation of environmental problems, and for providing insights into past climate change; plays a role in geotechnical engineering; and is a major academic discipline."
That's wikipedia.
Wanna know the branches?
Geological mapping, topographical mapping, petrology, paleontology, hydrology, geomicrobiology, glaciology, structural geology, stratigraphy, planetary geology {other planets!}, mineralogy, and on and on and on and on.
Any of those sound successful and necessary in today's world to you?
Who's going to assist in the discovery and implementation of alternative forms of energy? Geologists. Who's going to find the oil that fuels your car and modern lifestyle? Geologists. Who's going to make sure your town is safe from a natural disaster? Geologists. Who's discovering the places where the precious minerals used to make everything you buy as a modern-day consumer? Geologists.
This is the field that has no bounds. You can basically do anything.
Yeah, having a daughter that is a nuclear engineer sounds way cooler. But, having a daughter that is a geologist is more practical given my skill-set and just as impressive, in my opinion.

I feel like a fool trying to justify my almost-decision to declare my major, but, really, it's not as lame as you think. We don't just sit around analyzing rocks and making up things about the past. Geologists are really cool people. If I decide to change my major in a semester or two, so be it. But, even after, I will defend this major as a good choice for anyone because it is a great choice.