There appears to be an increase in students who want to pursue their studies in STEM or economics and business-related fields compared to the liberal arts. A study shows that fewer than one in 10 college graduates acquired a degree in the humanities in 2020. Where does this plummet of interest in the humanities come from? I attribute it to a lack of courage.
Our generation seems to lack the courage to dare to dream big, according to our hearts. Dreams seem to serve only as a facade used to cover the uncertainties behind them. The emptiness of choosing your future job is based solely on factors such as income, status or power — factors that professionals and adults in our lives pressure us to consider. Though these questions are still significant, they shouldn’t dominate career decisions.
While being flooded by this wave of superficial questions, we tend to forget a paramount factor: what would make you happy and accomplished, rather than what would meet the expectations of your parents or your teachers.
During an online lecture of Stanford’s Daily Journalism High School Workshop, we were assigned to read the Editorial Board’s article titled “Stanford students would rather not think.”
As an international student, I find it interesting how students from an elite American university could be so similar to my high school peers from across the globe.
In Brasov — my hometown in Romania, not even the size of California —there are two main options for secondary studies: a STEM or humanities-related track. A remarkably lower percentage of high schools offer humanities compared to STEM studies.
There is a stereotype that teenagers who study the humanities are automatically less smart than other students, and their workload is significantly lower and easier. This assumption is, in fact, not true at all. Liberal arts-minded scholars often work just as hard as all of the other students and are just as smart, retaining information in ways distinct from their STEM counterparts.
I only came to believe this statement late in my teenage years. Teachers and adults had me think that math was the only subject that mattered during middle school. They would tell me, “Quit studying English, you should focus on math! It is far more important.” However, when I started high school on my humanities profile and was finally freed from my obligation to learn complex algebra and geometry, I realized the beauty and meaning of the arts.
While complaining with my friends about our workloads, I noticed how, for their STEM assignments, they did not have to retain nearly as much information as I had to for my history test. For every physics formula they needed to know, I had to retain and understand five different historic events, their date, relevant personalities, how they unfolded and their cause and effect.
Moreover, I want to highlight that in 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter did not fail and cause the loss of 125 million dollars due to erroneous math; it failed because no one asked the right questions or communicated clearly. This failure was caused by the lack of communication between the two teams conducting research, when both of their calculations were correct, but each used different measuring units.
Individuals my age seem to choose to run away from their career ideals based on who or what their influences are. It is tempting to blame people for pursuing advancement instead of meaningful accomplishment, but this behavior is an unavoidable consequence of a culture that bestows honor on those in certain positions, such as successful CEOs, doctors or engineers, and values standing over substantive contribution. Though jobs such as lawyer, president or international relations manager are both just as lucrative and strenuous, they are also financially rewarding. Yet, besides those factors, they are still looked down upon when compared.
My objective is not to diminish the importance and necessity of our doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs’ hard work; they all work industriously in the benefit of society, especially when it comes to, for example, studying medicine for so many years just to be able to help people. As one quote from “Dead Poets Society” states: “And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
As I was on a train this summer, I engaged in conversation with an old man. After some small talk, he asked me what I planned for my future, to which I answered, “I would enjoy studying criminal justice”. He replied, “Okay, now what do you actually want to do? This time, name a real job.”
To those with a passion for the humanities, who have also met one too many such people on their respective journeys, do not stop thinking about what it is that fills you with joy; think about what greater good you can bring to your community or even to the world. Dare to dream big even when no one else is; the world needs you.