Follow your passion, not money

By David Wonpu

Among my roommates, one is a marketing major, one is computer science and I'm English. Applying conventional wisdom, it would seem that the marketing major will be comfortable, the computer science major wealthy, and I will be residing in a cardboard box behind Safeway.

Conventional wisdom, when it comes to college majors, seems tantamount to perceptions that may or may not be accurate. These perceptions are the results of a combination of factors: a lack of willingness to become informed, acceptance of whatever friends and family say, and, perhaps, a need to denigrate what others are doing in order to feel better about yourself.

While choosing a major, pursuing one's passion often gets lost in thoughts of money, parents and practicality. This is especially apparent when deciding between business and arts and sciences.

"I think business majors try to pass themselves off as overly serious when they're still in school," says junior economics major Dale Johnson.

Sophomore psychology and Spanish major Stacey Stoddard sees business as "more practical and specialized than other majors. So, I think it's probably harder than something in the arts."

The issue of practicality is important to many students in determining what major to choose. "I originally was just majoring in Spanish because it's my personal interest and comes naturally to me, but I decided to also major in psychology because I think it makes me more hirable," said Stoddard.

Undeclared freshman Charlie Burke added: "Business seems safer. You can do more with a business degree. Arts and sciences are more about if you have a passion for something."

Burke reflects the general consensus among students: those who choose business want safety, and those who choose arts and sciences have an affinity for their subject.

"Actually, there are three kinds of students," says Phyllis Brown, chair of the English department. "There are students who are doing what their parents told them to do, students who are granted the freedom to choose by their parents and don't know what to do, and students who are as disengaged as possible from actually learning, wanting only to fulfill requirements."

Brown, refuting stereotypes of English majors, said, "Although the entry-level pay for a liberal arts student starts off lower than that of a business student, over the next ten years, the pay of the former will surpass that of the latter. English itself is great training for many fields, especially business."

There seems to be a compartmentalization and simplification regarding what one's major is and what one will end up doing. People believe in a one-to-one connection.

"Actually, your major often does not equal your career path," says Career Center director Kathy Potter, an English major herself. "It impacts your career, but doesn't decide for you... although it is important to get that first job right, it will certainly not be the last one you have."

Although staff and faculty would like to think most students study a subject they are passionate about, it's pretty obvious this isn't true. When parents shell out $160,000, one can argue they have a right to decide what you should do with your life. Even if you receive scholarships and financial aid, parents will still use that pesky "fruit of my loins" line. Though it's hard to not try and please them, they have no right to tell you what you should do with your life.

Money is, understandably, the primary, if not the ultimate, concern for students. Student loans pile up, as does the desire to drive a new car and live in a place where their roommates aren't rats. It is true that more specialized majors do also serve as de facto job training, and a clearer path often means the ability to find a good-paying job faster.

Yet, in a country whose citizens want to be Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, one can still hope money is not the main concern for students. You can often tell the difference between someone who is only majoring in a subject for money and someone who is passionate about what he is studying. Just like a studio art and theatre major, an accounting or an engineering major can be passionate about his subject, and the guarantee of a good job almost becomes secondary.

No matter where your passion lies, it is imperative to discover and nurture that inherent sense of purpose. We are all meant to do something and be someone, and that is often not related to what we're studying. After all, wouldn't it be a shame if no one actually did what they love?

David Wonpu is a junior English major.