Major Controversy
Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Jill Schwitzgebel
It depends on the student, of course. Some feel strongly that what matters to them most after graduation is immediate earning potential, regardless of their passions. Others prefer not to be limited by what some consider to be more lucrative careers. I think that as parents, it is important that we are mindful about what messages we are sending to our kids about their possible college majors. Let them decide what is most important to them.
We need to remember that information learned in college today, could be obsolete in five years. Dell technologies estimates that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030, don’t exist in 2018. So what students really need to be able to do in college is learn how to think critically and develop their intellectual curiosity. In the long run, it’s the soft skills that they will learn in college , like the ability to communicate and just plain hard work, that will be more important
Here are a few things to think about:
Your Major Doesn’t Dictate Your Career Path
We also need to be aware that there is not always a link with a student’s major and what they will be doing in 20 years. Two recent Treasury Secretaries were an English major and an Asian and Middle Eastern studies major, respectively. Nope, not economics majors. Billionaire banker turned politician Michael Bloomberg majored in electrical engineering in college. Journalist Jake Tapper majored in history. My favorite, well-qualified pediatrician for my children was a Classics and Dance double major when she was an undergraduate!
Not Every Student Should Be An Engineer
Some kids are meant to major in engineering and it’s obvious. But anecdotally, I have watched so many students (too many students!) begin college with a major in engineering or business or nursing, that were clearly doing it because their parents told them it was practical. It was not because they loved the idea of being a civil engineer or because they wanted to work on Wall Street. It was because they had been told that was the only path to financial security. And while it may be true that some students in those majors earn more immediately upon graduation, that does not last forever, or always hold true in ten years. In fact, recent studies show that liberal arts majors catch up in salary by age 40.
Well before graduation, in the first year of college, students will often struggle in the early engineering or pre-med “weed-out” classes. Or maybe it’s the calculus class that business majors are often required to take that is a problem for them. If you have sent the message, directly or indirectly, that these are the only paths to real success, imagine the added anxiety they feel on top of the stress of studying for those classes.
One student I know was absolutely fascinated by forensic science, as well as history. But for whatever reason, she felt that business was a more practical field for her. She switched majors several times in the business college, attempting to find the right fit. She recently graduated with no experience and no idea what she actually wants to DO. So now, she is paying for a Masters degree. Imagine how the world might have opened up for her and the focus she might have if she had pursued those initial interests instead.
The World Would Be a Boring Place
I know plenty of accountants who are fun people. But, what if the world only had accountants in it? What if film producer Stephen Spielberg had thought the only path to success was through a career in finance? What if archeologist Hiram Bingham had decided economics was more useful than archeology and had not discovered the Incan Citadel at Macchu Pichu? Keep people like that in mind when trying to guide your child to a major that is right for them. Plenty of people without vocational majors have fulfilling careers that pay the bills.
I know students who have gotten four year degrees from art programs who have had higher paying internships and earlier job offers than students in the seemingly more practical majors. Fortunately for all of us, there is a market out there for talented graduates, no matter the field.
See also: Pre-Med and Pre-Law Aren’t Really College Majors
Interdisciplinary Majors
One thing I have noted on recent college visits is that every college has mentioned the ability to customize a major. For instance, a student studying Global Affairs may also wish to incorporate more classes in Middle Eastern studies to give themselves a concentration within their major. Maybe it means that a student majoring in history can incorporate a few business classes. Or maybe it means that a student studying German can add in some classes in International Relations. Colleges are allowing students to be creative.
Switching Majors
And finally, a common concern for parents is that their student will switch majors. It’s likely that they will. According to some studies, over 80% of college students will switch their major at some point. This strikes fear in the pocketbooks of parents everywhere, as they worry that this will increase the time it takes for their students to graduate. But, a report from the Education Advisory Board would seem to cast doubt on the expectation that changing majors lengthens the time a student spends at college. Additionally, the study shows that students who picked a major their first semester and never changed, were actually slightly LESS likely to graduate than a student who switched majors.
Changing majors is a healthy response to a student’s changing interests and maturation. There are so many different areas they may discover in college that they never even knew existed in high school. And it could be that the reason a student who never changed majors and then fails to graduate is that the student felt obligated to stay in a major they never really liked. Therefore, they ended up giving up on college entirely.
My kids are in the minority of students who have never switched majors or minors. However, they HAVE completely switched their area of focus and fine-tuned their interests within their majors, as a result of coursework that gave them whole new areas to explore. And interestingly, the kid who was adamant that they would be finished with college after a Bachelors degree now loves to learn, and cannot imagine a life outside of academia, is pursuing a PhD program in a field that she didn’t know existed before going to college. That’s what college is supposed to do – open up the world of possibilities.
In the controversy between practicality and passion, my suggestion is to take the long view. Don’t pressure your child to do what seems like the most practical path in today’s world, if that’s not where their interests lie. Don’t base your advice to them on salary scales right after graduation. Have faith that if they’re allowed to pursue the field they enjoy, they will be more confident and successful people in the long run.
See also: Do Employers Really Prefer to Hire STEM Graduates?
