People go to school to learn. And up until this moment, what we learn has been decided for us, for the most part. But now you have finally been handed the reigns. So what do you choose to learn about? It all boils down to one question, really: Do you want to pursue an interest, or a skill?

Let me explain.

Let’s say you are interested in psychology. This is an interest. If you choose to be a psych major, you will be dedicating four years of your life to studying different psychological theories, the history of the field, brain function, aspects of sociology, and so on. You will be learning specific information, and become familiar with a certain a field of thought. Choosing to study psychology will boost you intellectually, it will make you think, wonder, and most importantly, understand. At the end of the four years, you will have gained knowledge about the human mind.

It is the same with something like political science. As a poli sci major, you will learn about different political theories, who came up with them, how they were put into use, which ones worked out, which ones didn’t, and so on. At the end of four years, you will have a solid foundation in the science of political thought.

These are interests. Studying them will give you a rounded understanding of the field, but it will not provide you will a specific set of skills for a certain type of work. Studying psychology will not allow you to become a psychologist, because that requires a different sort of training. Studying political science will not allow you to become a politician, because that requires experience (and apparently having a horrible personality). Studying an interest will not get you a specific type of job. You might still end up working in that field, but the main point is to give you a foundational knowledge of it, an education.

That is what will be lacking if you choose a major designed for a specific skill set. Computer science for example, or finance, or business administration. These are working skills. During your time in school, you will be trained to do a certain type of job, and you will be trained in depth. You will be forced to practice over and over something very specific, whether it’s computer programming, learning to analyze and work with the stock market, or handling clients. This is the second type of learning. At the end of four years, you will have had hands on training and be ready to apply to specific types of work. What you won't have is an in-depth education. Your main focus is skill, not knowledge of the world.

So that really sums it up. What kind of learning do you want to pursue? Are you the kind of person who enjoys in-depth study, knowledge, and gaining a perspective of the world? Or are you the kind of person that wants to gain a specific skill set that would prepare you for a steady and financially rewarding career?