Decision making is the tell-tale sign of early adulthood. We no longer have our parent’s input on the things that never seemed to matter before. How do you know if you’re sick enough to go to the doctor? How do you know if five hours of sleep is enough to make it through your morning class? Shortly after high school, no matter what path you’ve chosen, life begins throwing an assortment of challenges your way. You are forced to make decisions that usually have unforeseen outcomes, and choosing one path over another is a shot in the dark.
There also comes a time that your parent’s advice is no longer necessary. One of these times is in deciding on a major in college. Your choice in studies will barely, if at all, impact your parents' lives. They can offer their wisdom and experience, but in the end, the choice solely relies on you. When you begin college as a freshman, you view this decision as one that can potentially impact the rest of your life. Your thoughts focus around things like salary, job locations and whether or not you’ll enjoy pursuing that field. However, as many students have learned, finding the perfect combination of those three things is extremely difficult. That’s when the decision making comes into play. You must figure out what really matters to you and what you can live without.
That’s why I chose to pursue my liberal arts degree in psychology. I’ve decided to take the road less traveled by studying something that may or may not produce a bigger salary. As in all fields, it is what you make of your degree that determines your success financially and psychologically. Choosing a path that has a reputation of leading to fewer successes only motivates me more to make the most out of my degree. I’ve decided that making money while doing something I love is a bonus. Being passionate about my work and the way I spend my time is my main focus.
It can go either way when I tell someone I’ve chosen to major in psychology. They either smile and say, “Wow, that’s so interesting!” Or, more commonly, “Psychologists don’t make any money, you don’t want to do that.” The funny thing is, however, I do want to do that. It’s not very often people ask why you want to study a certain subject, or what you hope to learn along the way. Instead, the first thing that many people think of is what your future in that field will look like. Since when has it become such a crazy notion to study something you are genuinely interested in and passionate about?
A few decades ago, it would’ve been impressive for a woman to pursue any type of degree or education beyond high school. Today, it seems as though it’s only impressive if a woman is studying something in the medical or engineering field that will guarantee her a larger income. However, any education is still an education. Whether you dream of being a mechanic or a rocket scientist, your desire of being educated is enough in itself. Some may call me brave for pursuing a liberal arts degree, and others may call me foolish. If I am happy with my career, I will just call myself successful.
