As an undergraduate, there are certain things you hear all the time. Questions like “What do you want to do after college?” and inquiries on your major, etc. So it wasn't so surprising when I had what started as a relatively mundane conversation with a male friend.
“What school are you in again?”
“Liberal Arts.”
“So, What’s your major?”
“History.”
“Oh, so we have a future Mom.”
Excuse me? I was at a loss for words. With what had started as routine small talk, I suddenly felt like I had been brought back 50 years, expected to answer with something like, "Oh, of course, I thought I should go to college for something completely useless until I fulfill my true societal role."
Yes, I want to have a family, but there are other things I want, too. How presumptuous can someone be? Motherhood is a hugely personal and private decision. Just because I am a female doesn't mean that my only prospect is to be a mother, something I had hoped we’d all figured out by 2016. I could decide to not have kids, and be perfectly happy. I could also decide to have kids, and continue to further my career, and be perfectly happy. Maybe my future husband will be a stay at home dad, who knows.
I picked my major because I love history. Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, your major doesn't define how smart you are, and you don't have to be a scientist or engineer to be intelligent. Any area of study is equally valid and challenging, just in different ways. There is no way to measure whether analyzing the human condition and the meaning of life or mastering differential calculus is harder, but it is pretty uneducated to belittle concepts you don't fully understand. A degree in liberal arts doesn't limit your opportunities, but opens more. Any liberal arts degree teaches students to think critically, analyze situations, and constantly question their surroundings, shaping agents of change who are assets to any field.
I dare you to pursue what you're interested in, and make choices that make sense for you. Do what makes you happy, because in the end, that's all that really matters. Whatever my future holds, It's mine. I cannot wait to have kids, but contrary to what society has been telling us, it doesn't mean I have to sacrifice absolutely everything. I know plenty of strong successful women, who are also mothers, including my own.
Everyone is entitled to their own dreams, and their own goals. Maybe I’m not an engineering major, but that doesn't mean I’m not intelligent. Yes, I’m a female, and yes, I want to have a successful career, in addition to a family. Shocking, I know.
