I am an English major at a school that is very STEM-centric (STEM being Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). I have a lot of friends who major in subjects like Computer Engineering, Biology, Nursing, etcetera, and not a lot of liberal arts friends. The STEM-stigma is something that I’ve heard discussed a lot-- the idea that people majoring in these technical fields are doing more intense and important work than liberal arts majors-- and oftentimes I find myself believing this. But why? I love the work that I do, I feel challenged and productive. Why am I letting other people dictate how I feel about myself? We’ve been told from a young age not to give into peer pressure, and that’s exactly what this is. But instead of our first drink or the new fad-drug we’re being pressured into different fields of education. But, like the War on Drugs told us to “Just say no” I now say “No” to this stigma. I love what I do, sorry.

I implore myself and everyone out there in liberal arts fields to not give into the stigma. The work you do is valid, wonderful, and so so so necessary and I one day hope to not need to remind myself this.

First, and probably the most obvious reason to why we need the liberal arts is that someone needs to be specialized in these fields. Subjects such as theater, literature, political science, history are so integral to our society’s culture and diversity. I don’t think people with the STEM tunnel vision mentality realize that without liberal arts there wouldn’t be anyone to act in that Netflix original they binged last night, anyone to write the latest bestseller, anyone to run our local or state government, or even anyone to teach us about our civilizations’ histories. Without all of these things we wouldn’t be able to function as a society. Freshman English is often the only class every college student is required to take, and there’s a reason for this. Because it’s important. Without the liberal arts the human race would just be a mob of boring, mindless, uncreative vessels, all focused on how we can replace every job on Earth with a machine. When we were young we were taught to celebrate each others’ differences. When did that end?

One of my close friends is studying music therapy at a college of music near where I go. I was thinking recently about the people at this school and how everyone there is just chasing their dreams, and I really don’t understand how anyone could be opposed to that. No, a career in music isn’t the most “practical” thing you could follow, and some would say that it’s not as difficult as subjects like Physics or Engineering, but who cares? How can you even compare these vastly different subjects and quantify their “difficultness”? These people all feel that they should be doing this in their bones and they’re putting themselves out there and I believe that that is the most honest thing I can think of. The Declaration of Independence says that all men were created equally and that they’re entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” that is, unless their happiness is a liberal art.

I think my favorite part about being a liberal arts major is that there can be so much power found in doing something solely because you’re passionate about it. I don't have to rationalize my major with “It’ll get me a job after graduation,” or “It’s practical,” but I know I study what I do because I’m so unbelievably obsessed with studying the English language and its literature, and that thought is liberating. I feel excited to go to class and get up in the morning and do my readings and write my papers and honestly, a lot of the time, college doesn't really feel like work. No, that’s not because English is an “easy” major, it’s because I do something that I’m enamored with.

Isn’t that what life should be about? Didn’t our parents tell us to find a job that we loved and we’d never work a day in our lives? So why can’t we have the same mentality when it comes to our field of study? I, personally, think we should. Do something you love. Do something unpractical. Do something that feels right. This, at the core of it, is what the Liberal Arts are about. Passion. Going for it no matter what anybody says.