Ever since I was in middle school, I have always loved asking questions about the big picture. I was possibly the most annoying child, constantly asking people what they meant when they said right and wrong, what a girl was supposed to do, and every other question in between. Despite my parents’ encouragement to keep asking questions, I felt as if I was a nuisance and promptly stopped asking too many questions.
Fast forward to high school, and some more complex versions of the questions I had been asking when I was eight started reappearing. This time I went to my teachers and guidance counselors asking them what it is we should really be seeking in life and how it ought to be determined. Each time I was met with a shrug or a harsh remark that I should go study philosophy in college to find out. As I delved into some basic readings and questions of philosophy, I became enthralled with the uncertainty of every theory and behavioral pattern that could easily be disproved then reapproved. At that point I realized my love for philosophy and began telling everyone of my plans to major. Their reactions were…disappointing to say the least. Each time I told a new person, they responded with, “Well what are you going to do with a philosophy degree?” I was thrown off the first couple of times and mumbled a response as I walked away. After reconsidering my life choice (that wasn’t then and still isn’t set in stone) I decided to look up what I could use a beloved philosophy degree for. As I browsed through jobs related to philosophy, each job fascinated and excited me as I understood that philosophy can be applied to almost every job. When I get a philosophy degree, I have proven to myself and any future employer that I spent four years learning how to think and analyze critically. If there is a more useful degree than critical thinking in today’s age that doesn’t include the word engineering, please let me know.
From then on I started confidently declaring my potential major of philosophy despite the judging looks and sarcastic remarks. And while I will continue fighting the stereotypes against getting a major in the humanities, and specifically in philosophy, my story applies to many students out there who are driven from their true passion by society’s expectations. Many schools, teachers, and even political figures only encourage the pursuit of careers in the STEM fields that has started to drain the humanities of funding and students. While STEM majors and workers are no doubt important, a well-rounded student as well as a counterbalance to the STEM students is needed to maintain diversity and acceptance. By changing the attitude toward those pursuing humanities degrees, we can encourage a better, new world that is full of philosophizing engineers and singing scientists. I can’t imagine a better place to be.
