It always seems to me that, among all of the college majors that one could possibly declare, STEM related majors end up being raised on a pedestal. Anything that is related to science, technology, engineering or math gets viewed as a separate world that only the "smartest" people live in.
This type of mentality has spurred all sorts of backlash from those who chose to learn other things. For example, there are countless internet articles concerning topics such as, “why teaching is smart” or “why you should major in the humanities.”
This is all right and good because we need people who are interested in humanities, teaching, or the arts. Those are perfectly acceptable careers and life paths to choose. However, somewhere among the scores of online blogs intended to lift up other types of majors, STEM majors end up being underappreciated. All of these articles mean well, but hidden in them are subtle undertones that say, “Majoring in science or math is so overrated. You should do this major instead.”
These vibes aren’t limited to the internet either. Whenever I tell someone that I’m a biology major, I am usually given a look of revulsion and am told something along the lines of, “Why are you doing that to yourself?” or just plain and simply, “Eww!” Whenever this happens, I always come away feeling rather discouraged. I love biology, and even though it can be a little challenging at times, it never feels good to have my major put down.
So let’s just all take a step back and remember that people pick majors based on things they love and are passionate about. Instead of putting majors down, let’s appreciate what everyone else is dedicating their lives to doing. Regardless if someone wants to teach tomorrow’s children or fix their bodies, it’s all important, it’s all needed, and it all matters.