Growing up, adults always tell you to pursue your dreams and ambitions, but if those dreams don’t involve STEM, well, sorry but you need to change. There is such a growing impact on STEM careers and fields that the arts and humanities programs have declined. As education continues to take budget cuts, band programs are being cut so that money can go towards “core subjects” as opposed to electives. Students are being discouraged from pursuing careers in the arts because they are not “beneficial to society,” or they don’t make enough money. Well, I’m here to tell you one thing -- the arts are still just as important as STEM education.
Starting when Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, an emphasis has been placed on furthering the science education of elementary and secondary students. While students were still encouraged to pursue their passions, it was soon made aware that more money and fame could be attained with a science degree. As decades have passed, this ideology has only strengthened.
In today’s society, technology has become a huge part of our lives. New technology is developed, created, and integrated into society every single day. More scholarships are available for those who pursue engineering, mathematics, biology, etc. degrees. Although there is still a substantial amount of money being awarded to those who enter into different fields, scholarships are being used as an incentive to encourage students to enter into STEM fields.
As a history major, all of the emphasis being put on STEM education almost makes me feel as if my degree will be inadequate. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love learning about STEM, and one of my sisters is a computer science major and another one is a microbiology major so I have no hard feelings about those who pursue such degrees. However, if I tell you what my major is, I do not need to hear that I, “Should major in something worthwhile.” History and journalism are my passions, just as other people are passionate about music performance, dance, or liberal studies.
STEM education has caused the emphasis to be focused on engineering, but english, social studies, and music are still very important parts of education. As we try to navigate this changing world, remember that not all students will excel at STEM, and that not all students will pursue careers in those fields, no matter how much coercing happens. While emphasis can still be placed on STEM education, the arts are still just as important.
Students should be exposed to both arts and STEM, and no one sector should take precedence over the other unless the student chooses to pursue one field over the other. We do not need to choose between science and the humanities/arts.
