Eat. Sleep. Design. And Repeat.

----- Worst College Majors for Your Career -----

As reported by highly reputable reliable scholars of Yahoo! I can always rely on their headlining articles written on stupid topics that are either really general, biased or based off common sense.  Anyhoo, this article, http://finance.yahoo.com/news/worst-college-majors-for-your-career.html, is quite a softy for me and I've been meaning to express myself since.

Anthropology, Fine Arts, Film, Photography, Philosophy, English, Graphic Design, Liberal Arts and Sociology are among the list of worst college majors for a career. Seeing my field among the list definitely ticks me yet it's all too common and true...ish? Right? We laugh at those liberal art, fine art and philosophy students as portrayed in pop culture, politics and reality; condoning stereotypes that follow them too. Is it because they're unintelligent, undecided or day dreamers? Or are they lazy and rather waste time outside their books and libraries? It would be as acceptable as saying that all science and math students are overly intelligent and studious, sacrificing social lives and lacking any real-life survival skills. So the answer is, no. It comes back to asking, what is higher education for? "To learn how to learn."—a quote from a source I don't remember. To me, studying these low-salary careers is about learning beyond the books; how to interpret and criticize society; finding answers to questions about human nature and the universe. It's like giving someone all the best baking equipment and ingredients without instruction manuals or recipes. The gorgeous Kitchen-aid mixer is rendered useless as will the world.

For me, I chose arts and design because since I was child, it was the only thing I loved and had a passion for—I guess it's easier as a kid with a crayon and no responsibilities—I was encouraged by my teachers, peers, friends and some family members; with their support, I felt mattered. In grade 5, my science project was about forensics science. My first email address (circa 1997) was set up to interview a real forensics analyst—that went on my list of what-i-want-to-be-when-i-grow-up. Then high school happened. Low marks appeared under math and science. Underneath the struggles, I was disappointed, not discouraged. i knew there were other things I could consider, like computers. I feel early education should provide better preparation and guidance for students like me; encouraging the options outside of medicine, engineer and science. Showing that to succeed you don't need to follow society approved formulas. Some individuals are born incapable of succeeding math and science. Some go to trade schools, a rising popularity in the 21st century, as people are rushing to find reliable jobs with guaranteed return. And surely, trade schools are not elite in the eyes of the elite and parents, who wants what is best for their kids. Carpentry, cabinet making, car mechanics, etc are far too commonly overlooked and looked down (mocked usually as an institution for high school drop outs and stupid people who couldn't go to University). With an overflow of entry-level Bachelor candidates, trade workers are lacking. Like I always say to my dad, if it is easy, everyone would be a doctor or a scientist. Even my friends with science backgrounds aren't working in their fields; it is a social pandemic; Forbes says 60% of Americans college grads.

Do people need to choose their majors from a list of high-paying careers or articles such as the one with Yahoo? Do people need to sacrifice their talent and/or passion? Some do. Every person live in a different situation but unfortunately, money often does determine our paths, which explains the common factor for people with establish careers to have panic attacks and life crisis; wishing they had followed their passion. Look at reality competition shows. How many contestants' life stories mention they are following their forgotten dream. Money feeds your hunger but passion keeps you alive.