Does Your College Major Really Matter?

Growing up, I heard two different viewpoints regarding college and career. My father, the career counselor, insisted that college was useful only if it helped you attain your career goals. His emphasis, I believe, stemmed from his own experience as someone whose dyslexia was misunderstood by the educators he encountered as a child and young adult. He did not believe in school except as a means to an end.

On the other hand, my mother felt that an education had value regardless of what you did with that education. She was the child of immigrants, and as the first member of her family to go to college, she always said that the one thing that no one can take away from you is your education. I remember her telling me she didn’t care whether I became a ditch-digger as long as I got an education. A very similar philosophy seems to be at the root of the article Mind Over Major: The case for using college to become more interesting, by Dan Edelstein.

My students’ parents will often express concern about whether their child will be able to get a job after college.

Nowadays, the value of higher education rests on the concept of return on investment (ROI), rather than the notion of using college to become a more interesting person. My students’ parents will often express concern about whether their child will be able to get a job after college. Given the cost of higher education, it’s a reasonable concern, however, as Frank Bruni points out in his book, Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, people are successful in their careers not due to where they studied but rather due to their drive, innate abilities, and talents. I would argue that you could change “where you go” to “what you study,” and the statement would still ring true.

I often point out to my students that many adults I know have had successful careers in all kinds of industries that have little to do with their college major. One person I know studied French and now works as an Information System Security Auditor. Another friend studied English literature and is now the top salesperson at a company that sells and installs large-scale kitchen equipment at restaurants and schools.

What, then, is the purpose of college?

Dan Edelstein argues that it is to become a more interesting and happier person and to learn to become a thoughtful, active citizen. Due to what he calls our “cult of work,” he posits that we have come to see work as an end, whereas, in ancient times, work was a means to an end—the end being time spent enjoying (leisure) activities that interest us and make us happy: “A liberal education contributes directly to our future well-being by preparing us for more meaningful and satisfying interactions with others.” Again, he points out that we need to spend our time in fulfilling ways outside of work. With whom do we like to spend our time? Often it’s with people who are interesting to us due to their knowledge or experiences that they can then share with us.

Consider how you want to spend the little free time you get, think about what you value most and proceed from there.

He also, however, says that we need to be able to enjoy time to ourselves, and that is much more likely to happen if we have “furnished” our minds with our own interesting thoughts and ideas worth wondering about. Being able to spend time in the “libraries, and museums” of our own minds is a benefit of a “liberal” college education. I believe that how we spend our time reflects our values. Or, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. So, as you consider how you want to spend the little free time you get, think about what you value most and proceed from there.

I see college as a way to expand one’s horizons—to learn about the world and its people.

Obviously, people need to work to earn a living to support themselves, but he points out that there is an income satiation level above which earning more money does not equate to an increase in happiness. I was particularly struck by his point that as citizens, it is our duty to spend time thinking critically about the problems facing our society. Taking the time to sift through all the political noise in an effort to understand who we might want to support, or what is being done to address a problem, is our responsibility. I see college as a way to expand one’s horizons—to learn about the world and its people. College is one of the most culturally, socioeconomically, and racially diverse communities that most of us will encounter in our lives, thus giving us an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of people with different backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives. It opens our eyes to the world and helps us to figure out our place in the world.

Ultimately, I hope my students become happy and productive members of society. Whatever they choose to pursue after high school, I want them to go on to lead fulfilling lives. However, as the article points out, the skills employers care about most are the “soft skills” (communication, collaboration, critical thinking) that students of any major will gain from a “liberal” college education. Unless a student wishes to pursue a skilled trade, the major they pursue as an undergraduate student is of little importance as long as it contributes to their understanding of the world. Even those who wish to go on to become doctors and lawyers have the luxury of pursuing just about any undergraduate major as long as they take the necessary prerequisite classes to prepare them for their professional studies in graduate school.

Find a college with people you can connect with in an environment that stimulates your curiosity and imagination and that supports your learning style.

So, take a deep breath. You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life or even the next four years. Find a college with people you can connect with in an environment that stimulates your curiosity and imagination and that supports your learning style.

That’s what is meant by finding the right fit.

 

Since joining the Eagle Hill faculty in 2016, Karen Goudey has enjoyed working closely with Eagle Hill students and families, drawing on her past experiences in college admissions to assist them through the college search and application process.