I'm upset.
Why, you ask? Because not a day goes by that I don't have second thoughts about my college major. Most people view higher education as a stepping stone to a 'well-paying job', but as you've probably figured out by now, I'm not 'most people'. I view higher education as an opportunity to spend four years of my life studying not one, but many subjects, all of which contribute to my moral and intellectual growth; subjects that will shape the way in which I view my role as a citizen and as a human being. Why should I expect any less?
It angers me that in deciding upon a major, I should have to lend more importance to my future salary than to my actual education. Dad brought up the point that I can study what I love in my free time, but while this rationalization (that's all it really is) made me feel better at first, it now leaves me feeling depressed because there is no way that I'll have the time nor the energy to accomplish that. As it is, I'm unemployed and have all the free time in the world, yet I'm only able to cover 30% of my current 'to-learn' list. Imagine what I'll be able to fit in as a working, full-time student!
In a Parallel Universe...
You're probably wondering what exactly it is that I'd rather be studying. Unfortunately, there is no single major at the University of Texas that encompasses all that I'd like to learn (as one would expect), but I would like my classes to include some of the following topics: Sociology, culture (cultural anthropology), politics and political theory, world history, philosophy, indigenous culture/history.. etc. My current major, Nutritional Science, doesn't include a single course along any of these lines. Now don't get me wrong, I love nutrition. I think nutritional science has the power to prevent and treat a number of diseases that we're faced with today. The thing is, I'm not sure if I want to spend the rest of my life reversing the poor eating habits of Americans while there are millions of people without food around the world. All around me, there are people without basic human rights.. people who need our help. Precious ecosystems are being destroyed and used for their 'resources' and in return, hundreds of species go extinct every day. I've received my 'slap in the face', my wake-up call, and my natural response is that of an intense longing to help.
I've decided to dedicate my life to helping the otherwise helpless, and I don't have a second to waste.. Much less 3 years. So, if I had it my way, I'd spend the next three years studying who we are, how we got here, and what it is that we need to do to move forward. I would like to better understand the human mind, and culture's influence on it. I would like to learn how other people have governed themselves over the course of history.. What worked, what didn't, and why? I would like to study political movements and revolutions of the past, so that I can gain as much insight as possible as to how we can bring about social change today. As for future jobs.. I'm not too worried. All I know is that I'm on a relentless pursuit of social and environmental justice, and I would be more than thankful just to be able to put a roof over my head and food in my belly.
No comments:
Post a Comment