While it is true that I love Christmas, there is something I dread about the holiday season: the plethora of “life” questions from family members. Of course I enjoy catching up with family members, but I constantly feel the pressure to impress them with my aspirations. Specifically during Christmas brunch, my uncle asked me what I wanted to major in. When I responded with “psychology,” he chuckled saying that his children said the same thing when they didn’t know what they wanted to major in and that he was thankful they ultimately majored in business and pre-dental. It is true that I am not 100% certain what my major will be, but I was still offended. Why wasn’t psychology an acceptable answer?
As I pondered this question, I began to become more aware of what I like to call “career pressures.” To my uncle, majoring in psychology was not completely acceptable, but majoring in something such as “business” was. My interpretation of my uncle’s mindset stems from the widely accepted truth that jobs within the realm of the business world are rather conventional. While I have nothing against business oriented majors, it appears to be a very cut-and-dry profession. In terms of my uncle, though, and many others, this is the appeal of working in this type of industry.
This recognition of my uncle’s mindset lead me to ask myself even more questions. Is it no longer enough to pick a major that truly interests you? Or does your major selection need to encompass the pressures of society and those who have played a significant role in your development? I am a still a firm believer of listening to your own heart, but I do agree that it is rather difficult not to get caught up in the career hype.
It is a hype centered around career pathways that are thought to guarantee success in terms of money. From my one semester in college, there is rarely a day that goes by where I do not hear the word “pre” with regards to pre-health, pre-law, pre-buisness, or any other “pre” combination you can think of. Originally, these predetermined tracks did not effect me, but the more I started hearing first years confidently speak about the specific steps to their perceptions of “guaranteed success”, I couldn’t help but panic and doubt myself. I felt as if no one had warned me about the sudden pressures that come with selecting a major and that I would be subjected to these pressures from both family members and peers. I now consider myself officially conflicted and I am not afraid to admit that.
Although there are times I am tempted to major in something that is thought to guarantee success, socially accepted, will make my parents proud, and will generate an approved nod during family gatherings, there is a reason that I am at such a unique place like Scripps. I’m not here to follow the status quo or to base my life decisions off what anyone else is doing. Instead, in the wise words of Ellen Browning Scripps, I’m here to “live courageously” and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.