One can read in one’s spare time or learn languages or act. If one does not come from wealth not majoring in something remunerative in college is a mistake if you will actually want money later.
He didn’t dismiss the humanities he said studying them at university was a poor decision.
He didn’t dismiss the humanities he said studying them at university was a poor decision.
Moreover, it wasn’t really presented as general advice, but advice for their own younger version. It’s not generally applicable advice (not everyone will be happy or successful in STEM fields), but I think it’s safe to assume it is sound advice for Young!nydwracu.
Or even if it was intended as generally applicable advice, it’s still directed at kids gifted at mathematics, who will have a high likelihood of enjoying STEM fields.
My parents made me study business management instead of literature. My life has been much more boring and unfulfilling as a result, because the jobs I can apply for don’t interest me, and the jobs I want demand qualifications I lack. In my personal experience, working in your passion beats working for the money.
Why haven’t you gone back to college for a Masters in English Literature or something along those lines? Robin Hanson was 35 before he got his Ph.D. in Economics and he’s doing ok. The market for humanities scholars is not as forgiving as that for Economics but that’s what you want, right?
The implicit claim that humanities jobs are uniformly non-remunerative seems difficult to support.
if you will actually want money later
How about doing a humanities major to make connections to people who are any combination of rich, creative, or interesting and teaching yourself to program in the meantime?
There’s a difference between choosing a subject as your college major (which amounts to future employment signalling) and engaging in the study of a subject.
It was a blind spot that I had until my senior year of college, when I realized that I wanted to make a lot of money, and that it was very unlikely that majoring in philosophy would let me do so. Had I realized this at 12-14, I would’ve saved myself a lot of time; but I didn’t, so I’m probably going to have to go back for another degree.
If you don’t care about money or you have the connections to succeed with a non-STEM degree, that’s another thing. But that’s not the question that was asked.
Downvoted for dismissing the humanities.
One can read in one’s spare time or learn languages or act. If one does not come from wealth not majoring in something remunerative in college is a mistake if you will actually want money later.
He didn’t dismiss the humanities he said studying them at university was a poor decision.
Moreover, it wasn’t really presented as general advice, but advice for their own younger version. It’s not generally applicable advice (not everyone will be happy or successful in STEM fields), but I think it’s safe to assume it is sound advice for Young!nydwracu.
Or even if it was intended as generally applicable advice, it’s still directed at kids gifted at mathematics, who will have a high likelihood of enjoying STEM fields.
My parents made me study business management instead of literature. My life has been much more boring and unfulfilling as a result, because the jobs I can apply for don’t interest me, and the jobs I want demand qualifications I lack. In my personal experience, working in your passion beats working for the money.
How sure are you what your life would have been like if you had studied literature instead?
Why haven’t you gone back to college for a Masters in English Literature or something along those lines? Robin Hanson was 35 before he got his Ph.D. in Economics and he’s doing ok. The market for humanities scholars is not as forgiving as that for Economics but that’s what you want, right?
After some years of self-analysis and odd jobs, I’m close to finishing a second degree in journalism.
The implicit claim that humanities jobs are uniformly non-remunerative seems difficult to support.
How about doing a humanities major to make connections to people who are any combination of rich, creative, or interesting and teaching yourself to program in the meantime?
There’s a difference between choosing a subject as your college major (which amounts to future employment signalling) and engaging in the study of a subject.
It was a blind spot that I had until my senior year of college, when I realized that I wanted to make a lot of money, and that it was very unlikely that majoring in philosophy would let me do so. Had I realized this at 12-14, I would’ve saved myself a lot of time; but I didn’t, so I’m probably going to have to go back for another degree.
If you don’t care about money or you have the connections to succeed with a non-STEM degree, that’s another thing. But that’s not the question that was asked.