It was the night of August 4 where I saw a tweet that made my blood boil.
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First of all, *you're.
To be honest, I have seen these tweets and heard these exact words time and time again; and each time I get a little angrier. My first year of college I studied biology, and on a daily basis I dealt with students with this exact mentality. My introductory science class for biology majors was full of cocky, wanna-be doctors who thought there were better than everyone else simply because of their major. Although I am still a STEM major, I have a huge problem with the mentality that STEM students have that make them think they are simply better than everyone else.
It's people like the person who tweeted this who forget how they got to where they are today. If it weren't for twelve years of public school education, none of us college students would be where we are today. Because of our teachers, administrative staff, school board trustees, and so many others, we got an education that made us ready to attend college. And that is just one profession that has helped us along the way. I bet you most of those teachers were not STEM majors in college. But somehow they helped us anyways. It's almost like non-STEM majors and degree-holders can still make a difference?! I'm shocked.
I guarantee you, this tweeter, and others with this mentality, did not get to where they were today solely because of doctors, engineers, and scientists.
And before all of my engineering friends get their panties in a twist, I am not here to say these professions, along with the thousands of professions in the STEM field, are not important. Remember, I am a STEM major so I am going to say my degree is useless or invaluable. But we are not the only ones that matter. So let me ask you this:
Who would run our nation?
Who would teach our children?
Who would run the universities and colleges where we get our degrees?
Apparently we should only study STEM so what's the point of their jobs or degrees?
(I also imagine this tweeter would probably be like this right about now.)
I have encountered so many students who have this superiority complex because they think they are high and mighty due to their major and future career options. Why is it that STEM students think they warrant more respect or kudos when they are trying to do what everyone else is doing. We are all trying to get an education. Their majors are not the only ones that are hard or challenging, and we are not all the same. Some of us may struggle more in an engineering class than others. And just a friendly reminder, all majors are required to take 400 level classes so it's not like political science or education students are taking 100 level courses for their whole college careers. We all deserve respect because we are all working towards achieving our goals. We all have different goals, aspirations, and things that make us happy, and just because it may not be STEM related, doesn't mean it doesn't matter or is not important.
There is also something that so many people who have their head stuck up their butt forget-- some people choose their major and career path SIMPLY BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM HAPPY.
Shocking, I know. So many of the people who share the same mentality as this tweeter forget that some of us want to make a living, but want to be happy too. Not everyone likes science, technology, engineering, and math. And not everyone feels like they need a six-figure job to be happy. And that is ok! We should have a career that makes us happy. So if engineering makes you happy, become an engineer. If being a teacher makes you happy, be a teacher. Not everyone is in college to make the most money they can coming out of their four years there. Some of us just want a career that makes us excited to go to work every day.
So the next time you bash an education major, remember the 50+ people who provided you with the classes you needed to graduate from high school to get into your university.
The next time you bash an political science or pre-law major, remember the thousands of people who work to run our country and fight for peoples' rights on a daily basis.
The next time you decide your major and career path is better than everyones', remember that we have different goals, passions, and aspirations. All of these careers and jobs are important. We need to drop this idea that only certain students and careers are important, and respect everyone for getting an education in the first place.
man running in forestPhoto by 
