“Should I choose my major for interest or money?” – that is a struggle that every college student will probably face when he/she enters the university. According to the article “Choosing a College Major: For Love, for the Money?” now college students have to overstep a high pressure while choosing their major. Because education becomes needed and widespread all over the world, lots of them are baffled by necessity of taking such an important decision, because in modern world it is hard to stay objective and combine your heart will with voice of reason.
I have faced the same problem when I was choosing my major, because my mother wanted me study Business, although art have always been my true interest. I made the wrong decision at first and later on I’ve found out that interest to be the best motivation for me. My mother is a successful businesswoman and she relied big hopes and beliefs on me. Her expectations are rather high as well. When I have graduated from high school we had a long conversation with her about my future career and what major should I choose. I was always interested in art: my notebooks are full of my sketches and doodles; I have never learned about drawing techniques but my friends like my pictures a lot. I have designed some white cartoon figures, and I was even offered money for those own ‘”masterpieces”. Since then I have started thinking about having a chance to work more in-depth in design sphere and my mother was sharing this intention during the last times. Unfortunately she is strongly disagreed with my decision nowadays. Once she said: “Fashion or art is the most competitive industry, and it really depends on inspiration. What will happen if you just run out of ideas?” Afterword she has suggested me to study business and there were plenty of obvious advantages if I would have started studying business.
My family is very democratic, we always strive to discuss our final decisions together as my parents want me to feel self-important and my decisions along with opinions have a great valuable. My mother likes to discuss a problem with me every time she faces it, so I was under her strong influence since the early childhood. She thought I will have an advantage because I had access to business environment much earlier than others. At the same time she wanted me to help her in managing the company after I would have graduated. That was an important reason of why I was the only child in my family. On my mother’s opinion, in other words, in meaning of the traditional Chinese concepts, I was supposed to take the lead and full control over my mother’s company when she will be retired. Her business was developing very well so I could definitely make at least some money and do not be a sorehead by spending too much time looking for a good job. My mother offered me a shortcut and as I had no better ideas, despite the fact that I was not really pleased, I moved to US as a Business Administration major student.
According to the personality test, I am a very emotional, I make decisions fast but without deep consideration, and clearly realize I do not belong to the type of persons who are born to be leaders. Even though my future job might not totally depend on my major, but I wanted to study something that makes me interested and could be useful in my future.
The worst result that was awaiting for me if I would have continued studying business was becoming such person like Phil in the story of “The Company Man”
He was the typical person who entered a business school and graduated as regular students do. Finally he became a businessman, despite that he worked extremely hard. But I would like to say he did not like his job at all. Nobody wants to become a work machine, and Phil has already become a “workaholic”. The reason why he worked so hard could be the following: he wanted to support his family, to earn more, but the end of that story is really sad — he was made up by having times when he should be with his family, but he was not there. But if he had chosen a job he likes, I do honestly believe his life would not be ruined like that. His desire for money and the property made him whom he was for real and I could imagine those people whom he have been working with: apathetic, unsympathetic, they only intrigue with each other because everyone they see around is a competitor but not a friend. He put his work interests above his family, and I have no doubts if we say that he loves his job more than his family, absolutely. It was just a vicious circle; he worked most of his time so he did not have time for family. It caused a catastrophe in his family relationships: the less time he spent with his family, the stronger kinship was becoming, so he did not want to stay with his family anymore. Finally he ended up with death, the last thing he did before he died was work. He gave everything he had to his job, but he gained no family, no love, and no respect from his boss as well.
A person’s career life could affect him or her in many ways, like personality and attitude, because the specialization of jobs is different. It plays a big part in a person’s life because we spent most of our time at work. If we could find a job that we really like, it could have helped us to build a positive attitude towards our life, but if a person is forced to do something unlikely for him/her, Phil’s story will surely repeat again.
Anyways, my dream of art has never died so I told my mother I want to change my major. She has agreed this time as was disappointed with my grade too. She thought I was right, because rather than to spend my time and efforts on learning things I do not like at all, it is right to study something that I really fond of. I was about to going straight for fashion design but my possibilities have stopped me. I knew pure art was not suitable for me, because I could not draw anything if I were forced. I could not support myself totally by my interests. At last I have found the perfect major for me – Media Studies.
Media Studies – very vast field and there are many options I could choose after graduation: for example, becoming a scriptwriter, reporter, or editor and further up to director. First of all, I have read lots of books, which broadened my horizons and knowledge. I like writing, especially writing different stories and I will be really happy if I could see my stories becoming movies some day. Also I could combine my interest in the art with my movies — maybe I could write script with my unique perspective and become famous. With my knowledge of audio and image production I could be a producer or editor also.
However, there are some negative results which may take place in case I choose Media Studies: my mother definitely will be not able to help me anymore as she knows nothing about films or television; also, if I get into the media industry, my mother’s company will need a new proficient chief executive officer and that person has to be somebody whom my mother could completely trust.
Still, I always know what I like and whom I want to become in future. I like films, media, and television, and I think this industry is very promising and has a great potential for growth and development. After all, the most significant thing I learned from my experience is interest is our best teacher. I am studying because I am curious and I want to learn something new. I feel myself happy, unlike if I were involved into business sphere, even with all the efforts I was putting into my work, I eventually found out that it is just not the right thing for me to do. Sometimes we work very hard and get nothing in turn. This is the moment when we should slow down and think about the reasons and ways of resolution.
I want to see what I can do without my mother’s help. She has been protecting me for so long, and I am an adult now. I have the right to choose my future by my own. Media is full of competition, but I am full of beliefs in my abilities and my talents. Also I want to let my mother know I could success by myself. This is my own decision and I will stay my ground till the end. After all I would like to say that life is short, so we must not waste time on something we do not like — graduation from college is not the final point of our study, and money is not the primary thing of our life. We have to learn more, and enjoy our life.
