STEM ≠ success; pursue a path that feels fulfilling

ORION KIM THE RUBICON

Humanities majors have continuously been discouraged by the phrase: “you’re never going to make a living if you major in humanities.” However, is this really true?

Students often feel pressured to pursue a major that might lead to more success rather than doing what interests them the most. After all, “STEM occupations saw an annual mean wage of $100,900, compared with $55,260 for non-STEM occupations,” according to a report by the OEWS.

However, these numbers aren’t as indicative of

WHEN A STUDENT FINDS A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN A SUBJECT ... THEY SHOULD FEEL SUPPORTED BY THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

Orion Kim

monetary success as they seem. A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research encourages students to think long-term about their career path. “The return of an applied STEM major — like computer science or engineering — starts out high relative to other majors, but drops by more than 50 percent in the first decade of working life.” they said. While humanities majors may face job uncertainty at first, they can catch up.

Additionally, wages aren’t the only way to define success. Humanities majors can live fulfilling lives even if they don’t make a high salary. According to a survey published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 90 percent of humanities graduates are satisfied with their career. Success isn’t limited to the amount of money students make, but includes many other undervalued factors, such as happiness or fulfillment. The same study found that humanities and STEM graduates wind up equally satisfied with their careers.

As well as the fear of an unsuccessful employment path, students also feel immense societal and familial pressures when choosing their major. According to a study by the Michigan State University, only four percent of STEM majors felt no external pressure when choosing their major. In general, family members should take a step back and let the student decide their own future.

In order to push students away from an unhealthy concept of success, parents and educators should encourage students to immerse themselves in a wide variety of subjects throughout high school. When a student finds a particular interest in a subject, whether it be humanities or STEM, they should feel encouraged and supported by their surroundings.

It’s time that students take a moment to think deeply about what drives their interests. Are they truly passionate about the subject they want to major in, or are they letting their surroundings decide for them? Ultimately, students should be aware that there are multiple ways of defining success. They should work to develop their own interests instead of conforming to what society tells them.

Establishing informed safety procedures maintains security and reduces trauma

JOHANNA PIERACH

THE RUBICON

I was in kindergarten the first time I experienced a lockdown drill. I remember having absolutely no idea what was going on, and as I huddled with my classmates in a dark corner, it felt like the whole school was playing some largescale version of hide and seek. As a five-year-old, I had yet to be enlightened on the horrors of school shootings. After all, how do you explain something so inconceivably awful to a small child?

However, children in America don’t have the luxury of not knowing anymore. According to a report from the US Department of Education, 95% of schools had drilled their students on a lockdown procedure pri- or to the COVID-19 pandemic, implanting the grim possibility in their minds from an early age. In fact, according to Jillian Peterson, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University, Minnesota students routinely experience 4-5 lockdown drills a year, adding up to roughly 70 by the time they graduate.

The approach to lockdowns can vary between states and school districts, and range from formal and calm to hyper-realistic. The latter is mandated in Missouri schools, as active shooter simulations use fake blood, role-playing actors, and volunteer students to capture the feelings of an