By Shreya Surapaneni

“What in the world are you going to do with that major?” is what you or many of your peers must have heard when choosing college majors. For years, people who have pursued Liberal Arts degrees have been perceived to be “broke” or “directionless.” Typically, statistics have shown that the key to a high-paying, successful career is pursuing a STEM degree; however, should that stop someone from pursuing a degree such as history?

Head of the Math Department Paula Gentry claims it is still worth majoring in the liberal arts, as it all depends on opportunity. Despite her triple majoring in Mathematics, Sports Science and Physical Education, she claims she might have majored in something different due to America’s immense opportunities for young graduates. 

“If I were going to college in the United States, where opportunities for women, especially now, are so much greater, I might have chosen something different,” Ms. Gentry said. 

In addition, Ms. Gentry claims that the American university system allows students until their second year of university to choose their major. This allows students to explore and discover subjects that they really like or ones they have not discovered before. This way, students do not have to feel as pressured to finalize their career path in high school, as students in other countries such as England must. 

“I think that for folks who know exactly what they want to do with their lives then maybe the Liberal Arts experience is not as useful,” Ms. Gentry said. “For those who have no idea and have an interest in [many] things, [you] can take whatever direction in most technical jobs.”

Despite this, Siddu Koppaku ‘20, who is currently an Economics major and Computer Science minor at Georgia Tech, believes that people should be practical in choosing their major. However, that does not mean that they should stop pursuing their passion.

“For most cases, these days, [liberal arts] are not probably worth the tuition you pay, especially when these days you can learn anything you want online for basically free,” Siddu said. “There is no reason not to pursue what you like to do if your financial situation allows you to.”

Aneri Patel ’24, who wants to pursue the pre-med path, also explains that people must make tough choices. If they want to focus on earning money, a STEM degree would most likely be a good career choice. However, if a person has the talent and the capacity to pursue something, they should go for it. 

“I think there is a lot of financial security to pursuing a career in the sciences, but… I [also] think that if you are passionate about something, then that itself is worth it,” Aneri said. 

Director of College Counseling Bryan Rutledge, who majored in psychology and philosophy, only took classes he was interested in. He values the small changes that have big, spontaneous impacts on his life and throughout his career. Moreover, he believes that the liberal arts provide a meaningful education that will bring more opportunities. He would like to encourage students or college students who are deciding on their major to follow the wisdom of Mark Twain: “Make your vocation your vacation.” 

“If you know something about a lot of things, life is more meaningful and you gain more opportunities and confidence,” Mr. Rutledge said.