<p>Thanks mathmom. I was going to pipe in that the liberal arts include biology but didn’t have the energy to try to explain it or to find and post a reference.<br>
Back in the old days when most LACs only offered LA majors, LACs offered degrees in math, biology, chemistry, and physics - not just art history. 
Signed,
MidwestMom2Kids_
1982<em>B.A.</em>in<em>Biology</em></p>
<p>Speaking as one myself, I can tell you that it is a dreadful time to be a civil engineer in most of the US right now. Private sector projects have pretty much dried up completely. (No one’s willing to lend developers money to build new projects when there are so many buildings, many of them brand-new, sitting vacant.) And many public agencies have had to really pare their budgets and are barely able to pay for routine maintenance & operations, much less embark on any major capital projects.</p>
<p>So OP’s parents are right in thinking that engineering is a relatively more marketable major than, say, art history, but they are dead wrong in thinking that engineering will guarantee every graduate a well-paying job. And I would never, ever encourage someone to pursue an engineering major if he/she were not already interested in it, because it is just plain HARD!!!</p>
<p>Congratulations Naturewise for changing to the study you love and want and good for you talking to your parents. They might not see the beauty of biology, but perhaps you can show it to them along the way. They’ll get better - you’ll see.</p>
<p>Try to rent them one of the BBC’s ‘Life’ series, written and presented by Sir David Attenborough, whose contribution to conservation is widely regarded, and whose programmes have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. It might not be exactly the kind of biology you are interested in, but it surely will show them the wonder of it all.</p>