<p>Well, so? Who cares? The point of life isn’t to make the most money. How tacky and gauche. I still don’t get the point of this. Should people who are interested in liberal arts start taking up STEM areas that they don’t care about and aren’t particularly talented in? Well, that’s pointless and useless advice.</p>
<p>^ If you want to major in liberal arts, be ny guest. I don’t think anyone here will try to stop you. </p>
<p>You’re right, the point of life is not to make the most money. But life can be a ton better with more money from a good job</p>
<p>When you grow up, PurpleDuckMan, you’ll realize that happiness comes from within, and is not terribly linked to the amount of money one makes.</p>
<p>See, I guess that’s just one of those things I missed by not being a humanities major…</p>
<p>Money doesn’t cause happiness, but to assume there isn’t a correlation is kind of crazy.</p>
<p>I’m assuming you’d br happier being able to pay ir bills, send ur kids to the college of their dreams, afford medical care, etc.</p>
<p>Studies indicate having a decent level of income does buy happiness. </p>
<p>[Study:</a> Money Buys Happiness When Income Is $75,000 - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html]Study:”>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html)</p>
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<p>I think that the concept you are having trouble with is that most of the people who are doing all of the things you list above (which do contribute to happiness), did NOT major in STEM subjects. If you did a survey in the most affluent neighborhoods in my geographic area (DC & suburbs) most of the most successful and influential people have a broad variety of educational backgrounds. I have the utmost respect for technology careers and the people who have the degrees leading to them but the ones who move up in their organizations had better be knowledgeable in areas requiring cultural literacy. Trust me, engineers and computer scientists who can’t recognise Shakespearian references or who don’t understand the cultural influences of the Greek and Roman empires aren’t going to end up on the boards of directors, ie where the REAL impact (and money) is.</p>
<p>Oh, I think it’s those who are most unfamiliar with what money looks like who buy into this mistaken belief that if you drive down the street in (insert whatever moneyed locale you prefer), that all the people in those households a) went to top / elite schools and / or b) are doctors, lawyers, engineers, or bankers. Big, big world out there, lots of different occupations, and there’s simply no need for a student not otherwise interested in STEM to force himself into it under the fear that he’ll be penniless if he doesn’t.</p>
<p>In my personal field, there’s a huge demand for people with psych and soc backgrounds. The math / stats people? Dime a dozen.</p>
<p>And what field is that???–1000’s of barista’s would love to know.</p>
<p>Good article echoing my belief that companies no longer do mgt training and that’s why b-school grads do better today than 30 years ago. Mgt wants plug and play.</p>
<p>[Why</a> Companies Can’t Find the Employees They Need - WSJ.com](<a href=“Why Companies Can't Find the Employees They Need - WSJ”>Why Companies Can't Find the Employees They Need - WSJ)</p>
<p>Market research. Plenty of math and stats people around. What’s really needed are the people who can find insight. Psych, sociology and anthropology backgrounds are in demand. </p>
<p>Really, this confirms this silly naive STEM triumphalism – it’s like people in these fields are really <em>completely unaware</em> of well-paying positions / fields that aren’t science / engineering. Could they do any more to reinforce the stereotypical STEM geek stereotype, than to be completely oblivious of companies/ fields other than their own? Good grief, to listen to them, you’d think that everyone just works in a lab or makes lattes, nothing else out there.</p>
<p>I was an engineering major who loves the liberal arts however I have found that appreciation and gaining knowledge in them can be attained in many different ways. I got classwork in by concentrating non-tech electives in arts, social sciences and music. I regularly attended free concerts, plays and lectures offered on and off campus. And most important I have been a lifelong reader and concert/theater attendee.</p>
<p>I am perhaps the only person in America currently reading Sir Walter Scott’s Guy Mannering on my NOOK at the present time. Quite good btw if you can manage to decipher Scott’s local colloquial dialogue found throughout the book, kind of like peter Matthiessen’s Far Tortuga.</p>
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<p>I don’t believe I ever said they were.</p>
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<p>Never said they were</p>
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<p>Never said they should</p>
<p>I rather enjoy market research and do some of it in my job too. More macro than micro.</p>