<p>Here is my speculation as to why it may appear or be that engineering or science majors have this view:</p>
<p>-the difficulty: as one post stated above, the lab reports alone are often at least 8 pages. Labs are often done weekly. Writing one page essays or a handful of 5-8 page reports in a English or humanities course is not a comparable workload; and so the eng/sci majors end up shaking their heads when hearing their peers complain- and then this is what you see. It’s not that they are looking down on the person doing a different major; but they likely find a comparison of workload or difficulty ridiculous. Is it not?</p>
<p>-Going off of what yet another poster said regarding the actual appreciation of engineering or the sciences in the workforce…
I think a certain level of resentment does indeed build up when someone pursues a much more difficult major, particularly when the reason is that that major is much more useful/practical/beneficial to society; and when a degree and job using that major becomes undervalued, under-appreciated, etc.</p>
<p>For the science majors, graduate school is much more necessary. This may mean a decade spent in college or more, depending on the level. And even then, after getting the PhD, job opportunities are questionable and salary is low. In fact, salary may not increase much at all going from the four year undergrad degree to the 4/6/8 year graduate degree. But the science majors still pursue grad school to be able to do what it is they want to do; out of passion or drive. Science majors often feel as if studying and doing science is the only option for them, as it is often seen as the most worthwhile pursuit. The best means to better our species and to learn about ourselves…what else could be better?
And then these same people leave graduate school, and have a hard time finding jobs (very often having to hold ‘post-doctorate’ positions with low pay that are temp and last only a year or two, before struggling to secure something else and pay off all that student debt).
I am a science major and I am aware of the above because I have done the research and talked to people. I know what is coming and I still want to follow through, but I will admit that I don’t think it is right that in our society/country/world such people as myself who follow that passion, something so needed, end up with shaky job prospects and with far less pay than others who “got lucky” by knowing the right people or just by choosing the best paying majors/getting connections etc. etc.
It is not with the individual that this problem lies; it is with the way science is valued. Yet not much changes because the people who go through all of it continue to do and why? Because of their love for it. There is no other reason to follow through with something so uncertain, so low on returns considering all that goes into it.</p>
<p>Engineering fares far better with job prospects/salary, but it is not difficult to see why they may still hold a bit of resentment/frustration when they are frequently under appreciated or if they happen to be on par with a peer with a degree in business: the skill set at the end of these two degrees in just not comparable…</p>
<p>So in summary, as a science major myself I do not ‘look down’ on others; but I do look down on the way society under appreciates and undervalues our scientists and engineers, while these same people have and are creating everything useful and important in our lives…
And the workload is greater, yes. The argument that to some eng./scientists writing or humanities or art courses would be hellish holds little value because of the level of diligence/work ethic required of engineering/sciences:
I would propose that if an engineering or science major who was the worst artist was told in the middle of one of their upper level courses that they must create the most beautiful and perfect painting according to professor X, that they would practice and practice and draw and redraw until their resulting artwork was sufficient. They may not have the aptitude for art, or music, or other fields that people in those fields do, but they are sure diligent enough that they could learn- this is proved in what is required of them in the types of coursework taken.
So then I would go on to say that the difference in curriculum between sci/eng and not is what is required in terms of work ethic/diligence, as well as difficulty- that these require a certain amount of intelligence, but that work ethic is what differentiates a ‘C/D’ science or engineering major from the ‘A/B’ ones.</p>
<p>And, going back to the original question, I want to emphasize that science and engineering majors very often go into these majors knowing what these professionals do and having great appreciation/respect for them and with a passion for the field.</p>
<p>Once you consider that everything around you, all that makes your life convenient or possible: electricity/air/transportation/cell phones/good health/average lifespan near 80/lack of diseases/etc…list could go on and on and on, basically everything that improves your life or makes sense of the world…</p>
<p>Once you realize that all of this is absolutely directly because of science and engineering, then you will understand why those in such majors don’t necessarily look down on other majors, but why they indeed rather value their own above all the above majors…
And in valuing their own majors above the others you will get the same impression- that they think less of the others.</p>
<p>It is basically because they have to; people who don’t choose other majors.</p>
<p>This is what I think.</p>