Major Trade-Offs: Balancing Passion and Career

In a recent article for The Santa Clara, Taylor Cook discussed how “small majors”–most of which are in the humanities–feel left behind at Santa Clara. This is especially poignant for these students and faculty as recent fundraising efforts and new developments on campus have benefitted STEM-related fields.

This article and trend struck a chord with me. I am double majoring in finance and political science, so I understand the differences between more technical majors and those in the humanities. Both have value, and I think that Santa Clara can invest more in “big” major facilities while still supporting our humanities programs.

When I was first deciding on my major, I did feel like I had to choose between my passion and what made sense career-wise. My true passion is learning about U.S. history. It was my favorite subject. In high school, I volunteered with the National Archives to transcribe old letters and archival documents to be published online.

Illustration by Yael Grimaldi

But then reality hit me. What could I realistically do with a history degree? Maybe become a teacher? Unfortunately I do not like kids–so that quickly nixed my career as an educator. So, as I was applying to college, I realized that I should make a career-focused decision and enroll as a finance major.

As I took more and more classes at Santa Clara, I realized I made the right decision. I remain passionate about my political science major, but I now realize how much more difficult recruiting would have been without my finance degree for a post-grad job.

I do concede that humanities provide the foundation for our Jesuit Cura Personalis education. As a liberal arts institution, we should and must provide a diverse core curriculum that enables all Santa Clara students to explore topics that are beyond their major. Yes, some students complain that these core classes are a waste of time. However, I think educating the whole person is important–even when it feels like an inconvenience.

Santa Clara is in the heart of Silicon Valley. I think that continued investment in our STEM facilities is logical, especially considering how technology can and does have a large impact on our society and future. From a purely financial standpoint, it also makes sense to increase potential enrollment in STEM and some business majors since that is where enrollment growth is concentrated.

You should spend some time exploring your passions at Santa Clara. But you should also be realistic about what career you want to pursue post-graduation. Life is about trade-offs, and I think choosing a “big” major makes logical sense.