i read this article today from the atlantic monthly (an old issue -- maybe dated 2 years ago?) about the pros of getting a liberal arts college-degree ... it made me feel grateful that i decided to major in something ... not only entirely useless/ impractical and dull (to some) but also ... something that i can actually state with knowledge.
does this make sense? i majored in history.
i had some regrets with it from time to time but after reading this article today, i felt that this area has taught me more than just history. no, i'm not going to praise it or anything. just a glowing feeling within. at least i appreciate humanity's history. enough to spend 3 miserable years studying/writing/reading/discussing/analyzing it. i don't sound too happy there.
i had other thoughts: i almost wanted to major in accounting. thought i'd be a good IRS employee. stalking and harassing the relentless anti-tax payers out there. i also thought about English. i am so glad i didn't major in English. i rather make my grammar mistakes freely without feeling guilty. English majors are too theory oriented anyway. then there was poli sci ---- and that didn't work cuz it was too complicated. and of course, biology. but i felt lazy. i was tired of those "lab" assignments. took too many of em in high school.
eh. i chose history cuz i could memorize things with ease. that's really it. i didn't have any other "decent" skills to begin with. i was lousy in everything almost. and now, i feel confident in many other areas. i'm doing web design/web programming, archival research, public speaking and teaching (at work), publishing articles and short pieces, and analytical/critical thinking (what do those even mean anyway?)
well, whatever it is, i've learned more about myself through history than i thought .... perhaps not a wrong major mistake.
