Why would non-one percent families let their kids major in the humanities?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t pay 50K a year for my kid to major in humanities and I would discourage them doing it too, but by the time my kid picks a major they’re an adult. I’m not going to micromanage their decisions, especially a big one like that that they will have to live with, not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Again the only people who disagree with me are the independently wealthy.

[Anonymous]

DH and I are doctors and scientists, definitely not in the 1%, and our teen son is passionate about history. He does LATIN as well, and if his school offered ancient Greek, he'd do that too!

What do you want us to do? Force him into STEM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Again the only people who disagree with me are the independently wealthy.

I guess you can just keep ignoring all the people who are and were far from wealthy who disagree with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t pay 50K a year for my kid to major in humanities and I would discourage them doing it too, but by the time my kid picks a major they’re an adult. I’m not going to micromanage their decisions, especially a big one like that that they will have to live with, not me.

18 year olds aren’t adults. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until 25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Again the only people who disagree with me are the independently wealthy.

PP. No indoor plumbing. I was first generation college graduate. We didn't have enough food to eat and were grateful for "government cheese."

That's … not independently wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Some people just don’t care about prestige and doesn't function well when focused on social mobility. I was a humanity major knowing I could be driving a taxi at the end. Not everyone’s cut out to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. This world also needs social misfits, taxi drivers, line cooks, and janitors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
DH and I are doctors and scientists, definitely not in the 1%, and our teen son is passionate about history. He does LATIN as well, and if his school offered ancient Greek, he'd do that too!

What do you want us to do? Force him into STEM?

Yes. My immigrant parents forced me to do CS when my true passion is creative writing. Very grateful for that (although I resented it at the time), as I now have enough money and free time to do writing as a hobby. My undergrad friends who tried to be professional writers are miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people just don’t care about prestige and doesn't function well when focused on social mobility. I was a humanity major knowing I could be driving a taxi at the end. Not everyone’s cut out to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. This world also needs social misfits, taxi drivers, line cooks, and janitors.

Noble jobs, but I wouldn’t want my kid being part of the 50% of Americans who have trouble finding enough money for a $600 emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t pay 50K a year for my kid to major in humanities and I would discourage them doing it too, but by the time my kid picks a major they’re an adult. I’m not going to micromanage their decisions, especially a big one like that that they will have to live with, not me.

18 year olds aren’t adults. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until 25.

18-year-olds died in Afghanistan so the U.S. military would beg to differ.

Also all the people on these boards who married before the age of 25 will be reaaaaaallllll surprised you consider them a child.

[Anonymous]

Guess what? Not everyone wants to be rich or have a lot of money. In fact, some religions teach you to be poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Again the only people who disagree with me are the independently wealthy.

Alright, why's that an issue? You can acrue wealth many ways. Including shockingly enough via a humanities degree and with a enough intelligence to leverage your skillset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t pay 50K a year for my kid to major in humanities and I would discourage them doing it too, but by the time my kid picks a major they’re an adult. I’m not going to micromanage their decisions, especially a big one like that that they will have to live with, not me.

18 year olds aren’t adults. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until 25.

I don’t define adult as “somebody with a fully developed prefrontal cortex,” but still, most 18 year olds who have chosen a major change course at some point.

But the main thing is that it is their life! They have to live with the consequences of picking the major that they do, not me. So I am not going to interfere. (I am white and raised in the United States though, so I know that my decisions on this are colored by that background).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guess what? Not everyone wants to be rich or have a lot of money. In fact, some religions teach you to be poor.

“There is nothing noble about poverty.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posts here recently about major and concern distress. Why would non-wealthy or trust fund families ever let their kid major in something like philosophy or history?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/p2rdwp/firstgenlowincome_students_do_not_major_in_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

The point of college is social mobility. Why would you intentionally hamper that with a humanities degree? No judgement, just wondering.

Not everyone holds this view. There are other great reasons to go to college.

Again the only people who disagree with me are the independently wealthy.

I guess you can just keep ignoring all the people who are and were far from wealthy who disagree with you.

+1. I didn't grow up without indoor plumbing, but I was middle class, both my parents are teachers, I went to school largely on need based aid etc. I majored in history because that's what I wanted to study. I ended up going to going to law school and I make decent enough money, but I studied history because those were the classes that interested me. All of my friends from the history department are doing fine and very few of them were independently wealthy.