Thursday, November 16, 2006
majoring
Laura muses today about a Florida school program that's requiring 8th graders to select a "major" and a "career". As am I, she is disturbed by this. It's one thing if a child is naturally driven and focused on something (Hemingway and writing, for example) but altogether another if our choices are narrowed and restricted externally. Most people are going to spend at least five decades, maybe as many as eight, at work and in careers, and I'm not sure that there's a prayer of choosing well without knowing oneself thoroughly. I know we live in the age of self esteem but that's not necessarily the same thing as self awareness. Almost every adult I know would major and minor in different subjects than they did in college. Many would want different jobs and pursue different careers. I'm guessing no one's mentioning anthropologist or aesthetician (the philosophical kind, not the day spa kind) to these eighth graders. Or textile designer or ice cream flavor tester. Or any of the many many possibilities there are. Plus, despite how mature we think we are when we're kids, we're not, and very few of us are encouraged to develop and recognize the quirks and enthusiasms that make us who we are - and give us a chance to be reasonably happy people. I'd love it if we could institutionalize going to college at 30 for people who want to after they've had some experience at figuring out their actual dislikes and passions, not the ones they thought they ought to have when their parents and teachers talked about it. In fact, far from it being a good idea to narrow things down in 8th grade, choices and possibilities should be expanded and widened much much further, don't you think?
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