Well, why are we here?
That question, the issue and several opinions have dominated the online comments at the Daily News Web site the past few days.
Is our education meant to prepare us for a career that can support us and our future families? Is it meant to give us a greater understanding of the world and the people and things in it? Is it a combination of the two? The issue could be debated for hours.
It started with Derek Wilson's Friday column. In so many words, he stated "hobby majors" weren't conducive to making enough money and "Making more money is and should be your motivation for attending college."
That line of thinking provoked a lot angry responses and a few sympathetic to his sentiment. It also should provoke you to consider the issue, whether with yourself or someone else.
This probably isn't a dilemma you internally address on a daily basis. But it's definitely worth outlining what's important to you.
If you haven't asked yourself why we're in college, now is as good a time as any. We're in the midst of the worst economic downturn in 80 years. The Associated Press recently published a story about a few well-paying industries like nursing, engineering and energy research struggling to find enough qualified workers, even as the jobless rate is nearing 10 percent. To some people, switching majors into one of these industries would be worth it. Becoming qualified for one of these fields and getting a job there that pays a few thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars more could trump the reasons for choosing the original major.
As with any issue, this one has a spectrum of viewpoints and ideas. There could be countless things to consider when choosing a major: money, interests, talent, location, resources, the health of the market and whole economy and the list could go on a while.
Regardless of your reactions to Wilson's column, it raised a good question. For some people, finding an answer could be easy. It doesn't mean it's not an important question.
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