Murdering In Fear Shiffman Analysis

In Mark Shiffman’s essay Majoring In Fear, Shiffman addresses the increase in students drive to rack up credentials with hopes of landing their high paying, secure job ten years down the road, instead of focusing on what they are truly interested in. He argues that millennials trade out their passion for ambition out of fear of failure.This leads students to opt for the more “practical” areas of study, like the STEM field, and neglect what they may genuinely care about, like the arts or humanities. Shiffman is surely right about students putting their energy into activities that may build their resume out of uncertainty of the future instead of activities that are meaningful to them. Society should push students to pursue what inspires them instead of what career path offers the most job security. This will not only preserve students’ mental health, but also aid in the reverse of the decline in the studies of humanities. However, while I agree on most points, Shiffman fails to address the importance of STEM; in today’s ever changing society global technological competition is more important than ever on both political and economic levels.
The
decline of the importance placed upon and the studies of the humanities has significantly declined in the past years, creating a disconnect between modern society and what society once valued most. The 7% decline in the study of humanities between 2009 and 2011 supports that they have taken a backseat to math and science in the past years not only because of the way the world has evolved, but also because of the way students are pushed to study fields that yield secure jobs in engineering and science (Shiffman, 4). The ever expanding job market for engineers and chemists lures insecure students in with promises of security and sizable salaries. This leads students to lose themselves in a whirlwind of clubs and SATs in order to be more than qualified to get into the college and degree of their choice, compromising their passions for what can pay the bills. In my own experience I’ve given up my love of film for a degree in statistics, a choice that changed the path of my life. I watched my parents financially struggle the first few years of my life, and when they got on their feet, they never stopped preaching to that math and science degrees would keep me from struggling the way they did. They meant well, and in no way meant to ingrain me with a sense of urgent need to please them and earn that STEM degree I heard about all my life, it happened anyway. While it’s much too early to know if I regret these decisions I’ve made, the same cannot be said for others.
Students set out to join clubs and service projects while juggling their AP stacked classes in an effort to prepare themselves for college and build a strong foundation for their resumes. They rush from class to meetings, then back home to study for the quiz they have in the morning. I lived that life for all four years of high school and even as far back as seventh grade, and I can honestly say I had absolutely no interest in any of it whatsoever. I was that kid who wanted to be automatically accepted into my laundry list of potential colleges, and I can say that I did lose a bit of myself there at the end. When graduation comes around and you start over at college, all of those sleepless nights and tears before finals week don’t seem so worth it. They aren’t badges of dedication or pride, they’re a problem. Maia Szalavitz of Time reports that in 1986 “nearly 70% of freshmen put themselves in the top 10% of mentally stable people in their class; [in 2011] only 52% rate themselves that highly,” reinforcing the idea that as scholarly competition and pressure increases, so does stress. This anxiety is what drives kids to leave their passions behind in the pursuit of security and comfort.
While I agree with Shiffman in that it is important to preserve the humanities and students’ mental health, I must concede that technical degrees are just as important to preserve as the humanities.
Shiffman writes off technical degrees as “practical degrees” which they are, however I feel that he does not give them credit where credit is due. Pre Med majors put in just as much work as philosophy majors, just because there is a higher proportion of those studying maths and sciences doesn’t mean that their area of study should be belittled for being more popular. Furthermore, Shiffman does not address those students who are passionate about their “practical” degrees, those who are inspired by engineering or biology. Just because most people don’t get giddy over angular momentum doesn’t mean people like that aren’t out
there.
Majoring in Fear rightfully calls attention to the decline in the humanities and rise in student anxiety that is affecting students everywhere. Today’s academic culture puts students in a position where they feel that taking on STEM majors, marathon study sessions every night, and extreme stress are the only way to prepare for ‘the real world’. However Majoring in Fear does not call adequate attention to the importance of technical degrees and how much they do for societal progress. I believe it is best said in Dead Poet’s Society by the character John Keating, “We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” The quote beautifully illustrates why humanities are so important while still acknowledging the importance of sciences. Society as a whole must work together to change the norms of mental health among students and to recognize the significance of the humanities. We must take the steps to fix the issues, students will continue to be over stressed and the humanities may eventually be phased out. We must encourage students to study what they’re interested in and wind down with meaningful extracurriculars whether they be physics majors who race turtles or english majors who attend bible study.