Don't Write Like Me

STEM Degrees and Other Weird Obsessions

Last month I asked you guys, "Is there a dream you're afraid of chasing?"

I can't believe the number of responses I got. And all of them were along the same lines:

"I want to do [this creative thing] but I have to do [this practical thing.]"

This hits home for me. When I was in high school, all my teachers and family members told me that I had to go to college to get a good job and make good money. Most people believe this dwells in the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  

I want to tell all of you this now: This obsession with STEM degrees is REALLY overrated.

I have a STEM degree. My major was computer science. To be fair, at the time, I really loved technology and wanted to work with computers and video games. I actually wanted the degree - it wasn't forced on me by anyone. When I enrolled, I was told repeatedly that it would be easy to find a job with my field. 

But then I graduated, and the US went into a recession. It took me four years to find a full-time job. 

Read that sentence again. 

My degree had cornered me. I had a shiny bachelor's degree in computer science, but no job experience. No one wanted to hire the over-qualified, under-experienced college graduate during hard times when no one could afford to hire anybody. 

I couldn't even pick up a part-time job as a waitress or salesperson because my degree had limited me to ONLY computers. But I couldn't find a job in computers. 

Oh, and did I mention that college in the US comes with a ridiculous amount of student loans? Because it does. 

I picked up a job at my church in the media department, making $60 a week. I picked up some odd jobs fixing computers, building websites, and game testing, but nothing turned into a full-time gig. 

I finally moved across the country and found a full-time job, and worked with online software for four years. I liked it for the first three years. By the fourth year, however, I was having panic attacks and had to take aspirin every day just to get through the day. I was drained of all life, and I hated waking up in the morning. 

And my paycheck? Average. Because unless you've been in the business for awhile, you're only going to make average money. 

I knew I couldn't take it anymore. I was born to be a writer. I was born as a creative. I had to do something, or else I was going to die of a stroke. 

So I got my certification in teaching English, quit my job, and moved to South Korea to teach English.  I switched from computer to English to support my creative passions. Teaching English makes me a better writer. It also sets me up with the skills I need to teach writing to wonderful creatives who want to write too. 

I've been here a year and a half, and I don't hate getting up in the morning. 

I'm telling you this story because I know you're trying to decide on your future, and it's crushing you. You have hundreds of people telling you to find job security, stability, and a good paycheck. 

I want to tell you - as a STEM degree major and as a teacher - that none of these things exist. They can't. The world isn't built for stability and security. 

You can spend 6 years getting your master's degree in STEM, 6 months finding the perfect stable job, another 6 years climbing your way to stability, and then get laid off and lose it all in 6 seconds. 

Nothing in this world is permanent, jobs included. And if you're going to spend 1/3 of your life working, you better make it something worth doing. 

Additionally, I don't buy into the obsession with "making good money." There are waitresses making more than I do. And honestly, if you suck with $20, you're going to suck with $200, so it doesn't matter what you get paid if you're bad with money. 

Most of you have expressed the concern of disappointing your parents. I understand. Growing up, I lived with my mom and grandmother, and they were two drastically different people when it came to my future. My mom always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted. She was stuck in a miserable job, and wanted me to chase my dreams. On the other hand, my grandmother wasn't happy with anything I did. Even if I succeeded at something she wanted me to do, she still considered me a failure. She even refused to come to my college graduation. Both times. 

There will always be people that will support you in whatever you do, and those who will never be happy with what you do. Your parents want what's best for you, but in the end, you decide what that is. 

Don't worry about disappointing your parents. Worry about disappointing the thousands of people that need your gifts. There are people that need your passions, your voice, and your creative talents, to inspire them and encourage them. Don't rip them off. 

If you want to chase STEM degrees, go for it. We need scientists, technicians, teachers, and accountants. They're absolutely valuable to society in every way. And they're awesome fields! But don't give up your passions or creative talents for a "safe" job that makes everyone BUT YOU happy. This is your life. You're the one that has to face your regrets on your death bed. No one else. 

As someone a little further down the road, this is my advice: Work for awhile. Decide what you enjoy doing. Build up some skill sets. Go to college for something that supports your gifts, whether they're creative or scientific. DON'T get student loans. Learn how to use money like a millionaire, not like an employee. Let your soul and your gifts loose. Be content.

My favorite saying is, "Life is not a dress rehearsal." You only have one shot. Go all in. Don't hold back because you're afraid of disappointing someone. Chances are, you will disappoint someone. But their disappointment is not your responsibility. I know that's hard to hear. It sounds selfish. But you have to be. You have to selfishly guard and nourish your gifts, or else they're going to fade into nothing, and all the lives you could have positively affected will still be waiting. 

Remember, my fellow Kpoppers: RM was almost an office worker. BTS almost didn't exist for the sake of parent-pleasing and job stability. Now, BTS is one of the most famous music groups in the world, and I guarantee they're making more money than office workers. 

More importantly, they're touching thousands of lives with their gifts. 

So don't hold back. Someone is waiting for your gift. 

I'm going to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Erwin Raphael McManus:

"You're not supposed to die with your potential. A life well lived squeezes all the potential placed within and does something with it."