<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your major?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a question I\u2019m sure you will hear at least 100 times within your first week of arriving on campus. For me, it was a question that got old fast: How can you proclaim what you\u2019re studying when you\u2019ve (most likely) never taken a university-level course on the subject? Even more so, you likely can\u2019t even officially declare a major until you\u2019ve taken the pre-requisites courses, so most people are actually just taking a shot in the dark, a temporary placeholder for the time being.<\/p>\n
On one hand, the question\u2019s prevalence can indicate a society oriented around the value of work: The first question you often ask someone is what they do for work, not where their passions lie or what things they love. Of course, there\u2019s an implicit assumption that their work is their passion, but I would argue that this claim only rings true for a limited number of people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other hand, a potentially more positive outlook is that the question asks people to share their interests. What sparks curiosity? What do you desire to dig deep into, to start to become an expert in? How do your personal passions translate into an educational system?\u00a0<\/p>\n