“Past” by Hartwig HKD
If so, think beyond the moment they step off of campus; think beyond the first job and beyond the first five years. Here is why: you are setting them up to fail.
You see, you are right about one thing: “intense focus on extrinsic rewards [like money] can indeed deliver fast results” (Pink 76-77). So, yes, if your son or daughter graduates with a degree in science or engineering, there is a good chance he or she will make more money the moment they step off of college campuses. “The trouble is,” argues Daniel Pink in his book Drive (2009), “this approach is difficult to sustain [. . .]. The most successful people [. . .] often aren’t directly pursuing conventional notions of success [like money]. They’re working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about the world, and accomplish something that endures” (77). In other words, by focusing on money, you are killing off your son’s or daughter’s intrinsic motivation and drive toward life-long success. And in the end, they will be poorer individuals because of it.
While making a good salary is important, and we all wish our children will be able to support themselves generously, we must remember that scientific evidence shows “that individuals motivated by money have poorer psychological health,” including more self-defensive and publicly self-conscious behavior, while people who are intrinsically motivated by learning and growth “have higher self-esteem, better interpersonal relationships, and greater general well-being” (Pink 78). Individuals whose motivators are not money, are “devoted to becoming better and better at something that matters. And these quests for excellence are connected to a larger purpose (Pink 78-79).
So the next time you encourage your son or daughter to pursue a science-based degree, consider how studies in art and literature, world cultures or theatre, philosophy or Latin can develop your child’s intrinsic desire to learn and grow, to question and argue, to wonder, to imagine and to tell new stories that will not only change their worlds for one or five years, but will change your kids for a life-time, for the better.
One Response to “Are you encouraging your child to choose a major that will pay a high salary?”
December 3, 2013
Craig PerrinThank you for buiding and maintaining this wonderful site.
A mother recently told me she was counseling her high-school senior to avoid “frivolous majors.” “Frivolous?” “Yes, like English or history.” Here’s how I should have replied: Long ago, I received two degrees in humanities from San Francisco State. I studied Plato, Aristotle, Mozart, Bach, Freud, Jung, Joyce, Darwin, Nietzsche, Homer, Raphael, Stravinsky, and many others. My professors taught me, in essence, to distinguish among and then connect unlike things. Where has this skill led? I’ve been an art curator, college instructor, film writer and producer, author, and developer of leadership training. So my early interests continue to guide my career, though not always in obvious ways. Based on that experience, I supported my three sons’ desire to seek liberal arts degrees: Do what you love, I told them, seize your opportunities, and the money will come. The eldest got his BA in English, switched to psychology, and is now an assistant university professor. The middle son graduated in violin performance from Eastman with a second degree in psychology. Last year he soloed on a Stradivarius at Carnegie Hall. The youngest, who just finished his masters in English lit at the University of Rochester, is just starting to make his way. So, in my experience, regardless of what the world thinks, a grounding in the arts and humanities has, has always had, and will continue to have enormous value, both human and economic.
As a side note, I was pleased to see your references to Dan Pink’s “Drive.” In 2011, I worked closely with Ed Deci (co-founder of Self-Determination Theory, the research that Pink has popularized) to develop a leadership training program called “Needs-Based Coaching,” now used in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.