From a young age, children are forced into a metaphorical never-ending game of tug of war. The battle between humanities and STEM is one ingrained into the forefront of society. It’s not uncommon for kids to be asked whether they are a “math” or “English” person; however, this choice goes beyond which subject one prefers in elementary school. It bleeds into high school and possible future careers. 43% of 218 surveyed students feel pressured to specialize in either STEM or humanities. This feeling of needing to fully devote yourself to your field of choice causes students to only take classes based on that field, which produces early signs of specialization and narrows students’ views of what one should be taking to better their future.
“I’ve always been interested in languages, English class and art,” Liana Carr (’26) said. “So my parents, sisters and friends kind of expect that’s the route I will take in life.”
As pressure builds, it’s common for students to start identifying as a STEM or a humanities person–frequently attributing their identity to whether they are right or left brained. Despite the abundance of Buzzfeed quizzes, TikToks and Instagram reels that argue towards the brain having a certain side, this widely held conception is false. While certain parts of the brain are responsible for different tasks, people don’t have a dominant side. According to the Smithsonian Science Education Center, “While it’s true that certain mental processes tend to occur in either the right or left hemisphere of the brain, research into the topic has found no evidence that people have stronger networks on one side of the brain or the other.”
This popular neuromyth has taken root in our modern culture. Self-perception of potential abilities are a large predictor for how one will perform in a subject. Once a student declares they are “not a math person”–they can subconsciously cause that to become true, or play out in their own life.
Not only is fully devoting oneself to one specialty a flawed representation of human biology–it can harm one’s ability to achieve their potential.
This isn’t to say that one shouldn’t pursue their interests. But an individual’s potential is often much greater than the binary good or bad.
Whether it is natural or not, some argue that preparing for careers demands students to specialize in the field they plan to go into. For example, if a student wants to become a lawyer, they should focus on subjects like English or law. However, it might also be beneficial to take classes like statistics or criminal justice in order to deepen one’s understanding of the world around them and better their law skills. Other than taking obvious classes in your field of interest, it is always important to remember there are many skills that can be gained from taking other courses.
“You’re supposed to pick [your courses based on] what you plan on doing in the future, but at the same time, I don’t know really know what I want do in the future so it very hard in my opinion to choose the course that could change the trajectory of your life,” Lucas Salinas-Aranib (’27) said.
However, this idea rests on the inaccurate assumption that teenagers know exactly what skills and information will be needed for a future career path and that high school students know where their journey will take them.
Most modern jobs don’t fall into the neat boxes that are classified so rigidly in high school. Healthcare requires scientific problem-solving skills as well as succinct communication in writing. Successful business careers demand data analysis as well as technological advancement. Students will need to be able to adapt and learn new things out of their comfort zones, as information is less important than workplace skills learned over time.
So rather than boxing oneself in, it is important to keep an open mind that will prepare students for the future.
