The Difference Support Makes

The more I think about it, the more I realize that one of the most influential factors on my degree choosing journey was not only my financial stability, but my parents' as well. When I graduated from high school in 2015, although my parents were financially stable, I knew I'd have to bring some sort of monetary help to the table once I later graduated from college. So, for about 2 or 3 years, I was seeking a degree in something that I believed would leave money after dedicating 4 years to the field of study.

In 2017, my parents began to talk about a piece of land in the Dominican Republic belonging to my mom that she had decided to sell. Once that happened and once we began to see more money coming in to our home, I decided to give the English major a try.

As I was researching potential reasons as to why the English discipline isn't so popular, I came across an article, Rich Kids Study English. The article referred back to findings from a sociologist, Kim Weeden, who looked at data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Weeden found that "the amount of money a college student's parents make does correlate with what that person studies. Kids from lower-income families tend toward "useful" majors, such as computer science, math, and physics. Those whose parents make more money flock to history, English, and performing arts" (Pinsker).

Sources:

Pinsker, Joe. “Rich Kids Major in English.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 6 July 2015, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/college-major-rich-families-liberal-arts/397439/.