0 The Michigan Daily
3C
MAKE MONEY NOW,
THINK GREAT THOUGHTS LATER
STUDENTS ARE PUTTING CAREERS BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT.
WHY THAT'S OK.
f you talk to almost any academic
adviser at the University they'll
tell you to pursue a career not
because it would make your rich, but
because itcmakes you happy.
According to the US census
though, most students would respond
that being rich is exactly whatmakes
them happy.
The census dat, released last
month, show that about 75 percent
of freshman in 2005 said that being
very well off was a primary personal
objective.
The statistic probably doesn't
come as too much of a surprise. And
making money can hardly be con-
strued as a bad thing.
But this is what would really make
your academic advisor squirm: Only
45 percent said they had avery impor-
tant personal objective of developing
a meaningful philosophy in life.
Given that a so many students are
looking to find themselves fabulous
wealth - the highest number the cen-
sus has ever recorded - and just a slim
minority of students looking to find
themselves, this year's sophomore
class may be the most pragmatic ever.
It's difficult trying to listen the
advice of an idealistic academic
adviserthattells youto shoot for your
dreams, and still heed the warning
of Governor Jennifer Granholm who
prophecies that Michigan's will sink
if it can't usher ina knowledge-based
economy, and educatethe necessarily
technologically savvy workers of the
future. The academic advisor maybe
telling you not to rule out that film
class but the governor is begging you
to consider engineering.
So how much can it hurt to take
that math class and skip philosophy?
The answer is debatable. When
classes that are directly applicable to
potential careers are offered at the
University, often spaces fill up days
before freshman get to their registra-
tion date. Consequently, resources
are poured into departments that
prepare students for careers, leaving
more obscure classes, like Jewish
theatre and the theory of Japanese
brushwork, out in the cold. That
means we're probably robbing the
workforce of people educated about
Japanese painting, which doesn't
seem so bad. But when it becomes the
next big industry, University grads
who ignored the class will be strug-
gling to catch up, not to mention the
troubles of University's program
which may have gone neglected and
under funded.
Before the Middle East became
a hot-button issue, the University
had one of the few comprehensive
programs for Middle Eastern stud-
ies. There was a day when Prof. Juan
Cole, whose expertise on Iraq and
surrounding regions is hotly sought
after, was a relatively obscure aca-
demic. Had administrators not con-
tinued to direct resources into the
program, there's no way the Uni-
versity would be the powerhouse
for research and ideas about Middle
Eastern issues it is today.
It's easy to get hungup oncthe prac-
tical subjects,to acquiesce to our par-
ents' pleas and take Economics 101
instead of Philosophy 402, also called
Freedom of the Will, but students'
practicality could leave potentially
explosive fields unexplored. The
LSA offices have signs hanging call-
ing for someone to "Save the liberal
arts." Has knowledge become less of
an end in itself instead a means to get
into that Tudor house somewhere far
from Ann Arbor?
It's possible. But it might not be a
bad thing.
In an increasingly competitive
workforce, it's no sin to take any leg
up you can get - and a specialized,
career-oriented curriculum can
make a difference on a resume. A big
part of being a respectable citizen is
being financially independent, not
only to avoid being a burden on fel-
low taxpayers, but so one day you can
donate money to the University so
that it can keep its offbeat programs
running and save the liberal arts.
It's not a crime that we're work-
inghard nowto make sure we'll have
time to leisurely sip our martinis and
think about meaningful philosophies
later. There's an old proverb that says
something to this effect: Money can't
make you happy, but the lack thereof
will sure as hell make you unhappy.
Indeed, most of us would rather dedi-
cate out time and effort to picking out
charities on which to lavish our for-
midable fortunes rather than fretting
over where the next meal will come
from.
And even though business was the
most popular major choice for fresh-
man in 2005, they weren't all busi-
ness, with nearly 40 percent saying
marijuana should be legalized. While
only 36.4 percent think that keep-
ing up to date with current affairs is
essential, it's worth noting that about
95 percent earned above a B- average
in highaschool.
The percentage of freshmen plan-
ning to major in arts and humanities
actually didn't fall too far behind that
of hopeful business majors, at 12.8 to
174 percent respectively. Even with-
out a humanities major, it's virtually
impossible to graduate (at least from
this University) without showing
professors you can think in terms
other than dollars.
Maybe so few of us checked the
box that said it was essential to
develop a meaningful life philosophy
because we already have a function-
ing philosophy. Maybe by checking
the other box instead we're affirm-
ing our commitment to the Ameri-
can ideal. If we expect to compete
in a global market place we'll have to
increase our productivity first and
philosophy second. And by keeping
America at the top of the economic
pecking order we'll ensure that the
philosophies of the at roughly 45 per-
cent of college sophomores intent on
developing them still have a place in
the global conversation.
We shouldn't start decrying the
mores of our generation. At least not
yet. When we're comfortably assured
that our survival isn't in jeopardy,
that's when we'll sit back, stop think-
ing about income tax, and focus on
Thoreau.
This article originally
ran on Jan. 17, 2007.
WHAT THEY PICKED
Last year's census asked freshmen what values they thought were very important or
essential. This is what they said.
0
BEING VERY
WELL OFF
FINANCIALLY.
80%
70%-
60%
1950%0
40%{- - - - '- '-2 -*
1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005
8
DEVELOPING A
MEANINGFUL
PHILOSOPHY
OF LIFE
80%1
70%1
LZi60% F-
V [
wv
50 1 1 2
30% ----- ---- - - -- --- ' -- - -t
1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005
60%-
KEEPING UP
TO DATE WITH 40%
POLITICAL
AFFAIRS* 30w
NO INFORMATION WAS 20%
AVAILABLE FOR1985
1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005
GRAPHS BY BY BRIDGET O'DONNELL/Daily
We could have told you about all the
concerts, sports events, lectures,
publications, free trips to Israel,
theater productions, gourmet lunches
and dinners, social justice projects,
alternative spring break trips to
South America and great parties...
...but we only have one page.
www.um *11e .org