Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jocelyn McGregor [Click to enlarge]

Some students believe college is about finding a career in a field they love. Some students just want a degree so they can get a job that pays well. Some students are stuck in between, not knowing whether to follow a career they love or a career that pays well. Which student are you? How much are students sacrificing their happiness to land a good-paying job? How much are students sacrificing job security for a job they love?

Geoffrey Speakman, senior philosophy major, believes that the point of being in college is to find what you love.

"If you're here to get a secure paycheck, then you're not getting your money's worth. Life is too short to spend your youth securing a bigger paycheck," he said.

Speakman tried many different majors, but decided on philosophy in the end because it's the major that he loves the most.

He said his biggest fear would be to get stuck at a routine 40-hour a week job with no time to pursue life.

Lynee Beringuel, a senior, switched her major to communications studies after she decided to follow her religion and what she felt made her happy.

"The moment I switched to communication studies, I felt complete peace," she said.

Beringuel knows that a job with her full-time ministry (church) isn't going to be a lucrative position, but she said she's confident God will provide for her.

"It all goes back to what I believe in. I'm very secure that I don't do it for the money," she said.

A lot of students don't know what major to focus on, but a degree is something they want so they don't end up struggling in life.

"At this point, I don't know what major I want, but I know education is power, and education in the future will help me," said Janeen Perez, freshman criminal justice major.

Perez knows there is a balance between doing something she loves and having a stable income.

"I'm hoping to do something I love, but I also have to pay the bills," she said.

Students know they will eventually enter the workforce, and a degree in a major they love doesn't necessarily mean they'll get a job.

Asuka Ikegami, international business major, said there are many opportunities in business, even though it's a field she's not passionate about.

"I don't really enjoy it, but at least I'll have a degree I can get a job with," she said.

Ikegami also pointed out that even with a degree, you're not guaranteed a job because the job market is very competitive.

Sarah John, recent graduate of Sac State, went through the same struggle between picking a career she loved or a career that would provide a decent income. The former art major said she "lucked out" in switching her major to history, a field she likes and also pays well.

"Art just wasn't possible for me in the long run. It takes raw natural talent to make it, and I was just lucky that I like history," she said.

John changed careers when she realized how hard it was to enter the workforce with a concentration in art.

"Employers and people in the 'real world' looked down on my profession. They told me 'good luck with that because you're going to need it,'" she said.

In the end, John was pleased with her career change and offers her advice to students who are in the same struggle in college.

"Follow your heart, but use your head," she said.


Charles Weinstein can be reached at cweinstein@statehornet.com

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