Evaluating Current Proposals for Education Reform, Essay Example

In my opinion, the fact that there are so many individuals nowadays who pursue careers in STEM concentrations is a great thing. To others, however, these types of concentrations could prove to be specifically detrimental to society in the upcoming years. The argument that is brought about with this kind of thinking is that since there are too many individuals focusing on the sciences, there is a lack of individuals who pursue the arts. The current proposal for education reform that has been brought about by many organizations who urge individuals to seek STEM concentrations is nothing short of absurd for many individuals. What everyone must become cognizant of, however, is the actuality that there are as many benefits as there are disadvantages to the individuals as well as to the world economy for those people who choose to pursue careers in the STEM categories.

A major reason as to why many individuals choose to pursue science related majors in college is because they have a tendency to pay better than the arts. In this materialistic world that we live in, many individuals have take it upon themselves to follow whatever career will pay them better in the approximate future. What this means is that many people are choosing to leave behind their true passions in order to live a more lucrative lifestyle when they grow up. While this should not be considered a bad thing (given the fact that all individuals should have the ability to study whatever they want for whatever incentive they might have) this could ultimately prove to be detrimental to society in many ways.

One of the major manners through which society could be harmed, as explained Justin Brady, a writer for the Washington Post, is that innovation might soon cease to exist. Of course, this is not a very structurally-sound argument given the fact that there is plenty of room for innovation in technological advances with the study of STEM courses. However, what Mr. Brady is attempting to portray by saying this is that the study of art usually leads down a path of greater innovation because it is usually what individuals are most passionate about. The reason as to why there have been so many amazing technological advances in the previous years has been due to the fact that there has been sort of an equilibrium between those who choose to pursue the sciences and those who choose to pursue the arts. The result from this is a society what has great knowledge on what kind of technology they want to build as well as individuals who know how to imagine the possibilities with such a technology at hand.

Nevertheless, the concentration on STEM courses should not be deemed as a bad thing. STEM courses are what opens individuals minds to endless possibilities within the science world. With the new technology that has become available to us throughout the years, it is imperative that there are those who know how to make use of the technology at hand. A problem that has arisen, as explained by Alexandra Ossola from The Atlantic, is that the United States has proven to be concentrating too much on STEM courses. While Ms. Ossola acknowledges that the study of the sciences can prove to be a great thing for numerous reasons, she is able to explain the manner in which the United States is creating a worldwide problem by focusing too much on the STEM courses. The article goes on to explain the manners by which STEM courses could indeed prove to be beneficial to the world economy, but then explains the negative aspects about all of this STEM hype.

With the growth of STEM courses and people concentration in such an area of study, there has proven to be quite a big gap in income between those who choose to pursue STEM concentrations and those who do not. Many individuals argue that this should be eliminated because of the fact that everyone should be willing to pursue their passions and not have to invariably suffer in the future because of the simple fact that they chose to follow their passions and find out where it would take them.

What everyone must become cognizant of is the actuality that there are as many benefits as there are disadvantages to the individuals as well as to the world economy for those people who choose to pursue careers in the STEM categories. Therefore, without question, it should be determined to the individual whether he or she wishes to pursue a long extenuating career in the sciences or the arts. While there is no wrong answer or incentive as why individuals should choose one over the other, there should certainly not be organizations who promote the study of something over the other. This is due to the manner in which these individuals are given preconceptions about what kind of career they should have in order to be deemed “successful” in today’s society. It is without a doubt that these type of guidelines limit the growth of the individuals and do not allow him or her to pursue what he or she truly has a passion for. The reason as to why it should be extremely important for one to pursue what he or she likes is because when one does, one is able to locate the infinite opportunities for growth that are offered through one’s respective career. Therefore, in order to be truly successful, individuals should pursue what they believe will make them genuinely happy in life.