Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This quote helped me determine my major, as it should have helped everyone. Admittedly, before I decided to become an English major, I jumped from one future career to another. I tried to think about my personality and what I would enjoy doing while making heaps of cash. I would ultimately feel good about my decision only to be told I would never make any money. Eventually I said enough was enough and just chose something I knew I would enjoy doing even without money rolling in.
    Students are led to believe that the sole reason their choice in major should be determined is by how much money they will make once they graduate. Alfie Kohn, author of “The Schools Our Children Deserve” and “The Homework Myth,” wrote, “Some of the least inspiring approaches to schooling, and the least meaningful ways of assessing its success, follow logically from thinking of education not in terms of its intrinsic worth, or its contribution to a truly democratic society, but in the context of the 21st-century global economy.” Money should factor into our decision as students who live in the economy that we do, but when that gets in the way of actually learning and enjoying what we learn, it needs to be re-evaluated.  
     Annie Murphy Paul wrote an article titled “Is School Just For Getting a Good Job?” In this article she writes, “The good news is that research in the science of learning suggests that one choice we don’t need to make is between a rich, rigorous, engaging education and an education that prepares students for flourishing careers: these things are one and the same.” In today’s world, college students get what they pay for. No matter what major students choose, they will be provided with a curriculum that both challenges and prepares them for their future in the work force. I firmly believe that if a student chooses a major, and does not worry about the future income as much as he or she worries about getting an education and becoming prepared for a career, he or she will probably make more than enough money and will be in an enjoyable career.    Students who choose a major based solely on the probable income are more likely to drop out or change majors, which could cause them to spend more time and money on their education in the long run. If engineering is something you love and enjoy, then you should have no problem earning your degree, but if you decide to be an engineer based solely on the criteria of potential income, you will more than likely make a lot of money doing something you have no heart for. If you want to be a writer, chances are you will have many struggles getting published and earning a living until you do, but the struggles will fade away in comparison to seeing your work published.
    My point is this: If you love learning and follow your interests, then the money will follow. Do not follow the money. Follow your heart.