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True Value

Interesting post about the value of social sciences or the lack thereof.  It is not a "legitimate" science and has not produced in world-changing results like locomotives or vaccines. So why bother to study it. I crossed this fork in the road when I was nearing the end of high school. Anyone who knew me knew that in my heart I was a humanities student and I would love to study "useless" stuff like literature, social sciences and such. Yet, I was raised with the idea that becoming financially independent is the most important goal a woman can aspire for - the sooner the better, the more of this independence her chosen career brings her the greater her chance to get the other parts of her life right. This was the mantra for me and to that end studying engineering made sense - I had decent math and physics, enough to hold my own and get through the degree. Did all of that and the rest is history. 

Every day, I wonder why I am still doing what I don't love as a means to make money and when does this stop, can I ever get off what feels like a conveyor belt and do something that is actually meaningful to me. So when time came for J to think about what to study in high school and beyond, I thought I could do better. She was equally good at arts and sciences. Math came to her naturally and she was excited about it. That gave her a lot of options. We made sure she had equal exposure to all subjects she had any interest in and found the thing that got her excited to apply effort on everyday. At some point that could connect her to a source of decent income as well. From my own life experience, I have learned that those who keep working at something everyday out of love for that thing come to a level of perfection others simply cannot match. Perfection leads to other bounties over time - it is organic.

J does have a lot of math in her life but not study any hard sciences or engineering. So far the signs are she loves the opportunities she has encountered as a result. I hope she will wake up every morning of excited about the work day and eager to plunge head-first into it. That to me is the value of social sciences.

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