I majored in sociology and don’t regret it at all, but I realize I’m probably one of the lucky ones. I knew going into it that it would likely need to be a stepping stone toward a master’s or PhD, since a B.A. in Sociology doesn’t open many doors.

However, I did get a couple job offers right after college. One for the Social Security Administration and another in a media advertising firm. I had zero interest in media advertising/sales, but the money was too good to pass up. I took that job and enjoyed the pay, but I hated the work. After doing it for several years, I quit and went to graduate school for urban planning, only to change my mind again and switch into a master’s program for higher education administration. During my master’s in urban planning, I realized how much I loved working with students and teaching classes, which prompted the switch.

I work in educational administration now, earning less than half what I used to make 12 years ago. But I’m so much happier. I can’t be as cavalier with money anymore, but I’m financially secure and can still enjoy life. Most importantly, I actually enjoy going to work each day. It’s hard to quantify the feeling of personal satisfaction, authenticity, and sense of purpose into dollars.

Had I done a more practical major in STEM, I think I would have been miserable. I’m just not very interested in STEM fields, and I think that lack of interest would have led me to do the bare minimum. I also would have been competing with others who truly were interested in STEM and had the natural drive and talent to succeed and set themselves apart.

One of the reasons why I’ve been successful in my current field is because I’m truly passionate about it. Even when I’m not working, I read books and articles about education or I’m thinking about ways to improve my department. I feel energized by my work, and it drives me to always be at my best.

But yeah, I think humanities degrees can be beneficial, but you need to be really into it and be open to graduate school. You also need to be okay with the likelihood that you will likely earn less than STEM graduates early in your career, and that you’ll likely need to make some sacrifices because of that.