Sohail Monga/ Contributing Writer
Art is commonly known as the study of human expression and their behavior in the societies and backgrounds. It has been present and relevant since ancient times as humans began exploring their creative side and later bringing it to life in the form of writings, paintings and musical expressions.
Science has led us to discovering things that give us what we have today, and helped expand humans’ understanding of the past, present, and future.
These two disciplines have simultaneously shaped our world, yet are worlds apart in every way. When we try to reason out why STEM has been given importance over the arts, the answer turns out to be subjective.
Both science and arts have pros and cons. The biggest issue most people have with art degrees is that they don’t seem bankable. Fine arts are among the lowest-earning majors, with a start off median annual salary of $31,800, according to a 2013 report by Payscale.
A second con people see with an arts degree is that they don’t seem to have the structure STEM or other fields have. These may deter people from pursuing an art degree, but one thing to remember is that the fine arts do have their pros in that they can help expand a person’s horizon, develop critical and creative thinking and foster communication skills.
Technology and science has made what was deemed impossible decades ago a reality. This has also led to more financial incentives for STEM majors, which automatically attracts more people, thus creating a cycle for growth all around the world.
Six of the top ten most demanded majors in 2017 are STEM-related ones, according to CNBC. These majors range from software engineering to a physician. Another study by Forbes shows that 11 out of top 15 most valuable majors to do today are STEM-related. These statistics clearly point to the economics of the STEM industry as there is a higher demand and supply for these majors.
While STEM is popular and many see it as a great career path because STEM majors, on average, earn $65,000 after graduation, according to a report by the Department of Education, a U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2014 that 74 percent of individuals who earned a bachelor’s degree in a STEM major weren’t employed in the STEM field.
Although both have their respective advantages and drawbacks, it’s no secret that there is a higher demand and supply of STEM-related majors and professions.
Not only have the advancements in technology provided many developed countries to stay relevant as developing countries experience economic developments and growth, but it has also given endless opportunities to developing nations as many companies, domestic and international, recruit people from all over the world. Thus, it has also decreased world unemployment rate.
On the other hand, the arts and humanities have generated a lot of controversy rather than debunking different theories, resulting in subjectivity from different groups of people and hindering any scope of growth or development.
This could also be a reason for people switching to STEM majors as they might feel their opinion is irrelevant. But in cases of science, which deeply relies on logic and reasoning, more facts are found on the basis of logic and factual information obtained before.
As our society becomes more technology-dependent, it substitutes art for what has now become common knowledge. Things like information on historical events and psychological effects of stress can easily be found online, so people would rather spend their money and time for educational areas which are relatively new and lucrative today and in the future.
Adding to the fact of subjectivity, financial and economical standpoint of today’s globalization and fierce competition, arts have slowly become obsolete, whereas everyday, science provide us with endless opportunities.
As our society becomes more technology-dependent and modernized, it limits the time people spend on reflection, recollection of the past and common knowledge, as these can be learned easily online.
But they rather spend their time, which would not only give them financial security, but also a status in the society, which is still very important in many parts of the world.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo taken from Flickr.
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