As an English major turned Business student, I am often asked, "How did that happen?! How do those two subjects even relate?" This always makes me chuckle because for me, there is no separating the two. My love for literature can be summed up in one statement made by George R.R. Martin: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Ever since I can remember, I have been consistently and constantly amazed at the number of people that I have come to know through reading. I have come to know Martin Luther King, Jr., Harry Potter, Jane Eyre and Anne Frank on very personal levels. What amazes me is that they are all like me and you. They have experienced great tragedy and they have felt great joy. They have struggled to connect with their peers and they have fallen in love. They have had their voice taken away and they have been given great responsibility. Literature taught me that we are all fundamentally the same, and in realizing this, my love for literature evolved into a passion for the human person and a deep desire to serve.
Becoming a business student after having been an English major is therefore not a desperate attempt to get a job, and it's certainly not an abandonment of what I truly love. It is an extension of my education in people-in who we are as humans and in how I can best serve and connect with those around me. The knowledge and skills that I have gained as an English major serve as the perfect foundation for learning about business: the main way that the characters of this world interact and take care of each other. In earning my Master's degree in Business Analysis, I am obtaining the practical skills that will enable me to best serve others in the non-profit and for-profit world. These skill sets combined will undoubtedly prepare me for the next part of my journey, in which I hope to change the business world for the better as I endeavor to serve the humans that I have come to identify with and love.
I think it's great how you have figured out how to take the combination of both skill sets and apply them to your passion to make sure you can truly make a difference when you are ready to enter the world beyond school. Your reasoning behind your venture into the MSBA program makes perfect sense, so fight back if anyone suggests otherwise!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, I did multiple degrees before I could find something I wanted to do forever. I went from political economy to german to accounting. I think the other majors were still very helpful, and courses I took can still be related to classes I take in the MSA program now.
ReplyDeleteI loved the line "Becoming a business student after having been an English major is therefore not a desperate attempt to get a job, and it's certainly not an abandonment of what I truly love." I think that is so true. Business gives us tools to pursue our passions, not to abandon them.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I almost wrote "Business...our passions, not to abandon it" but then realized passions is plural, and since I'm commenting on an English Major's blog I figured I'd at least try to get the noun and pronoun to agree.
Laura, I'm always in awe of your story - so well-put! Ever since I met you on senior retreat team, I have come to know you as a passionate, dynamic person and it certainly is conveyed in your story! ...Also, I'm always looking for a good book to read next - any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteAnatole - what you said is amazing - "Business gives us tools to pursue our passions, not to abandon them." Couldn't agree more. That is the exact reason I chose to go into the MSBA program.
Lovely story Jessica. As Jessica said, "so well put". I love how your passion for literature evolved into a passion for the human person and a deep desire to serve.
ReplyDeleteKeep doing what you love and by so doing, you will make an impact and positively influence the lives of others around you.
I've been thinking that by having liberal arts majors we are almost cheating. We know the true needs of the human person, not just their passing needs, and so in the end we have the products that will always sell. These aren't just passing fashions or whims. They are what the human person ontologically needs.
ReplyDeleteYes, Laura truly gets it!
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