Analysis Of Mark Edmundson's Article

In his article, Mark Edmundson discusses an ever increasing problem orbiting around university education– the misconception that studying something that could land you a high paying job trumps studying something that you love for the sole reason that you wouldn’t be able to earn as high as an income with that field of study. Edmundson also brings up the fact that before students get to college, they’re being told who they all their lives. Whether it be by their parents, their teachers, coaches —whoever, by the time most people get to that next step of their lives they don’t have their own definition of who they are. And that’s Edmundson argues what the main point of college is; discovering who you are and what you love. It’s not about preparing

The age old question was posed by grandfather. “What do you plan on studying at school?” That question had always haunted me, mainly because the answer never seemed to impress anyone. I’ve always loved writing– it’s pretty much the only thing I’m passionate about. So to me, it only seemed logical to study creative writing. Yet whenever I’d tell someone that, their bright smiles would always falter slightly as the same variety of questions would spill from their lips. “So you want to write for a living?” “What kind of income would that bring?” “Wouldn’t you have to write a best seller to make any type of money?” Questions such as these are the reason I’ve always felt uneasy about telling people what I planned on studying in college, especially my grandpa. He said I should major in Business, like my mom. Or Medicine, like my aunt. Fields of study that actually could land me a decent paying job after college. And that’s why I really enjoyed Mark Edmundson’s article, because unlike my grandpa, he didn’t make me feel small. In a way, he validated my plans to major in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Because life is far too short to do something you hate day in and day out. Sure, I could switch my major and become a Business major. And I’d probably land a great job with a nice salary. But money and material things won’t matter when you’re lying on your death bed. You’ll want