Can students build a career upon traditional academic subjects?

   
 

SIMON KIM, a German literature major, started taking courses in statistics last semester due to his fear of unemployment. Like him, more students rush to job-friendly departments for a safety support, claiming them as their second majors. With the skyrocketing unemployment rate, more students engaged in “pure academics” are nervously turning to the more applicable fields. A commonly known field in the category of pure academics would be the humanities, but the basic science fields are also included.
 
 What is “pure academics”
The inclusion of science fields in the pure academics category might cause confusion to those who linked pure academics with the humanities only. According to Academics and Education, published by Seoul National University (1997), “pure science” deals with the truth, an inherent value, whereas “applied science” deals with the various mundane values. This definition could be extended to the concepts of “pure academics” and “applied academics”. In this article, the notion of pure academics will refer to any academic field which does not lead way to very many professions other than those related to research or education. One sector of such pure academics, humanities, consists of history, philosophy, and the various types of literature and languages. Another sector, the science field, includes math and the basic sciences such as chemistry, biology, and physics. On the other hand, applied academics includes areas such as medical fields, business and economy-related fields, mass communication, and architecture.
The pure academics are known to serve as the building blocks for the construction of applied academics. However, as more people are searching for tangible results, the number of building blocks has been decreasing, while the rush for the construction is greater than ever. Yet, as lack of building material means less buildings built, the less demand for pure academics decelerates the development of applied academics. Without a firm foundation there cannot be a stable building.
The danger of pure academics
Despite the necessity of pure academics, it has been facing difficulty for quite some time, as capital has become one of the top priorities in our society. With the unstable economy looming over us, the tendency to major in applied academics is escalating. This means that the number of students engaged in pure academics cannot be increasing as well, staging a threat to the research fields. Data provided by the Yonsei Admissions webpage shows that the number of students enrolled in the language and literature field this year has barely risen in comparison to the previous, whereas the number in the business field rose drastically. If not enough research is performed in each pure academic field, they cannot be developed and put to use, thus impeding the pure academics.
   Such phenomena is resulted by the sense of insecurity imposed by the society’s general propensity to value job employment after graduation. It is natural for anxious university students to turn to the school for advice. However, the Click! Finding Majors handbook provided by Yonsei Univ., one of the sources that students often refer to, suggests that graduates of pure academics digress into other non-related fields in order to earn a living. For example, the list of possible post-graduate occupations of the Dept. of Biology consists of legal professions and CEOs. Thus, even the school cannot provide any competent solutions to help students of the pure academic fields.
   Another reason behind the hindrance of pure academics is the financial burden of studying. Economically speaking, it is true that in viewing the short-term benefits, it is by far better to claim a major related to applied academics. Most pure academics require a long period of studies and research, and a designated path of undergraduate to graduate school awaits all scholars. Thus, while graduates of applied academics can get a job and are salaried since their mid-twenties, scholars of pure academics have no choice but to keep on with their studies. Therefore, instead of engaging in long-term studies, these scholars eventually digress into other practical fields. This is why many graduates of basic sciences enter medical schools to become high-wage doctors instead of working in low-paying laboratories.
 Capital over interest
   Due to the difficulty for pure academics majors to be dedicated to their fields, students are avoiding enrollment in those fields, even if they are interested in them. In a survey of last year’s newly recruited employees of a major domestic company L, conducted by the company itself, 63% had studied the same field of their undergraduate major in graduate school, whereas 37% chose to switch to a different field (see Graph 1). A primary cause of this change of field would be employment. “To opt for a major offering better chances of employment is a natural preference. This is especially true in a society that sees professional success and individual advancement in career positively,” explains Boris Todorov (Prof., Dept. of History). “Regarding the study in college, this means students enroll in majors that seem to allow them to graduate successfully. Moreover, the major should be flexible enough so as to provide various opportunities in the dynamic and frequently unpredictable job market,” he adds. The possibility of obtainable capital oftentimes overrides the students’ academic interests.
Indeed, the modern society is not in favor of those who want to stick to the pure academics. However, the future is not that grim for them. The stereotype image of pure academics only leading to either research or education has been broken; those engaged in pure academics are advancing to other fields that require their knowledge. According to a poll of 2008 recruits of the afore mentioned company L, it was shown that even students in the field of humanities got employed, being placed into sectors which required skills unrelated to business, such as foreign language skills and people management (see Graph 2). To explain the benefits of majoring in pure academics, Todorov says, “In addition to learning things that others might find irrelevant for a real job, those majoring in pure academics develop skills that can be applied to numerous professional fields.” Thus, he suggests that after all, pure academics could be even more applicable than applied academics. This is reasonable, for applied academics usually focus on a single professional field whereas pure academics is the study of what forms the basis of such expertise.
  
Strengthening pure academics
Many acknowledge the need to save pure academics, but the support provided until now has not contributed much. However, efforts have been made. In 2007, The Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) was established to help Korea overcome its difficulty in the education of the basic sciences and the lack of creativity of Korean students. More of such actions should constantly take place in order to boost the efforts to advance the pure sciences.
In regards to humanities, one way to solve the problem would be starting from the basics. “Screw the result, relish the process,” says Lee Sang-ryong (Head, The Center for New Humanities of Yonsei Univ.). Thus, students of humanities should concentrate on their studies, rather than the final results. He also explains that students should read original texts in order to absorb information, rather than study explanatory textbooks. This is because it is important to develop individuality, emphasizing uniqueness. “Students should be able to come up with their own hypothesis, as well as be able to write a personal paper with their own point of view,” adds Lee.
 
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    Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” It is true that spending years studying Newtonian motion equations is much less profitable, economically speaking, than actually running factories. However, in order to produce innovative products, the basics should be firm. Up until now, our society has dedicated much passion in putting our knowledge into use, depleting the basic knowledge on the way. It is time for us to refresh the roots of our growing intelligence and strengthen our basic knowledge.
 

 
 Pure academics majors and majors-to-be:
Cho Min-jae
(Fresh., Physics, Music (Traditional
Track), Brown Univ.)
Kim Sun-woo
(Sr., Dept. of English Language & Lit.)
Kim Dae-kyung
(Fresh., Dept. of Philosophy, Cornell
Univ.)
Eun Bit
(Soph., Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Math.)
Jo Yea-ra
(Fresh., Dept. of Life Science, Cal Tech)
Yoon So-jung
(Soph., Dept. of Chemistry, KAIST)
Why did you decide to choose pure
academics for both of your majors?
To me, the world of physics is a field of
infinite possibilities. Yet, because
insufficient support is provided to the pure
sciences in Korea, I decided to go to the
States to get a rich education in this field.
However, after I get a firm academic basis
in physics, I wish to return to Korea and
contribute to the development of our
country’s sciences.
Many students of humanities are looking
for a second major to guarantee their
jobs. Are you planning on claiming a
second major?

I’m currently doing a teacher-training
course, and if I find it to be a suitable path,
I plan to become a teacher. If not, I’m still
undecided whether I should go to graduate
school or get employed. I didn't want to
claim a second major in the more popular
fields such as law or business, because it's
what everyone's after. If it's so common, I
don't know why I should chase after it too.
What do you think about the phenomenon
of students rushing to major in the fields of
applied academics?

I think that during the undergraduate
years, students should study the fields that
interest them the most. I believe that it is
not too late to change to other job-friendly
fields later, if necessary, and that they
should first investigate the area of study
that they are most attracted to.
What do you think about a society that
seems to force people to abandon pure
academics majors?

I do realize that many people face the
harsh reality and change their majors, or
prepare for exams unrelated to their
fields. I completely understand why they
make such choices, and often feel scared
that I might do the same one day. I feel
remorse toward a society that makes us
choose high-paying jobs rather than jobs
of our interest.
How did you choose your major, and what
are your future plans?

I enjoy studying the dynamic human body.
Doctors also deal with this subject, but by
studying the basic sciences I think I can
help more people. In addition, discovering
new things by myself brings a satisfactory
feeling of self-achievement. My plan is to
go on to graduate school, and get a
master’s and a doctoral degree. Afterwards,
I want to work at a research center.
You were initially interested in applied
sciences, but finally chose pure academics
as your major. What were the reasons
behind such a decision?
When I first entered university, I was more
interested in the electrical or computer
sciences because they are more useful in
finding jobs. However, after a year, I
realized that chemistry is my main area of
interest. After graduation, I plan to go to
graduate school to prepare myself for
working at a research center.

 

  
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