Excellent Sheep Analysis

College is a chance to pursue higher education; it is a chance to discover new interests and passions—to find yourself. Finding yourself can be achieved through a liberal arts education or through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). There is a choice of focus coming to college, liberal arts or STEM. State schools, like Montana State, or possibly other institutions require a core curriculum, exposing students to every field. Excellent Sheep written by William Deresiewicz explains the importance of a liberal arts education, how it is a self-cultivation journey, but fails to acknowledge the importance of STEM in self-discovery. Deresiewicz also claims success and happiness are not simultaneously possible in STEM fields. Success and happiness are possible in STEM fields and a liberal arts education can help achieve both. A liberal arts education built into a STEM education is often thought of as wasteful. Some students prefer a strict STEM education because that would be cheaper and a more direct path to a career—I
Success is in the eye of the beholder. What one individual deems successful should not be the same as the next person. Everyone is unique, has unique interests, sees the world differently. Success should directly correlate with values. Valuing energy efficient buildings and valuing the technical construction of artwork is very different. Two different values lead to two different careers, both important. Society needs engineers to build energy efficient buildings and engineers need art fanatics to decorate that building. It just so happens that the engineer who designed the building makes more money than the art consultant, that doesn’t mean the art consultant isn’t happy. How much money a person makes is not related to how happy they are. If that person is interested in STEM, finds happiness in the work, and happens to make a lot of money, that is