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Although occupational trends often play an important role in students choosing their fields of study, I believe that the true driving forces behind the personal and societal accomplishment are individual talents and interests. Therefore, when deciding on their major, students should lend more consideration to their talents and interests.

On the surface, it may seem like the empirical evidence is more supportive of the second viewpoint that students who choose a field of study based on practical considerations have a greater chance of achieving success. In the most popular field among college students today, computer science, we observe an abundant supply of job opportunities and an increasing number of billionaires who thrive in the field: Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, to name a few. On the contrary, graduates with degrees in liberal arts often struggle to land a position in their chosen fields, and some even choose to reenter school to pursue a more “practical” major. These facts seem to confirm the second point of view that more students choose their major based on pragmatic factors, and those who do so are more likely to achieve success.

Upon further reflection, we could find out that the amount of job supply in the industry is not the key factor in determining an individual’s occupational success. Instead, it is one’s passion and talents for her work that truly facilitates the advancement of her career. For example, it may appear that, and understandably so, the highly lucrative financial rewards are what drives people to the Silicon Valley, but the most gifted and successful software engineers and tech entrepreneurs are undoubtedly pursuing their career with genuine enthusiasm and fascination, and it is their talents and interests that push forward not only their personal achievement but also the development of the tech industry to today’s level.

Thus, rather than forcing oneself to take on a seemingly profitable job that she resents, it is better for one’s personal fulfillment if she follows her true passion and talent. Although the public and media tend to focus their attention on the prosperity of certain mainstream, popular industries, if we peer beyond these areas, we see many people who honor their true passion and find success. When JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter in cafes, what truly motivates her was obviously not the financial rewards of the story, but the enthusiasm she had possessed for writing fantasy stories ever since she was a child. In short, personal fulfillment and achievement often follow one’s pursuit of passion and talents.

Based on the analysis above, I agree with the first viewpoint that college students should choose a field of study based on their talents and interests, since doing so is beneficial for their personal and societal progress. The contrary viewpoint, although could bring short-term benefits, will eventually be proven short-sighted and impede one’s achievements in the long run.