"Can you seriously blame this young woman for feeling that she was herded into something that was a bad fit for her?"
When did "STEM" force her into staying in her major in high school or college? My brother was going to major in EE up until senior year in high school, because he thought he was supposed to follow in my footsteps, but, realized, early enough, on his own, that structural and civil were more to his liking. On the other hand, my best friend in high school, who I thought was going to major in EE, went through 4 other majors and two colleges before settling in on EE as a super-senior.
The fact that the author essentially had no opinion or was too weak-willed to stand her ground has no bearing on whether girls, or boys, should be encouraged to pursue STEM; in fact, the earlier the better, as that allows them time to figure what their true passions are, and allows them to pursue them without excessive lost time.
At what time in her 4 "miserable years" did STEM shackle her to anything? And just because she was too noob to take control of her own destiny until after college, that does not mean that everyone else is like her, and should not be an indication to discourage females from STEM. I think that for every one of these tales of woe, there is another person who, if not for STEM programs, might have be consigned to classical and stereotypical "feminine" careers. She spouts statistics and mores from the 1980s to bolster her case, while the actual world has seen fit to make parental leave available for all sexes.
To top everything off, she's pursuing a "Master's degree in another field." What's up with that? Is she ashamed of her true calling? She should be proud of her choices and proclaim them to the world.
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
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