Education never fails to strike people's nerves, especially in this era where competition among talents is becoming more and more daunting. When walking into college, it always makes one confused whether choosing the subjects that interest him most or those that help him find a job. Though some may prefer the latter choice, I strongly believe that college students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that they are interested in.
First and foremost, if we put the goal of finding a good job in the first place, we cannot get the hang of the knowledge that we should have mastered because we would only focus on those which would probably be asked during an interview. However, it is the passion for studying that matters. Let us take the programmers as an example. If you just want to get the offer, you may only pursue courses that would be listed on the job descriptions, while ignoring other fundamental subjects. Thus, when chatting with the interviewee, even if you can answer the professional questions quite fluently, it is easier for the interviewer to discern that you are driven for a job, not the passion to further study and challenge, for you are not good at other courses that may be less important yet inalienable for taking the job.
Furthermore, it is hard to tell whether a subject contributes to finding a job or not at the very beginning of college. After four years' study, those courses which seemed helpful are likely not to catch companies' eyes. Let's take finance as an example. There is no doubt that before 2008, it was one of those most lucrative majors. However, due to the economic crisis, lots of people in this area have lost their jobs. And other courses like computer science became popular in the job market. Hence, instead of taking the risk of betting on one choice, it is more plausible to pursue the subjects that you are interested in. In this way, your passion will motivate you and enable you to master the knowledge needed in this area, which makes you stand out among competitors.
Admittedly, some companies have an appetite for selecting candidates according to their major courses. However, it is not always the case. There are many people that achieve huge success even without finishing their studies, such as Bill Gates, who dropped out of college to chase his interest.
To sum up, though I agree that some courses would bring more financial benefits, I contend that college students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them.