DOUBLE MAJORING AT SXU

By Ifeanyi Onwumah

In order to keep myself afloat in the hectic economy of America, this semester I decided to double major so I can expand my reach across potent fields of work. I am now a Philosophy/Computer Studies major.

When most people learned about this (including my parents) they were taken aback because of the “unrelativity” of both subjects. I mean seriously, how much do philosophy and computer studies go hand in hand? The answer is little to nothing. Both are very distinct study areas with very distinct schools of thought that make it impossible to take classes that fulfill requirements for both majors.

The real question then is, what was my goal in combining these majors? Financial security while in grad school. I plan on going to law school if I succeed with my philosophy major and eventually becoming a lawyer. This career path is going to be a very difficult one and will more than likely require me to take out loans that I might spend some 15 years after I graduate to pay back.

Due to this, I need some kind of fall back plan or at least something that I can use to support myself while in grad school. This is where the computer studies degree comes into effect. I plan on just pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer studies and then taking the CISCO certification test or the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) test that prepares you for an associate level job at a computer networking job. With this certification, I can get a job where at entry level, working full time, I will be making at least 50,000 dollars a year. That sounds pretty good to me!

When written down on paper, this all sounds like a sweet deal but when the road that leads there is put into consideration and everything is put in the right perspective, things begin to get a little tricky and you begin to realize that things aren’t always what they seem. The number of classes that are required for both majors put together with the Gen-Ed requirements keep you here for at least one extra school year without summer/may-term courses. If summer courses are taken here, you find that the ones you need aren’t necessarily offered. Even if they are offered, you find yourself paying a lot of money that you do not really have and after spending all that money you start asking yourself if it is really worth it.

Some ideas include taking these extra classes at a community college or somewhere else where it is less expensive and transferring the credits over but how many community colleges do you know that offer philosophy classes who credits can be transferred over to SXU? I looked through the course catalog of some community colleges that were close to me and the answer was NONE!!! All this can sometimes become overwhelming but it sometimes also serves as a source of motivation and serves as a reason why you must succeed because you just have to make it. All this money can’t be spent without a something fruitful coming out of the whole process! My goal is to make it and I know I will.

Ifeanyi Onwumah is a sophomore philosophy major from South Holland. He participates in several campus clubs. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.