Though oftentimes better than a master of one.
Everyone has their own way of understanding and interpreting what’s essential in life. For some, it means dedicating their lives to a specific subject, becoming a prima ballerina or a head rocket scientist at NASA.
For others, myself included, a broader knowledge and understanding of the word means being able to navigate it more smoothly.
Recently, I’ve been participating in numerous projects and activities that have nothing to do with my classes, let alone my field of study. Painting Warhammer 40k miniatures and writing short stories was definitely challenging at first.
However, the skills I learned have allowed me to relax and distract my brain from math equations and calculus homework. It also allows me to see problems from a different perspective.
That’s why I firmly believe that everyone should partake in projects and hobbies outside their field, at least once in a while.
Although this outlook has already become necessary in many fields, people can expand the idea further. Art students learn about human biology for realist paintings and science students take English courses to submit more articulate lab reports. More students can use this opportunity to put their “general education electives” to use by obtaining a minor in another field.
Not all of us discover our interests by the time we begin university. I have two friends studying engineering simply because they “like math” and “the program offers a good career,” which is a little disheartening. Why stop the search now? We have a lifetime ahead of us, with decades to discover our true interests.
A 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine draws parallels between having multiple hobbies and factors such as life expectancy and national happiness levels. The study associated a multitude of different hobbies with fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of happiness, as well as higher life satisfaction. Another study in the Journal of Epidemiology associated hobby engagement with a lower risk of disabling dementia in later stages of life. The study followed over 20,000 participants and their hobby involvement on different levels for ten years.
Personally, I would never have gone into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) without studying music. No matter your instrument of choice, music is often associated with stronger performance in math, as it activates the same parts of your brain. I partially attribute higher performance in high school and CEGEP math classes to playing in my air cadet band at least biweekly during those times. And with today’s access to knowledge, it has never been easier to borrow an instrument from a local library and learn from countless free resources (YouTube, Yousician, YMCA, etc.).
In brief, showing interest in painting, writing, and such has made me a better engineering student. I believe I’ve gotten better at applying real-world scenarios to my ideas and projects while making them prettier, considering the non-technical applications of my projects and how people with non-technical backgrounds will interpret them.
We, humans, aren’t designed to perform one task or job for the rest of our lives. Trying out new activities, taking a science elective, or joining a sports team or an arts club can lead to discovering new passions and mastering all aspects of our lives.
Go join a chess club, or apply for that theatre minor you always dreamed of.
