With my degree in education and an internship (实习)   in a high school under my belt, I felt ready for my first real job teaching fourth graders. I prepared clear lesson ______ and plans. I broke down ______ ideas into concepts kids at this level could understand. Then I got into the classroom, and it all ______. “Why isn’t this working?” I thought at the end of another ______ day.

Marcia seemed to have all the time in the world — not just for singing, but for each child. When one ______ looked a bit lost, she walked over to the student’s desk and dropped to her knees to give up-close attention.

I couldn’t ______ to put some of the things I’d learned into practice. It wasn’t easy at first to ______ my lesson plans. But I discovered I enjoyed walking from desk to desk, talking to my students one-on-one, getting to know them as ______.

For students chasing lasting wealth, the best choice of a college major is less obvious than you might think.

The conventional wisdom is that computer science and engineering majors have better employment ______ and higher earnings than their peers who choose liberal arts.

This is true for the first job, but the long-term story is more ______. The advantage for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors ______ steadily after their first jobs, and by age 40, the earnings of people who majored in fields like social science or history have reached the same level.

This happens for two reasons. First, many of the latest technical skills that are in high ______ today become out-dated when technology progresses. Older workers must learn these new skills on the fly, ______ younger workers may have learned them in school. Skill undesirability and the increased ______ from younger graduates work together to lower the earnings advantage for STEM degree-holders as they age.

Second, although liberal arts majors start low, they ______ catch up to their peers in STEM fields. This is by design. A liberal arts education ______ valuable "soft skills" like problem-solving, critical thinking and adaptability. Such skills are hard to quantify, and they don't create clear ______ to high-paying first jobs. But they have ______ in a wide variety of careers in the long run.

According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, computer science and engineering majors between the ages of 23 and 25 earned 37% higher than the average starting salary of those majoring in history or social sciences. ______, the average salary of those majoring in computer science or engineering by age 40 was $111,870, and social science and history majors earned $131,154, an average that is ______ in part, by high-paying jobs in management, business and law.

Why did that happen? According to a 2018 survey, the three ______ of college graduates that employers considered most important were written communication, problem-solving and the ability to work in a team. In the liberal arts tradition, these skills are built through the ______ between instructors and students, and through close reading and analysis of a broad range of subjects and texts.

I'm not suggesting that students should avoid majoring in STEM fields, but I do think we should be careful of the urge to make college curricula ever more ______ and career-focused. A four-year college degree should prepare students for the next 40 years of working life, and for a future that none of us can imagine.

I have a degree in business. But it was my father’s ________ for me to seek a business major. He thought that having a business major would ________ me more available choices and make me more competitive in entering a global labor market. I ________ his advice. However, even though my college experiences were ________, I had no interest in any ________ of commerce, let alone having a long-term career as a businesswoman.

After I graduated, I worked as a marketing planner at a computer company. My ________ and working environment were great; yet I ________ didn’t feel happy doing something that held little appeal for me. After two months of working there, I made up my mind to ________ and decided to do what I love, namely (也就是) ________ history. I have now been doing this job for over twenty years. I am fond of being with my students.

If you are in a ________ where you don’t love what you are learning or doing, please ask yourself what you are really ________ about, and what you truly want for your life. Don’t ________ to get yourself a quick answer. Take some time to think about what career could bring ________ to you.

I like this motto “Success is not the key to happiness.________, happiness is the key to success.” Happiness ________ the inside of you, not from the outside. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.