Nowadays, the job market is more competitive due to the increasing number of undergraduates and graduates every year. Students' desire to be more professional in their fields is getting intense. They live in a panic of unemployment. This kind of concern may be understandable. However, I strongly believe that only focusing on the main subjects, and neglecting other subjects brings more drawbacks than benefits.
On the one hand, the main subjects seem important because they are the foundation of students' academic life. If one student can not get a good performance in these main subjects, he or she will face many troubles, such as not having the qualification to apply for a scholarship and losing competitivity in the job market. Besides, students' time is limited and packed with tons of assignments and tasks. So learning other subjects that are unrelated to their majors will put an extra burden on them, making them feel stressed and decreasing their overall learning sufficiency.
On the other hand, the university is not a place only for learning knowledge, but for expanding students' views. By participating in other subjects, students can get a more comprehensive understanding of the world and humanity, helping them to get used to the multidisciplinary working environment quickly in the future. Encouraging students to step into different classrooms matches the trend of holistic development of education as well. In addition, it brings other benefits to students. If an applicant who has the same qualifications, as well as experiences with other candidates, would like to apply for a scholarship or a competitive job, his expanding knowledge may make an outstanding contribution in helping him defeat the others.
In conclusion, both two ways have their advantages and disadvantages. I personally think that the pros of learning about other subjects outshines its cons.
I agree with you that the pros outweigh the cons. Plus electives are fun! Great article :)