What would you study if you knew you'd be okay?

February 10, 2026

Writer: Ana Zarate

Editor: Katherine Zubiaur

There’s a question I like asking people, usually after we’ve already ran through majors, years, classes, and whatever else we call college small talk. 

What would you study if money didn’t matter? Or if you were assured you’d be okay after graduating?

Bravery is often defined as jumping headfirst without knowing the outcome, but it would be naive to assume that everyone has the option to take that leap. The truth is that following a passion is not always feasible; it’s usually treated as something to indulge in only after stability has been secured—if there is enough time left at all. Stability matters. Rent matters. Choosing a practical path is often necessary, and most people make “smart decisions" because they don’t have the option not to. 

And at the same time it’s somewhat comforting to not profit off a passion. When something becomes a necessity, it risks the freedom that makes it meaningful in the first place. Because what happens when deadlines replace the magic? What happens when all that is left is a bitter reminder of what you once loved?

I don’t ask the question to push people into spinning their life around or making a grand reinvention. I’ve made practical choices too. I’ve chosen certainty over curiosity—the proof lies in the fact that I’m actively putting off my organic chemistry homework to write this instead. I know what my answer would be, but I also know exactly why I haven’t pursued it. 

And yet, there’s something compelling about the idea of choosing differently, about imagining a life where passion guides decisions. The thought of that kind of courage, and that someday someone might say “That’s exactly what I’m studying,” keeps the question alive.