Different Subjects

"I'm only good at math and science."
"Oh, well I'm only good at English and history."

I've always had a problem with these types of statements because I think there's more to it than "being naturally good" at something. The stereotype typically states that those who are good at math are also good at science, and those are the more "technical people." If you're not one of those, you're more "creative." I heard these ideas a lot growing up and I remember having similar thoughts. I happened to be better with reading and writing, therefore I told myself it was okay to suck at math. I'm pretty sure it ended up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, because in all honesty I didn't try very hard to learn math. Thus I locked myself into the "creative" category, especially since I enjoyed other things that fit the stereotype, like dance and painting.

After many years I finally started asking - why can't we be a little bit of both?

I, for one, love science. Anatomy and biology were my two favorite science classes, and chemistry closely trailed behind. "But Emily, how can you be good at chemistry if you don't like math?" Completely fair question, and yes I struggled with stoichiometry, but disliking math doesn't automatically make me despise all other "technical" things. Unfortunately it took me a long time to realize I can enjoy any subject I want, and more importantly, I can also "be good" at any subject.

This post seems a bit more like a rant, but I'd like to leave this with one final thought: defining ourselves as being strictly "technical" or "creative" is suffocating and limiting our full potential.