I like to write in simile and metaphor, not in code. But with every year of high school that goes by — every year that hurtles me closer to the daunting idea of a professional career — the lure of companies like Facebook and Google grows more pervasive.

With the culture of Silicon Valley placing such a heavy emphasis on careers in engineering and business, it can feel overwhelming for students in this area to stand up for themselves and actually pursue what they enjoy — especially at such a pivotal and impressionable point in their lives. As passions in the humanities and arts chafe against the Silicon Valley cornucopia of code-lined monitors and pitch deck projector screens, artists, writers and history buffs alike can feel discouraged by those who view their passions as unconventional and unrewarding.

As somebody with parents who work in the software engineering field and friends who regularly attend coding competitions and business conventions, I definitely feel the pull of tech industry culture. Whether it’s my parents talking about someone they know getting a high-paying job at a tech company, or my friends talking about how they did in their latest sales pitch, or even a neighbor commenting on the lack of a lucrative career in the arts, the constant reminder of these “successful” jobs and apprehensions about what I enjoy doing has, at times, made me question my passions.

As passions in the humanities and arts chafe against the Silicon Valley cornucopia of code-lined monitors and pitch deck projector screens, artists, writers and history buffs alike can feel discouraged by those who view their passions as unconventional and unrewarding.

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This past summer I attended a writing workshop in Ohio, where I was introduced to young writers from all over the country. There, where the nearest tech startup would require a commute by car rather than a walk, I was exposed to an environment in which I felt free from the flow of STEM culture in the Bay Area.

Among the writers I met at the workshop was senior Christina Wang, a short story author and aficionado. She says the draw of lucrative careers in the Silicon Valley has reached even her suburban Georgia neighborhood.

“Everyone knows that software engineering is the easiest way to get ahead these days, and I know some people who want to go to the Silicon Valley,” Wang said.

Part of the reason Silicon Valley has such a strong engineering and business-oriented ethos is its diluted demographic of humanities and arts pursuants. The influx of engineers over the past few decades, my parents included, has fermented a lack of career diversity in the region.

“Not everyone here is a coder or real estate agent or businessperson,” Wang said. “There are just as many authors and artists and performers, too.”

Back in the Bay Area, Palo Alto High School senior Ally Kim shares her experience with Silicon Valley’s engineering and business obsession.

“My parents pushed me to take rigorous STEM classes,” Kim said. “I’m a year ahead in math and have taken all honors classes for science. Today, my parents and friends tell me I should look into business.”

While Silicon Valley culture may have engineered some of the most innovative tech minds in history and nurtured some of the most successful companies in the world, students interested in other subjects can feel eclipsed by the legacies of local billionaire moguls and swayed by the bloated number of STEM enthusiasts in the region.

The people around us have an incomputable impact on the passions we form and follow. By seeking out opportunities to meet those who share our passion for writing, Kim and I have found footing in the fortuitous river of the Silicon Valley — making the act of walking against its current much less discouraging and, instead, enjoyable.

The people around us have an incomputable impact on the passions we form and follow.

From workshops and camps to clubs and publications, opportunities are available for Silicon Valley students to explore unconventional fields and surround themselves with those who share their interests.

My advice to Silicon Valley students passionate about the humanities and arts: find refuge in those who love the same things as you.

Art by Samantha Ho

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