Based on monikers like “the dismal science," it would appear that studying economics is far from the funnest of college pastimes. Why, then, would I volunteer four painstaking years to pursue this “dismal” craft? Surely such an allegedly melancholic enterprise would make for a not-so-allegedly melancholic man, right? Well, as a teenager coming fresh out of high school, the plan for my coming college days looked something like this:1. Pinpoint a degree program that wouldn't be too burdensome but that would still reward me financially.2. Waltz through business school, performing well so that I would eventually be rewarded financially.3. Upon graduating, land myself a job that would reward me financially.Simple. That said, I’m sure you’ve detected the hardly subtle force that would propel my plan to its conclusion: my own self-interest. Ultimately, this is who I was as a teenager coming fresh out of high school. Then the pandemic happened.The COVID-19 pandemic was a humbling experience for me. While I had previously been high on my self-interested ambitions, I was now sobered by a state of ennui. Prominent figures in my life gradually dissolved into memories, and I longed for the taste of human kindness. Effectively, my perspective shifted; I began to understand just how much I truly needed others. When our world eventually found a renewed semblance of normalcy, great new people flooded into my life and showed me a kindness that I would have formerly devalued. So as I headed back into in-person classes, I accepted that my college ambitions indeed ought to reflect a healthy dose of self-interest, but that they need also demonstrate a profound service to my peers and to the broader world.Coincidentally (and much to my fortune), my teenage self offhandedly pursued a major that actually provides many ways in which I can give back to my community. Perhaps I can use my analytical skills to consult with startup companies. Or perhaps I’d rather grapple with the economics of emerging environmental concerns. Regardless of the path I take, my college trek can provide me with the flexibility to combat a sizable spectrum of relevant issues. Most vitally, said trek is now underscored by a genuine desire to repay the world for the kindness it has shown me. So, if a pastime so “dismal” as economics allows me to manifest my revised ambitions, I dare say my college years will be worth it.