<p>So, when I was a little kid, and all of my friends were dreaming of being astronauts and ballerinas, all I wanted to do was become a professor, tweed blazer and all. I've worked hard and been admitted to a very good LAC where I was planning on studying classics and English (I'll be a freshman next year, so this is a bit premature, but I'm still a little worried), then hopefully going on to a good humanities phd program. However, I've read a lot frequently that the postsecondary education career field is not looking good for humanities grads (working for minimum wage, no benefits, no promise of employment for adjunct professors, if you're even lucky enough to get one of those jobs). Is it really this awful? Should I forget about a double humanities major (and pursue something like math/English) if I hope to be at all employable?</p>
<p>Yes, the market is bad and has been so for some time, even before the current recession.</p>
<p>Undergraduate education has its value beyond the mere subject matter – you learn to think, write, analyze – and humanities majors are often welcomed in areas that don’t require specific preparation. That said, it would probably be smart to double major in two areas, your passion and something more employable, such as computer science, just in case you decide that you don’t want to go into academia.</p>
<p>If you plan on entering academia and therefore getting a PhD no matter what, you should pursue the field that you are passionate about. Graduate school is tough enough as is without adding the probably-intolerable burden of studying something you care little about. To me, that sounds like a recipe for failure.</p>
<p>Major in your passion. Have a second major or minor that’s employable as a back-up should you, for whatever duration of time or change of heart, need non-academic employment.</p>
<p>Personally, I like the idea of strong writing abilities coupled with quant skills, so English/Math strikes me as ideal. You can still take Classics courses as electives.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, while in undergrad, grab any opportunity you can get to help on research projects with English profs. If, for ex, you were a STRIDE scholar at Smith, I’d say pick a STRIDE project of interest with someone in the English department. </p>
<p>Your ultimate academic employment is going to heavily depend on the strength of the program you get your PhD from. A PhD from Yale or Berkeley makes you eminently employable; University of South Dakota, not so much. </p>
<p>So go for it. And good luck.</p>
<p>“Your ultimate academic employment is going to heavily depend on the strength of the program you get your PhD from. A PhD from Yale or Berkeley makes you eminently employable; University of South Dakota, not so much.” </p>
<p>While pedigree is no small thing in academia, I do see pages dedicated to “PhDs on the market” on the sites of top departments, too. I don’t even disagree with what you’re trying to say, just wouldn’t want OP to develop this perception of “top schools or bust” that can cause a lot of unneeded stress over the next 4 years.</p>
<p>While doing something like English/math double major sounds good in theory, how are you actually going to accomplish that? For “humanities” people, the thought of an entire BS in math is probably pretty frightening. It goes both ways, though; for most “mathy” people, an English degree would be quite difficult to get through and do well in. </p>
<p>Instead of trying to make a double major of interesting/employable subjects, major in what interests you. I think the real key to being employable out of college is relevant experience. So if you enjoy English and classics, by all means take those classes. But pick up some actual internship experience. There are jobs in between the extremes of humanities professor and engineer; while your English BA may not be essential for them, actual internship/work experience may be the thing that gets you an interview or job. </p>
<p>If you really are interested in something like mathematics or engineering, of course take some classes and/or double major. But don’t force yourself into doing poorly in something you don’t like because you think it makes you more employable. Experience can usually trump the field on your degree.</p>
<p>@neurograd, I’m very lucky that I do have both an aptitude and an interest for math. I’ve progressed to ap calc ab (the highest my school has), and received the math award at graduation. My math grades are even higher than my English/Latin grades! The only thing is, I do find the latter subjects more interesting, if only by a marginal amount. I guess that I’ve been blessed with a brain that can’t really decide which side it prefers.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the advice! It’s just been so discouraging lately reading about how it isn’t at all worth it go pursue a humanities phd (how English is a “hobby” and not a job, etc.). I definitely plan on taking my education as far as I possibly can, but I don’t know yet what subject I’ll be pursuing in grad school. I’m taking more advanced math classes next year, and if I remain as passionate about the subject (I’ll probably be studying pure math rather than applied), we’ll see where it goes.</p>