<p>Like, you can have a degree in English, but if you have to do CS to accomplish a task, won't you just end up learning it? Or if you have to use economics/marketing in your laboratory (random example) and you don't want to hire someone, you'll learn it yourself and use it, right? </p>
<p>There are obviously some things that you can't do without a high level of certified expertise like medicine or law. However, I would argue for most subjects, an individual can learn it by themselves, if they are willing to put the time and effort. For instance, an academic I know designed his own science research building (without a degree in architecture) and writes his own patents. </p>
<p>If people can do that, why do we bother having majors/ 'specialties'? Don't we just adapt to the situation regardless? Many say that people have to attend college to show they can handle the work, so why bother doing the whole, "I'm an X major, so I can only do Y"? </p>
<p>Hopefully that made sense - I'm still on pain meds, haha.</p>
<p>Perhaps, but probably not to the same level as a CS major. And I assume the CS major would be far more likely to get hired at CS-related jobs, in most cases.</p>
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<p>I don’t necessarily think that’s the case. I think there are a lot of benefits to learning subjects from scholars rather than textbooks and developing a personal connection with ideas through class discussions and research projects. The academic atmosphere of a college is beneficial. I’ve found that I need structure to learn subjects I don’t like. Online classes and self-studying don’t really work for me, unless I like the subjects.</p>
<p>And specialization isn’t just about getting a job. I think a lot of people enjoy the feeling of devoting themselves to a single subject or two.</p>
<p>Those are interesting points. You’re right in that such a strategy probably won’t work for most individuals. However, how many jobs really require specialization to that extent? You probably need to know CS to work for Google, but what about being a businessperson? Is a business degree necessary there? Or is it something that we’ve artificially created a need for.</p>
<p>I also like to learn through discussions, though I don’t find them as necessary in science subjects where there’s relatively little to argue. Undergraduate biology content is mostly set in stone and you can’t argue much about it without going way deeper. </p>