One of the best speakers I ever heard was the woman who spoke at a Colleges that Change Lives fair. She spoke of the importance of being able to think critically and communicate effectively. Med schools want humanities students because doctors need to be able to sit down and talk with their patients. My favorite example was a finance company recruiting history students, not finance students. They said anyone can be taught to run the numbers but they needed a 22 year old who could sit down with a 62 year old and be able to talk and listen to them.
1 Like
Well, think about it. If all humanities majors were worthless and led to inevitable unemployment, the unemployment rate of college-educated adults would be sky-high, right? But it’s not. Recent research also indicates that humanities majors aren’t all working retail and food service, either. The truth is that most college graduates - regardless of their major - go into gainful employment in their fields after graduating.
The difference is in the humanities, you have to be a little more creative about what job/career you are going to because there are no straight lines into a specific career, like engineering. But that’s also no different from other majors in the social sciences (e.g. political science, anthropology, psychology) or the natural, physical and mathematical sciences (e.g., biology, physics, mathematics). I’ve heard just as many people ask math majors “What are you planning to do with that? Teach? It seems worthless” without realizing that math majors have near-zero unemployment rates and a rich slate of jobs to choose from. It’s mostly because the common person isn’t really familiar with the wealth of careers out there. They know about the ones in their area, and they know about the ones they see on TV or hear about in the news. So they can’t really give you good advice about the whole picture of what you can and can’t do.
Many, many college students don’t know what they want to do next - that’s pretty normal. It’s your job to figure out what you want to do, or at least figure out some skills and experiences (like the earlier shared anecdote about the young woman who was a writing center tutor) that will help you become attractive to employers.
1 Like
I’m leaving school at the end of this semester.
“Has it occurred to you that maybe a lot of people in math and engineering aren’t “smart enough” to analyze a piece of literature? Maybe they aren’t smart enough to write a competent and persuasive essay?”
Perhaps not but so what? Those thing are not essential or all that useful. Nobody needs literature or art or that kind of thing. And I didn’t say they were “passionate”. Don’t change my words because it completely changes the meaning of what I said.
Debatable. If you watch TV or movies, read any kind of written material whatsoever, or have ever in your life seen anything that could POSSIBLY be construed as creative, then you know just how ridiculous that claim is.
The average person doesn’t NEED vector calculus either. But both that and the arts are essential to human life and culture in general.
1 Like
Even if that’s true it’s not the perception and that’s just as important.
You can’t live your life tiptoeing around some nebulous “perceptions” that some people may or may not possess.
1 Like
Boost your confidence and strive harder.
I think this settles it, huh?
https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/aug/23/wasted-four-years-of-life-gender-stereotype-careers
I can argue the opposite - that I majored in CS at the expense of my creative side (although I did minor in Communications) not because I had a passion for it but because I figured it would lead to a lucrative career. Once I started working I realized sitting at a desk writing code all day was something I hated. Does that mean I wasted my 4 years? I don’t think so, as I’ve used it as a springboard to many different career opportunities in the last 30 years.
The woman in the Guardian article eventually found where she was supposed to be, which is what really matters. No one can tell what her career path would have been had she chosen to major in something technology related. She might not have been ready for that at that particular stage in her life and could have ended up never finding her technology niche.
I sat on a panel about STEM-related majors recently. Every single person on the panel - we had a dentist, a space physicist, a nurse, a director in a software development company, and a mechanical engineer - STRONGLY encouraged the students to take as many writing/presentation courses as they could. Being able to think on your feet, construct solid arguments, and clearly and concisely communicate both in speaking and in writing are invaluable skills.
1 Like
I’m an author. I double majored in Anthropology and Philosophy.
I have friends, both indie published and traditionally published, who are making six digits. I’m not there yet, myself, but I’ll make it if I keep at it. 
The freelance editors I work with make $50/hour and up.
Cover designers and book formatters / typesetters are also making a decent living.
So are my friends who are art directors.
Those with MFAs in Literature / Creative Writing can be college professors in addition to their creative work.
If the humanities aren’t for you, that’s cool. Find something else that calls to you. When I read your posts, however, I hear possible depression. Might be worth a visit to your campus counseling center to see if I’m right.
Best wishes with whatever you choose!
1 Like
“I sat on a panel about STEM-related majors recently. Every single person on the panel - we had a dentist, a space physicist, a nurse, a director in a software development company, and a mechanical engineer - STRONGLY encouraged the students to take as many writing/presentation courses as they could. Being able to think on your feet, construct solid arguments, and clearly and concisely communicate both in speaking and in writing are invaluable skills.”
Citation needed.
What kind of citation do you expect for an anecdote?
1 Like