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Are Arts/Humanities degrees useless?

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Reply 40
What are you doing and who is your teacher? Rhetoric for example is enormously important, but most humanities students are disgustingly terrible at it.
Original post by notbeyonce*
Yeah I understand but what more can you get from a music degree? You don't need a degree to be a musician. I'm just saying if you don't require a certain degree for a specifc career path than what is the point except in showing dedication and transferable skills for employers? I'm not saying doing a history degree means you have to be a historian, I'm saying that a history degree isn't a requirement for most jobs like most arts degrees except a historian, so what's the point in doing it? I mean if you like the subject then why not but its years of studying for a degree that won't be an absolute necessity for most jobs.


Erm, have you taken a look at the real world honey? You cannot, and I mean CANNOT get a job these days without a degree unless you work your way up in a particular field over many years. A degree speeds the process up entirely and leaves room for you to change your mind as the majority of jobs aren't degree-specific. So what may seem pointless to you is an absolute necessity because of the way the jobs market works.

To clarify, by job I mean something that requires absolutely no work experience e.g.sales assistant, picker and packer, receptionist et al.
So I'm sorry but "that won't be an absolute necessity for most jobs" is just not true.
yes you are right
They aren't useless at all.

They all have so much value! Education, though, has become so much of an exchange valued commodity that the intrinsic worth of the humanities has been somewhat lost to some. It isn't helped either when people like Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of education, wax lyrical about STEM subjects and implicitly send out the message that it is somehow worse to study a humanity.

Also, on a personal basis, none of my coursemates nor myself studied maths (which I guess constitutes STEM) because we wanted a job. Far from it.
Original post by Paraphilos
They aren't useless at all.

They all have so much value! Education, though, has become so much of an exchange valued commodity that the intrinsic worth of the humanities has been somewhat lost to some. It isn't helped either when people like Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of education, wax lyrical about STEM subjects and implicitly send out the message that it is somehow worse to study a humanity.

Also, on a personal basis, none of my coursemates nor myself studied maths (which I guess constitutes STEM) because we wanted a job. Far from it.


I'm sorry but I don't see as much value in a photography or a music degree or an anthropology degree, not being disrespectful to anyone. Maybe you might believe these degrees have value but so far no one has told me specifically how these degrees can be useful, sorry.
Original post by Chihiro95
Erm, have you taken a look at the real world honey? You cannot, and I mean CANNOT get a job these days without a degree unless you work your way up in a particular field over many years. A degree speeds the process up entirely and leaves room for you to change your mind as the majority of jobs aren't degree-specific. So what may seem pointless to you is an absolute necessity because of the way the jobs market works.

To clarify, by job I mean something that requires absolutely no work experience e.g.sales assistant, picker and packer, receptionist et al.
So I'm sorry but "that won't be an absolute necessity for most jobs" is just not true.


So you can't be a receptionist or sales assistant without a degree? I don't think that's true.
Original post by notbeyonce*
I'm sorry but I don't see as much value in a photography or a music degree or an anthropology degree, not being disrespectful to anyone. Maybe you might believe these degrees have value but so far no one has told me specifically how these degrees can be useful, sorry.


But what do you mean by value? My rough guess at your definition of how 'useful' something is means that you should level the same criticism at any non-vocational degree but you decide to single out music and photography: why? I can't speak on behalf of photography but music is about much more than playing an instrument (which on its own is even a good thing regardless).

In any case, I don't want to go down that road of explaining to anyone why something is useful. This idea of worth is something you have to see for yourself; you can tell people that there is an intrinsic value to anything they want to learn but it doesn't mean that they will want to listen...

...cos its all about the economy enit
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by notbeyonce*
Yeah I understand but what more can you get from a music degree? You don't need a degree to be a musician. I'm just saying if you don't require a certain degree for a specifc career path than what is the point except in showing dedication and transferable skills for employers? I'm not saying doing a history degree means you have to be a historian, I'm saying that a history degree isn't a requirement for most jobs like most arts degrees except a historian, so what's the point in doing it? I mean if you like the subject then why not but its years of studying for a degree that won't be an absolute necessity for most jobs.


I found this comment interesting. This is a really good point that you have made.

It's like saying that you don't need an English literature degree to write stories, when you can do it as a hobby.

The same with art, you do not need an art degree to paint/draw pictures when you can do it in your spare time.

Yes, people say that you should do a degree that will enable your passion.

However, people have to question on what they are actually going to do with that degree once they've graduated.

How far is that degree going to take you?

What are the career prospects from this degree?

Are you doing this degree for pleasure or to help you reach your goals in life?

Will it help you financially?

Does the career you want to achieve require this degree?

Are there any alternatives?

If these things are achievable in your spare time, then why waste another three/four years studying it?

It would be wrong to discourage people from studying something that they desire to do, but it's entirely up to them to think on whether this degree will get them to where they need to be in a couple of years time.







Posted from TSR Mobile
I'm happier studying an Arts degree because it gives me more flexibility in what I can choose to do later. Science degrees may line you up into a more straightforward career path but I think you're more screwed if you suddenly decide you don't want to be a doctor/engineer etc. anymore. I mean how many people really know what they want to do when they're 18? Because I didn't, and still don't.

Also with Science/STEM subjects there's little diffentiation between, say, a 2:1 Engineering degree from a top university and a 2:1 Engineering degree from a mid-ranking one. Whereas a 2:1 Arts degree from a good university is probably going to land you better prospects than a 2:1 Arts degree from a mid-ranking one. So where you go to study an Arts degree probably has more bearing on its usefulness for job-hunting, an important point that hasn't been raised in this thread.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by babyshawte
I found this comment interesting. This is a really good point that you have made.

It's like saying that you don't need an English literature degree to write stories, when you can do it as a hobby.

The same with art, you do not need an art degree to paint/draw pictures when you can do it in your spare time.

Yes, people say that you should do a degree that will enable your passion.

However, people have to question on what they are actually going to do with that degree once they've graduated.

How far is that degree going to take you?

What are the career prospects from this degree?

Are you doing this degree for pleasure or to help you reach your goals in life?

Will it help you financially?

Does the career you want to achieve require this degree?

Are there any alternatives?

If these things are achievable in your spare time, then why waste another three/four years studying it?

It would be wrong to discourage people from studying something that they desire to do, but it's entirely up to them to think on whether this degree will get them to where they need to be in a couple of years time.
Posted from TSR Mobile


That's my point really. I love art but I don't know what 4 years of doing a fine art degree will get me since I don't know what more I could learn that I don't already know or something which I can't practice myself. But apparently it doesn't matter on the subject as much, since they all have transferable skills. All it seems to matter if you're not doing anything specific is that you got a degree.
Original post by Paraphilos
But what do you mean by value? My rough guess at your definition of how 'useful' something is means that you should level the same criticism at any non-vocational degree but you decide to single out music and photography: why? I can't speak on behalf of photography but music is about much more than playing an instrument (which on its own is even a good thing regardless).

In any case, I don't want to go down that road of explaining to anyone why something is useful. This idea of worth is something you have to see for yourself; you can tell people that there is an intrinsic value to anything they want to learn but it doesn't mean that they will want to listen...

...cos its all about the economy enit


I wrote "value" because you said "They all have so much value!" in a post which I quoted. Value was your choice of words and I thought that different degrees were not on the same level, some are more impressive like the main subjects like English, Maths and Science. A lot of people are saying it doesn't matter on the subject and that as long you got a degree, employers will like you because every degree has transferable skills.

I am not singling out vocational degrees because I also mentioned anthrophology.
Maybe I should've worded the title differently because some arts/humanities degrees like English is thought highly of. But all of the not so traditional degrees I was thinking of fell in the arts/humanities section so like Anthropology, Philosphy, Liberal Arts, Sociology, Photography. I've mentioned these degrees many times, but people are ignoring it and generalising, saying arts/humanities degrees are all great. I'm not saying they all aren't useful, I'm just saying some I view as not being as useful. I am talking about specific arts/humanities degrees and not the whole arts/humanities side as being less useful. I like your answer though, finding worth to something by yourself, because all of this is subjective really.
Original post by notbeyonce*
I wrote "value" because you said "They all have so much value!" in a post which I quoted. Value was your choice of words and I thought that different degrees were not on the same level, some are more impressive like the main subjects like English, Maths and Science. A lot of people are saying it doesn't matter on the subject and that as long you got a degree, employers will like you because every degree has transferable skills.

I am not singling out vocational degrees because I also mentioned anthrophology.
Maybe I should've worded the title differently because some arts/humanities degrees like English is thought highly of. But all of the not so traditional degrees I was thinking of fell in the arts/humanities section so like Anthropology, Philosphy, Liberal Arts, Sociology, Photography. I've mentioned these degrees many times, but people are ignoring it and generalising, saying arts/humanities degrees are all great. I'm not saying they all aren't useful, I'm just saying some I view as not being as useful. I am talking about specific arts/humanities degrees and not the whole arts/humanities side as being less useful. I like your answer though, finding worth to something by yourself, because all of this is subjective really.


Yep.
Reply 52
If you know exactly what you want to do in the future, an Arts/Humanities degree is far from useless. The degree is usually a stepping stone in the journey to becoming eligible for the job you're looking for. Transferable skills is also the best thing to get from Arts degrees, which can be applied to a variety of professions.
English Lit is useless imo
Original post by bassbabe
English Lit is useless imo


But, why? The idea of usefulness is so subjective that the original question has no answer.
Original post by Paraphilos
But, why? The idea of usefulness is so subjective that the original question has no answer.


Well she did say "imo"
I am studying a BA in a vocational subject, so I don't consider my arts degree to be useless


Posted from TSR Mobile
I think OP you underestimate the importance of transferable skills.

Ok fine many arts degree students come out with mostly transferable skills and that's it - but that is so important! The skills you gain from a degree are what employers look for.

What is the point of you studying a STEM degree if you know that you don't what a STEM-related career? You study what you enjoy, and a subject which will give you the skills that employers are looking for.

I want to study Politics & International a Relations which is thought to be an arts subject, and although I want a politics-related career, not many people who study it do. However it is the skills that the students will gain which will make them stand out.
Original post by Ndella
If you know exactly what you want to do in the future, an Arts/Humanities degree is far from useless. The degree is usually a stepping stone in the journey to becoming eligible for the job you're looking for. Transferable skills is also the best thing to get from Arts degrees, which can be applied to a variety of professions.


its like you have to smack people in the head with a steel rod for them to be intelligent enough to understand this. dopey entitled brits.
Reply 59
Original post by notbeyonce*
Yeah I understand but what more can you get from a music degree? You don't need a degree to be a musician. I'm just saying if you don't require a certain degree for a specifc career path than what is the point except in showing dedication and transferable skills for employers? I'm not saying doing a history degree means you have to be a historian, I'm saying that a history degree isn't a requirement for most jobs like most arts degrees except a historian, so what's the point in doing it? I mean if you like the subject then why not but its years of studying for a degree that won't be an absolute necessity for most jobs.


A friend of mine studied Music at Oxford.

And is now working at LinkLaters earning 65k a year.

It's the traits you acquire from your degree which is what employers care about.

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