True or false - non-STEM degrees are a waste of time?

I can't think of a job outside of teaching or education that would have an English degree as a requirement.

Is it true that a non-STEM degree, say English for instance, is a waste of time and won't lead to a good career?

The question isn’t whether it’s a requirement but rather whether it would prevent you doing something else.
A good English degree from a worthwhile uni can open doors into a number of professions if it’s backed up with good GCSE’s and A levels. Obviously OP won’t be applying for engineering or medical posts, but there’s nothing stopping them going into law, accountancy, marketing, advertising , Human Resources, journalism to name but a few, plus as you say, teaching. It’s a myth that you have to have done a STEM degree from a target university to get on in life, perpetuated by those doing such degrees because it makes them feel safe. Unfortunately for them, if you examine statistics for things like professional accountancy exams they don’t actually have a higher pass rate than those coming from other backgrounds.
So I advise OP to study the subject that interests them the most and that will give them the greatest chance of obtaining the highest degree classification. The idea is to do well at university, not just to attend.

Is there an advantage in doing an English degree or is it viewed as being a waste of time, like other humanities subjects?

It's false, there is literally research proving that there aren't any long term employment differences between the two:

https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/report/The_employment_trajectories_of_Science_Technology_Engineering_and_Mathematics_graduates/10234421

Key takeaways:

"The destinations of STEM and non-STEM graduates were similar

in terms of the status of the occupations they worked in and
the most common areas of work. By age 30, similar proportions
had graduate jobs and, for the most part, the largest recruiting
occupations for both groups were teaching and functional
management."

and

"There is some evidence of a ‘slower start’ among non-STEM
graduates in terms of securing graduate-level jobs. But any
longer term advantage of STEM degrees over non-STEM
degrees, in terms of the ability to secure and retain graduate-
level employment, is minimal. There was certainly no evidence
of dramatically better employment outcomes for STEM
graduates as a whole."

Emphasis mine.

If you want to do a job in Law or Accounting then surely you are better off doing a degree in, you know, Law or Accounting. I am not saying STEM is the be all and end all, it isn't. I am saying don't waste 3 years and £40k on a generic degree that you hope will allow you to side step into an industry which you could have actually studied for.

I would argue that Law and Accountancy degrees have better outcomes for students finding jobs outside Law and Accounting than the others you mentioned, and definitely better outcomes than English, Geography, History or god forbid Psychology!

Also it depends how much you want to earn. Choose a degree that will lead to a job is all I'm saying. I've seen too many friends with mickey mouse degrees working in generic admin post graduation.

Yes that's what I thought, but people have told me that an English degree, outside teaching, won't lead to an 'established' career because it's a humanities subject with poor employment prospects.

a) What is an "established" career?
b) Are "established" careers really the only way to earn a living?
c) Will being in an "established" career definitely lead to happiness and contentment in life generally?

I find it so sad that so many people measure success by how much money you earn when in reality, money simply traps you in a life you end up resenting. Follow your dreams and do what you love. That is the key to success if success is being happy.

Grad outcomes for COMPSCI have been so middling for so long I’m amazed this still gets trotted out.

I think a lot of younger people are a bit naive as to how many people go into careers with no direct relation to their degree subject.

I get bored of saying it, but in over a decade of working in the finance sector, I don’t know that I ever encountered anyone with a ‘relevant’ degree.

Yes that's a good point. I didn't go to uni because I had little interest in wanting to pursue a degree. What you say is very true - you have to be sure it's going to lead you somewhere. Going to uni is not cheap (unless you're rich) so committing to it for 3 years is a waste of time if it leads you nowhere. I know a couple of people who went to uni and are struggling to find a job, other than in retail stacking shelves with a lot of debt.

Grad outcomes for COMPSCI have been so middling for so long I’m amazed this still gets trotted out.

I think a lot of younger people are a bit naive as to how many people go into careers with no direct relation to their degree subject.

I get bored of saying it, but in over a decade of working in the finance sector, I don’t know that I ever encountered anyone with a ‘relevant’ degree.

Wow that's so true. Too often people measure success materially but that old saying is true: money doesn't 'buy' happiness.

My niece did a relevant degree…. and failed her professional exams.

I shouldn’t laugh but yeah, a good example why relevant degrees aren’t automatically the best preparation.

For example:
- Teaching
- Editing
- Journalism
- Copywriting
- Tutoring
- Publishing
- Bookselling
- Librarianship
- Museum Curating
- Social Media Management, and the list goes on!

Is there an advantage in doing an English degree or is it viewed as being a waste of time, like other humanities subjects?