There Is No Such Thing As a “useless Degree”
There is a school of thought in the United States that claims that the only practical way to get higher education is through a degree, which immediately brings in money. Or at least the one that kicks off a successful career. In a certain, disjointed sense, it makes sense: it’s good not to overspend on tuition or take on burdensome debt if you’re studying in an area that doesn’t have an established career path. However, to adhere to this logic is to consider the pursuit of knowledge purposefully.
Recently, talk of a rapidly escalating student debt crisis in the US is picking up steam again, and some critics scorn the possibility that President-elect Joe Biden will forgive the first $ 50,000 from any loan recipient’s outstanding account under an executive order. Many critics of this plan are committed to the idea of education as a pragmatic tool for climbing the economic ladder, that is, the value of a degree depends on how well it prepares you for the ascent. The argument, which is nothing new, argues that many of the recipients of the $ 1.6 trillion in American debt have chosen to accumulate huge debts and receive “worthless degrees” in return.
Quite frankly, the idea that a liberal arts degree is inherently useless unless it ultimately guarantees a salary commensurate with that of a physician or corporate attorney is a farce. There is no useless degree. In fact, there is a wealth of evidence to assure any English speaker that learning Shakespeare has value that can be translated into long-term professional success.
Liberal degrees are valued by many employers.
Thinking critically, formulating analytical arguments and writing convincingly are just a few of the skills honed by studying history, English or philosophy, and the corporate sector understands this. In an exhaustive 2018 survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities , in which thousands of executives and hiring managers were asked about the qualities they most seek in employees, the results were unequivocal confirmation of a liberal arts education.
The report found that hiring managers value the most “verbal communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, effective teamwork, written communication, and the practical application of skills and knowledge.”
Again, in a 2018 study by analyst firm Emsi and the Strada Institute for the Future of Work, 100 million online professional profiles, resumes, and other data were analyzed to help understand what employers are looking for in prospective liberal arts majors. Overall, the report found that “human skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving are among the most in demand in the labor market.”
These skills, which in some ways form the basis of liberal arts education, “help liberal arts graduates excel in many career areas, including marketing, public relations, technology and sales,” the report said.
A liberal arts degree doesn’t mean you go broke
Perhaps the predominant argument against getting a liberal arts degree is that it will never pay off, but again, the data shows how pretty much a lie this is. While writing code for the Silicon Valley giant almost guarantees a lucrative paycheck even at the entry-level, liberal arts majors are not exactly cash-hungry, constant job hunters.
Another study by AACU in 2014 looked at a long range of professionals with a liberal arts education. By referring to census data, the authors found several tempting points that might discourage you from participating in this coding boot camp, such as the following:
- At the peak earnings age (56-60), workers who studied undergraduate degrees in arts or social sciences earn an average of about $ 2,000 more per year than those who studied undergraduate degrees in professional or pre-vocational areas. This data includes all full-time college graduates, including those with only a bachelor’s degree, as well as those with both a bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate or professional degree.
And while graduates in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) tend to enter the job market at higher wages than liberal arts graduates, various studies have shown how this gap often narrows. As the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2018 notes:
Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Science graduates earn between $ 10,000 and $ 30,000 more, but liberal arts degrees will catch up over time, and liberal arts majors are more effective at closing the pay gap between young and older workers. Moreover, the college debt incurred by liberal arts graduates is about the same as that of other graduates.
Diplomas are not for sale, people
No company or person hires a piece of paper with the university’s coat of arms. They hire people who need to be prepared for the hardships at work, but also decent people who can work 40 hours a week or more. While a degree is a relative measure of your academic pedigree, it says very little about how you adjust to change and get guidance from the people tasked with leading you.
It is likely that new groups of retirement-age alumni are likely to follow in the footsteps of millennials who have been forced to navigate difficult economic conditions, changing jobs more often than any previous American generation. However, it’s best to study what you want, because much of what you’ve heard about the paltry long-term career prospects of the liberal arts profession is likely not true.