Behind the Question: “What Can You Do With That Degree?” and Why You Shouldn’t Fear It
Is there such thing as a right college major?
KATRINA SOYANGCO | DEC 14, 2015 | EDUCATION
ince starting college, I’ve been bombarded with college major articles. You know the ones, the ones that proclaim the top ten or so most successful majors (aka the ones that make the most money). Meanwhile, older folks continue to ask me the classic student questions “What are you studying?” and “What do you want to be when you’re done with college?” I rattle off my answers like a well-oiled machine, “I’m pre-med, probably going to study something in the biology department.” Nods of approval ensue.
Meanwhile, some others, including some of my friends and family, get asked the same questions and yet get different responses. These tend to be the students that pursue studies that seem to be more “questionable”: English, history, dance, art, anything in the humanities. “What are you going to do with that degree?” is the most common question they get asked. Why is it that people with these majors get asked that particular question more often than others?
Colleges have humanities departments just as much as they have science departments. Majors are alive and well in all categories. The sheer number of humanities majors on college campuses has been steadily high. In fact, students are graduating with humanities degrees more now than in the 1970s. Since colleges seem to maintain a good number of humanities students, what exactly causes people to think differently about the value of the humanities compared to the sciences?
Is there such thing as a right major to choose? It can seem really easy to give into this idea. But I’ve always been very adamant about not accepting it as true. The bottom line is not everyone can be scientists, or businessmen, or doctors. Likewise, not everyone can be an English teacher, artist, or historians. I think this is what makes all fields of study equal in value.
The job market and financial stability
At the surface of the debate about the value of the humanities, there are questions about how possible it is to obtain a job with a humanities degree. To some, it’s not as easy compared getting a job with a degree in the sciences. This idea, however, is false. For one, there are many different kinds of jobs that one can get with a humanities degree, even outside of academia. And many jobs, with the exception of some really specialized jobs like engineering and business, asked for skill sets more than knowledge. For example, many humanities PhDs. have gotten jobs at non-profits, publishing, management, etc. Despite not having science degrees, these people have access to many different job opportunities.
Above all, we shouldn’t be picking their fields of study based on the job market. The job market is so inconsistent that it can hard to predict when which jobs will have more opportunities. Not all, but a lot of graduates find themselves a step behind of the patterns of the job market. At the moment, it seems that studying a certain area will guarantee a job. As it turns out, that is no longer the answer. For example, years ago, computer science was brimming with job openings. Recently, these statistics have decreased. There are actually many young people interested in those fields. The problem is that there are just not enough jobs for them anymore. There’s nothing wrong with considering finances and job openings when figuring out what to study, but it’s a problem when it doesn’t work for you and you start having regrets. Many graduates find themselves in the situation where they see no opportunities and begin to wish they had studied what they originally wanted. Because of this, I encourage you students to follow the field of study you love.
What employers are looking for
If the job market is unpredictable, what can help us get jobs? What a lot of employers seem to be looking for more are skills rather than knowledge. The Association Of American Colleges and Universities has said that, “a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.” People can derive these skills from multiples areas of study, including those in the humanities. For example, statistics is a key part of the sciences. Obtaining knowledge on how to perform statistical tests is advantageous in the job market, since statistics can be used in many different fields.
Likewise, writing and communication, in general, are very central ideas to the humanities, so more technical majors can gain those skills and bring them to employers. The humanities also allow people to gain better emotional intelligence, which improves interpersonal skills. They increase empathy by exposing the individual to many different perspectives from people of different backgrounds, such as race and gender. With a combination of interpersonal and communication skills, employers can regard candidates as being capable of flexibility within a career. So in reality, we can major in anything they want and still be able to obtain valuable skills, ones that can make them flexible individuals in the working environment.
Digging deeper into meaning of practical
“Your choice is practical,” some say to me in response to my science major. What does it mean to be practical? At this point, I don’t think it’s all about financial practicality. So what does the word mean at its bare bones? It seems so simple, that to not accept its common definition shows a lack of common sense. I don’t think it’s that simple.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the word “practical” means “of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.” This seems to be a matter of action versus ideas. But isn’t life itself a practice? At what point do ideas cross from the mind and enter the world? I find this idea of practice interesting because knowledge is put into practice in both the sciences and the humanities.
And it’s not that only the humanities show “lack of practice.” It exists in the sciences as well. I’ve experienced this first-hand. During my first undergraduate research symposium, a doctor and scientist asked me if there were immediate implications from my project, which was on stem cells. This caught me off guard. As far as I knew, there weren’t any yet. I told him what I knew. "Well sir, this research will increase our understanding of this type of cell. The findings can be used to guide future experiments, and hopefully some with more direct applications." The man was mildly satisfied with my answer and left. It never occurred to me that there needed to be a definite application, and I knew for a fact that not all experiments aimed to be so. The idea that any newfound information from the sciences is instantly applicable is a large assumption.
The Atlantic writer Benjamin Winterhalter interviewed several scientists about experiments that they have before that had no clear applications. In one case, n several cases, one scientist discovered an application. One researcher that he talked to was doing research on biofilms. At the time, there seemed to be no clear application for the study. It was done just for pure understanding. However, later on, an application to diseases was found. Suddenly, there needed to be more research done on the subject as soon as possible. The humanities are not all theoretical and the sciences are not completely applicable. Likewise, practicality is not attached to specific fields of study, nor does it always equal worth. If we keep acting according to this conventional idea of practicality, we will be restraining ourselves from progression as a society.
Your decisions are justified
A few months ago, I was scrolling through Facebook, as one does, and came across the video shown above. It showcases an art project that involves filming chemical reactions. “This is chemistry, but it’s not science,” the caption states. After watching this video for the first time, I ventured to the comments. There, a debate was in progress. “Of course this is science!” some cried. “Art is everywhere,” others retaliated. “Science is everywhere!,” “Art is everywhere!,” “Chemistry is always a science!,” and so on. In this case, I would say that elements from both the sciences and the humanities are being put into practice. As for whether or this video is about science or the humanities, I don’t see why it can’t be both. By using the science of chemistry, the artists are able to experiment with a new kind of art form. Likewise, the label of art makes their audience pay attention to and appreciate the science of chemistry.
The transition between mind and practice can be foggy. Sometimes we don’t know whether or not ideas have passed gone through this. But by no means should this process be synonymous to the boundaries that surround the sciences and humanities. In fact, I don’t think there is a distinct transition from the sciences to the humanities and vice versa. It’s more of a bridge than a freeway. People and ideas can wander back and forth at any time on this bridge.
This isn’t a call to arms to go against what is commonly called practical. While I encourage you to take more humanities classes, or classes from whichever areas you seem to be lacking, that will help you professionally, you don’t need to major in those fields. And by all means, I'm not the be-all-end-all of this debate, but I want to let you know that you have more choices than you believe.
Seeing people study in so many different fields amazes me. It reminds me that by the end of my life, I’m only going to know a tiny portion of the knowledge that exists in this world. I’m extremely thankful for all of those that study the in the sciences and those in the humanities alike. So remember, the next time someone asks you “What can you do with that degree?” don’t worry about whether your field is “practical” or “unpractical.” Just know that in the grand scheme of things, you are needed.
