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I'm always somewhat taken back with the subject of "useless degrees" and while I can see the concerns from a student or more to the point a parents point of view (I'm an indentured servant to Pitt) I was browsing through a musical instrument catalogue and was taken aback by the price of musical instruments for aspiring musicians.
$3,000 for a French Horn, $6,000 for an oboe, $21,000 for a bassoon!!!
How absurd! Who would spend that kind of money on the off chance that their child MIGHT be lucky enough to get some low paying job with a medium sized symphonic orchestra? Insane!
But then I thought, what kind of society would we live in without young people who could play the introduction to Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, understand the beauty of Mark Twain's colloquial prose, know how to preserve the artistic integrity of an Andrew Wyeth, or understand the intrinsic value of a Gustav Stickley chair and its importance to the history of American design and craftsmanship?
We need students who study "useless degrees", I would hate to think of what kind of world this would be without them.
I doubt anyone would pay that much money for a musical instrument unless 1-they were rich, or 2-their child really was a musical prodigy who had already proven they could excel at playing that instrument. Same for useless degrees - they are for the rich or for those with a proven interest and high ability in an area. I mean, what would you think of a single mom on food stamps who purchased a 21K bassoon for a child who had never played the bassoon and showed no special aptitude for music? It's about as smart as shelling out 100K for an average student to get a degree in medieval basket-weaving techniques from a mediocre college.
I'm always somewhat taken back with the subject of "useless degrees" and while I can see the concerns from a student or more to the point a parents point of view (I'm an indentured servant to Pitt) I was browsing through a musical instrument catalogue and was taken aback by the price of musical instruments for aspiring musicians.
$3,000 for a French Horn, $6,000 for an oboe, $21,000 for a bassoon!!!
How absurd! Who would spend that kind of money on the off chance that their child MIGHT be lucky enough to get some low paying job with a medium sized symphonic orchestra? Insane!
But then I thought, what kind of society would we live in without young people who could play the introduction to Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, understand the beauty of Mark Twain's colloquial prose, know how to preserve the artistic integrity of an Andrew Wyeth, or understand the intrinsic value of a Gustav Stickley chair and its importance to the history of American design and craftsmanship?
We need students who study "useless degrees", I would hate to think of what kind of world this would be without them.
It would never occur to me that some type of applied music degree (not sure what you call it) is useless. You could probably make back the money for your instrument by giving lessons or playing on the street because it's a skill you are selling. If you give lessons in your home (or the student's home), you don't have to be concerned with employees or rent (office space). You are in control. You can also do it to fit your audition schedule. It's not like a degree in gender or peace studies.
You know once there was this guy who studied so-called "useless" stuff. He lived in the 17th century and wondered just why things went up always came down. And around the same time, there was this other fellow who studied so-called "useless" stuff. He was trying to figure out a form of government that would protect people's liberty to accrue property and wealth.
Well the first guy became the nucleus of a club of other folks who studied so-called "useless" stuff and the work they did over decades became the foundation for modern physics.
The other dude, John Locke, formulated the basis of the social contract theory of government that people like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams emulated when crafting a new style of government that they called republican (little r republican, unlike the political party of the same name).
So who's to say that gender studies or peace studies will be "useless" for all times?
I'm always somewhat taken back with the subject of "useless degrees" and while I can see the concerns from a student or more to the point a parents point of view (I'm an indentured servant to Pitt) I was browsing through a musical instrument catalogue and was taken aback by the price of musical instruments for aspiring musicians.
$3,000 for a French Horn, $6,000 for an oboe, $21,000 for a bassoon!!!
How absurd! Who would spend that kind of money on the off chance that their child MIGHT be lucky enough to get some low paying job with a medium sized symphonic orchestra? Insane!
You definitely don't have to spend that kind of money for a student model horn (and anybody who would, without even knowing if said student had the necessary interest, skill, or drive to study music, is a moron, to be blunt). Most musicians don't commit to sinking thousands of dollars into instruments until they've reached the point where they can safely assume that performance is going to be a pretty large and permanent part of their lives. My SO is a jazz pianist who has played from age four on, and he doesn't even spend that much on his portable stage pianos, because it's not a professional gig for him, it's a side thing.
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But then I thought, what kind of society would we live in without young people who could play the introduction to Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, understand the beauty of Mark Twain's colloquial prose, know how to preserve the artistic integrity of an Andrew Wyeth, or understand the intrinsic value of a Gustav Stickley chair and its importance to the history of American design and craftsmanship?
We need students who study "useless degrees", I would hate to think of what kind of world this would be without them.
As someone with a degree often incorrectly touted as "useless," who has never wanted for employment applicable to my degree, skill set, and interests, I have to roll my eyes at the "useless degree" rhetoric. I don't find that there are useless degrees, so much, as there are people completely useless at marketing their skills wisely and appropriately, or making the sacrifices necessary to get their foot in the door in their chosen field, who then want to blame it on the "useless" degree. Your degree isn't useless. You just aren't very good at putting it to use.
For many people, the sole purpose of a degree isn't to monetize it. There are also less tangible reasons people study what they study, beyond just making a living.
I really hate it when people equate usefulness of a degree with money. I understand we are in a down economy and have to think practical, but in a way it's sad that our culture places such a high emphasis on money. Money money money. Make more money at any expense. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone sought the 'high paying degrees' and totally eschewed the 'useless' subjects? I don't have the time to explain it here, but if you stop and think about it - the 'useless' subjects are faaaar from useless.
I really hate it when people equate usefulness of a degree with money. I understand we are in a down economy and have to think practical, but in a way it's sad that our culture places such a high emphasis on money. Money money money. Make more money at any expense. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone sought the 'high paying degrees' and totally eschewed the 'useless' subjects? I don't have the time to explain it here, but if you stop and think about it - the 'useless' subjects are faaaar from useless.
I agree!
My anthropology degree may be "worthless" for making me rich but it gave me a much better perspective on life and helped me develop a host of useful skills that make my life better... if not my account balances. But it turns out there is a lot more to being a human than dollar bills anyway.
The issue isn't really with individuals pursuing artsy degrees. It's when the society as a whole produces more dancers and artists than there are jobs for while being unable to produce enough engineers and scientists. One of the reasons for low unemployment currently isn't the lack of jobs, it's that college graduates aren't qualified for the jobs that are open. A society needs certain skills to function, the arts are a luxury after that.
I'm always somewhat taken back with the subject of "useless degrees" and while I can see the concerns from a student or more to the point a parents point of view (I'm an indentured servant to Pitt) I was browsing through a musical instrument catalogue and was taken aback by the price of musical instruments for aspiring musicians.
$3,000 for a French Horn, $6,000 for an oboe, $21,000 for a bassoon!!!
How absurd! Who would spend that kind of money on the off chance that their child MIGHT be lucky enough to get some low paying job with a medium sized symphonic orchestra? Insane!
While not necessarily true with brass and woodwinds, string instruments in the high 4-figure and up range almost always appreciate in value. They are actually mutual funds based purely on investment in string instruments.
But really, you don't spend that much until you have your own business as either an instructor or a performer. And then it is all tax deductible (except for string instruments, because they don't depreciate).
I really hate it when people equate usefulness of a degree with money. I understand we are in a down economy and have to think practical, but in a way it's sad that our culture places such a high emphasis on money. Money money money. Make more money at any expense. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone sought the 'high paying degrees' and totally eschewed the 'useless' subjects? I don't have the time to explain it here, but if you stop and think about it - the 'useless' subjects are faaaar from useless.
I agree; when people start tossing around "useless," in terms of subjects of studies, what they are really saying is, "useless [in my estimation] in terms of monetizing to my particular specification." That's something totally different from "having no useful application to anyone, anywhere."
Obviously, you need to be able to obtain the means to support yourself at your chosen level. But I've personally never seen the merit in chasing money to the exclusion of doing what it is that I want to be doing and am most fulfilled by doing. Some people don't care; what they're doing is less important to them than what they're making doing it. I'm just the opposite, that's all...as long as my needs are met, the main priority is if I'm finding it enjoyable and fulfilling.
Some people absolutely live for things that are never going to make them wealthy. As long as becoming wealthy isn't one of their life's top priorities, that's probably just fine.
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