Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ok, so down to business, I was online and looking at my university's commencement page and they put out the names of all students and what they majored in online. It was nicely done. The person that did the undergraduate address was this cute girl that majored in English and she had had scholarships and a perfect 4.0 average. They always write stories about these people and she said that she wanted to go and get a MA in English and either work at a university or in a publishing house. It was refreshing to read her hopes and dreams. She is married to another person who also graduated from there last year who was also an English major. Cute story.
Anyways, when I compare her story to my own, I have the same goals and dreams. I have a BA in History which I abhor and regret, but I have always wanted to work in a college setting. I went back and counted some of the subjects and how many people majored in things that are most likely to be deemed "useless" and here is what I came up with..
How many students majored in..
MA in English- 5, MA in History 0(thank god), MS in Criminal Justice 36
BA in English-8, BA in History-9 (why??), Bachelors of Applied Arts and Sciences(B.A.A.S)- 78(wth??), Bachelors in General Studies(BGS)- 47(double wth?)
So I guess my question is why do these people study these things if society has deemed them to be useless? I certainly don't understand why anyone would major in History these days, let along General Studies and the applied arts and sciences degree. To me, those degrees are worse than mine, at least mine has an appropriate title.
So what do you guys think? Do these people have a future? Should I say screw it and follow my dreams like this young lady is doing, instead of listening to "woe is me" stories on the internet from CD and other message boards?
I read a lot of posts on another popular message board(rhymes with edit) and there seem to be a lot of people that major in English, History, and Psychology that cannot find a decent job. I truly wish all these people the very best, but when I hear those stories, I wonder if I just let too much of the "couldn't find a job with this degree" stories get to me. I have no one to help me financially and I worry that I might be wasting time and money(or both). I just have so many goals and dreams, I just don't know where to start.
Last edited by Down in a Hole; 12-27-2015 at 04:55 PM..
How come there aren't any conservative arts studies?
The reason why people with liberal arts degrees can't find jobs is because they haven't marketed themselves properly. There are nearly limitless possibilities for someone with a history degree, but it takes work to get out and sell your research, writing, and speaking skills. Studying history builds critical thinking , analysis, the ability to articulate a coherent and logical argument, and to present material in both written and oral form. These are skills that are in high demand in virtually every segment of the business world. A liberal arts major who can't find a job is just not trying hard enough.
Those getting a master's in criminal justice mostly fall into two categories: already working in the field and advancing or possibly moving on to a PhD program. Some might also be looking to teach as an adjunct or community college professor.
From what I've seen, BAAS programs are often marketed to adult learners who need a flexible curriculum. They're mostly just looking to check the box.
2. This generation is encouraged to follow their dreams, even if it requires struggle and low pay.
The general studies though... I dunno man.... Maybe an easy degree to get people into grad school?
Man. As someone who earned a degree in English thirty-one years ago, there is nothing easy about it. Tell you what. Learn Middle English on the fly and then write a fifty-page honors thesis on Chaucer and tell me how easy it is. I'll wait here.
Second, I have earned and continue to learn an excellent living, thanks. In fact, three of my best clients are -- get this -- in the technology sector. Of the handful of English majors in my class, one is Sr. VP of Marketing for a national bank, a second recently sat on the board of Exxon, two others enjoy tenured positions in major universities, and the rest are lawyers.
What's more, we're not the exception. Because liberal arts curricula emphasize disciplines such as critical thinking, graduates tend to do better in the long-run that the career-driven majors: http://www.aacu.org/sites/default/fi...EAP/nchems.pdf In truth, even the short-term earning disadvantage can be erased if the student has bothered to gain some practical working experience related to his or her field. Heck, I walked off the podium with my degree and, with my experience for the local newspaper, walked into a job the following Monday.
As long as we're posing questions here, let me pose one to you: Why are you so insecure that you feel the need to compare yourself to other majors?
OP, not everyone expects to find a job in their field with just a BA. They treat it as a generic BA with which they can get a more-or-less generic job, and begin to work their way up in whatever business they land a job in. I know a guy who graduated with a BA in psychology, who was offered a job selling insurance; he was offered training, and all that. There are quite a few bank teller jobs open in my town currently, and they're hiring generic BA's. A BA in psychology could turn out to be helpful after someone rises to a supervisory position.
To see the advice given to history majors (we've had so many threads on that topic!), use the search feature on this site. History majors can do similar things to English majors: writing of various sorts (journalism, editing, etc.), university or community college tutoring, legal aid in a law office, web-based marketing for businesses, teaching English as a second language, etc. It depends on what kind of internships and/or part-time work they've done while in school, and what other courses they've combined with their major.
The best time to worry about how to get a job with your "useless" degree would be while you're in school. Work for the school newspaper, to learn editing and journalism skills. That alone would make you stand out from some of your peers competing for jobs after graduation. Parlay that into an internship with a city newspaper or a local magazine. By the time you graduate, you'll have a very attractive resume to employers. And that's just one example.
Art History? Volunteer for the campus museum while in school. Write an article for its newsletter. Work the contacts you make while you're doing that, and see if you can make a connection with the city museum or an art/art history magazine, for more practical work experience.
What to do now that you've graduated, having done none of the suggested things? Live with your parents while you get some intern experience relevant to what you want to do. Then apply for paying jobs in the field, once you have a little experience, and someone who can write you a recommendation.
OP, not everyone expects to find a job in their field with just a BA. They treat it as a generic BA with which they can get a more-or-less generic job, and begin to work their way up in whatever business they land a job in. I know a guy who graduated with a BA in psychology, who was offered a job selling insurance; he was offered training, and all that. There are quite a few bank teller jobs open in my town currently, and they're hiring generic BA's. A BA in psychology could turn out to be helpful after someone rises to a supervisory position.
To see the advice given to history majors (we've had so many threads on that topic!), use the search feature on this site. History majors can do similar things to English majors: writing of various sorts (journalism, editing, etc.), university or community college tutoring, legal aid in a law office, web-based marketing for businesses, teaching English as a second language, etc. It depends on what kind of internships and/or part-time work they've done while in school, and what other courses they've combined with their major.
The best time to worry about how to get a job with your "useless" degree would be while you're in school. Work for the school newspaper, to learn editing and journalism skills. That alone would make you stand out from some of your peers competing for jobs after graduation. Parlay that into an internship with a city newspaper or a local magazine. By the time you graduate, you'll have a very attractive resume to employers. And that's just one example.
Art History? Volunteer for the campus museum while in school. Write an article for its newsletter. Work the contacts you make while you're doing that, and see if you can make a connection with the city museum or an art/art history magazine, for more practical work experience.
What to do now that you've graduated, having done none of the suggested things? Live with your parents while you get some intern experience relevant to what you want to do. Then apply for paying jobs in the field, once you have a little experience, and someone who can write you a recommendation.
So sorry! I went back and corrected it..thanks! Its not a scoring system, but how many people majored in that particular subject and graduated Fall 2015
BTW, "society" hasn't deemed those majors useless. That's why universities still offer them. History can be useful for a career in the foreign service, with an MA in politics, US foreign policy, area studies (Asia, Latin America, whatever). History, combined with studies in a geaographic area that's considered strategic by the US gov't (Near/Middle East, anyone?) could guarantee a career with the gov't security services. Or that combination with a couple of relevant languages could get someone in the door as a foreign correspondent, or an analyst for a foreign affairs think tank. A similar background would be attractive to foreign aid organizations.
Don't you freshly-minted college grads ever use your college resources to get ideas like this, and contacts? The departmental advisors, faculty, and the campus job placement center? Those are free resources that your tuition pays for, and those people are trained to help you and to be aware of the job options available to you. I sure wouldn't mind getting paid for every time I brainstorm for someone like you here.
P.S. Scroll down the menu for this sub-forum, and read the Forbes article for Liberal Arts majors.
Academic core subjects are never useless. They've been the core of educated humanity since ancient times.
However, it can be challenging for someone who majors in them without a game-plan for post university years. The BA is becoming more like what the high school diploma used to be, so increasingly students need to think about their post-graduation game-plan at least in the beginning of their junior year of college, preferably sophomore year. This is actually true of most majors. Some very specific majors at particular schools may be in high demand, but for most of us we need to strategize carefully.
The job market will never again be like the 1950s-60s, and will probably never again be as good as it was in the mid to late 1990s. Unfortunately we have to adjust to that reality.
I wasn't aware that "society" had declared those majors to be "useless." Apparently everyone hasn't gotten the word.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
