It’s the same old thing. “What are you studying at Boston College?” “English.” “Oh, so are you going to be a teacher? “Umm… well maybe!”
No. I actually don’t want to be a teacher at all. Although I commend people who do want to teach, I know teaching is not for me. (My patience is little to nonexistent.) Why do so many people look down on English majors? And Theology? Philosophy? Sociology? Art History?
Are these majors “useless”? Will you ever find a job with one of these majors?
Firstly, 6.7% of the world has a college degree (according to The Huffington Post). Therefore, you are already more fortunate than 93.3% of the world. So, to begin with, nothing you can study is “useless” at all. Let’s get that straight.
Boston College is a liberal arts school. We have a core curriculum designed specifically towards the creation of a holistic person with skills in all disciplines. So, why shouldn’t we want to major in something BC encourages us to follow?
I bet you’ve already googled “What can I do with a (insert “useless” major here) degree?” to prove to your parents that what you’re doing is viable. But why must you prove it at all? With a liberal arts degree, you are learning how to think critically, write and communicate effectively, think on a broad and interdisciplinary scale, and understand history and society as a whole. I’m not sure I can wrap my head around the idea that these skills are “impractical” or “irrelevant” to the real world.
Rather, these skills are applicable to whatever career path we choose. Life is messy—and rarely does anyone ever go down the road they imagined for themselves. A liberal arts education prepares us for the worst—and the best. When you learn how to think, understand, and communicate, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Although it sounds cheesy, it is true. There is no use thinking your liberal arts degree is a waste of money; in reality, the skills learned are exactly the kind of traits that businesses, organizations, and society ultimately value.
Here is a list of some cool and diverse people with liberal arts majors.
English:
- Mitt Romney
- Conan O’Brien (double History and English major)
- Steven Spielberg
- Grant Tinker (former CEO of NBC and television producer)
- Michael Eisner (former Disney CEO)
“Literature is unbelievably helpful, because no matter what business you are in, you are dealing with interpersonal relationships. It gives you an appreciation of what makes people tick,” Eisner wrote for USA Today.
History:
- JFK
- George W. Bush
- Joe Biden
- Martha Steward
- Steve Carell
- Jimmy Buffett
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Ayn Rand
- Robert Fogel (winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences)
Philosophy:
- Elie Wiesel
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Pope John Paul II
- Aaron Taylor (Offensive Tackle for Green Bay Packers)
- Woody Allen
- Harrison Ford
- Bruce Lee
- Mark Hulbert (financial columnist for FORBES magazine)
- Gerald Levin (CEO of Time-Warner)
Be proud of your liberal arts degree! We go to one of the best schools with one of the best liberal arts programs in the world – so don’t be afraid to show what you’ve learned!
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-with-english-majors-2013-5?op=1
http://www.history.illinois.edu/undergraduate/history/
http://teach.valdosta.edu/chjames/famousphilosophy.htm
Photo Sources:
http://offbeatchina.com/is-a-college-degree-worthless-in-todays-china
http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/4596483/To+All+College+Students+Ever/
http://sites.psu.edu/ammara4turmoil/2013/04/03/liberal-arts-an-ending/