We are now well and truly settled into the academic year, and have now perfected our answers to the classic trio of ‘get to know you’ questions: “what’s your name?”, “what year are you in?” and “what do you study?”. Now, in my third year, I have begun to take a lot of enjoyment in the various reactions people give when I tell them I study philosophy, all the way from the condescending ‘ahhh’s to the puzzled looks to the pitying smiles. These are usually immediately followed by the question of what I plan to do with a philosophy degree after university (often said in a tone that suggests I have the same odds of getting a job as a zebra).
Though I myself am still trying to figure out what I want to do post-university, what simultaneously annoys and interests me is the assumption that humanities students have a lower chance of getting employed than STEM students – especially when this is far from the truth. In fact, the reality is that humanity graduates can get jobs just as easily and successfully as STEM graduates. The reason it may not appear that this is the case is that STEM students tend to go into jobs that directly reflect and relate to the subject they study, whereas humanities graduates end up across all industries, in jobs that may (on the surface at least) appear unrelated to their degree.
Furthermore, research has shown that humanities graduates are more likely to end up in leadership roles than STEM students. On top of this, younger leaders (those under 45) are more likely to have a humanity background, indicating that the skills needed for and valued in modern leadership positions are those developed within humanity subjects.
So, the question is, why do more humanity graduates end up in leadership roles? The answer seems to lie in the transferable skills that humanities, arts and social sciences students develop. Following financial crises such as the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, there was a call for more ethical leadership involving qualities such as empathy, responsibility, sustainability and communication – the very skills that humanity students develop and can help foster. The humanities mould people who are empathic, imaginative, understanding and are open to complexity and diversity – all of which are needed for modern leaders as they face increasingly polarising environments.
Though it is true that humanity graduates may not be as business savvy and have the same financial acumen as their STEM counterparts, their strength lies more in debating, communicating, and critical thinking which fosters greater entrepreneurship and innovation. Indeed, one of the greatest benefits of a humanity degree is how it focuses on teaching students to think, argue and critique – often in grey areas where there isn’t much available data to form a solid belief. These are clearly desirable employable traits, with LinkedIn’s research finding that the three most sought-after job skills by employers for 2019 were these so-called “soft skills”.
Humanities graduates have the potential to be good leaders as they can help other disciplines to be better. For instance, humanities aid the sciences by providing other viewpoints that both inform and improve their projects and lead to better results. Humanities can also help in the communication of scientific findings, thus possibly increasing the likelihood of gaining societal buy-ins for vital programs such as renewable energy.
Looking beyond the matter of leadership and addressing the employability assumptions that surround the humanities, we actually find that the transferable skills that humanities studies develop help graduates in the ever-changing work environment. With career changes becoming more and more common in recent years, due to factors like the pandemic, the need for transferable skills, such as critical thinking, literacy, independence and initiative, developed within the humanities, are becoming increasingly important. If a graduate has skills that are not relevant only to one profession, but which can be adapted across many different fields, they are far more likely to find it easier getting a job and adjust quickly to different working environments.
So, to any of my fellow humanity students out there feeling the effects of the never-ending “what jobs can you get with that degree?” questions, I hope you now feel at least slightly comforted. The fact of the matter is employability and leadership are not simply determined by what subject you study but rather the skills you develop, the work you put in and the interest you show. The reality is that different disciplines can help students in different fields improve their job prospects: if you’re a STEM student, maybe work on your communication skills and if you study a humanity subject, maybe seek ways to get better at data analysis. It is not the degree you have that is the be-all and end-all when it comes to employability – rather, it is the ability, personality and effort of the person who gets it.