“Oh, what will you do with that?”
The dreaded question every arts and humanities student fears, whether it be from your aunt, a friend, or that person your dad has recently introduced you to at a family tea party. The question of how you will transfer your degree into a career is scary to consider when we are still unsure.
If you’re a humanities student, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question. Unlike a law or kinesiology student on a direct path to become a lawyer or physical therapist, you’ve wondered what you can do with your English Literature major or Philosophy degree. Not always, but enough to identify yourself with my opening question, we are left with a looming question mark in our mind when pondering job prospects and your experience may even feel useless.Â
Science, finance, business, law – all of these seem practical and offer very clear career options. The Arts are less clear, continued academia and teaching are common suggestions.Â
Careers Aren’t Degrees
The arts and sciences are commonly perceived in complete isolation of each other when we think about careers. What’s so fascinating is that this imagined divide can manifest considerably early in your choice of study. And with this choice of study, comes a sense that you’ve also determined your choice of career, engraining a feeling of rigid permanence. As early as 15 years old, a false dichotomy emerges when we have to choose between the arts and the sciences; if you study the Arts then only these certain career boxes are available to you, and if you study business and science, only those career boxes are available to you. It turns out that jobs aren’t as clear cut as this.
My job has nothing to do with my subject. My area of study is Theology and the Arts and I work in Marketing and Customer Support. While they have different subject matter, I apply much of the same critical thinking skills in solving a customer service issue or writing up an SOP as I do brainstorming an essay topic and engaging in lively, respectful dialogue in class. I’ve learned that an Arts degree can actually be pretty helpful!
The Challenge of University Networking
When it comes to preparing its students for the workforce, I’d argue that universities don’t help to combat this
This year I attended two job fairs hosted by our university in St Andrews. I walked in, excited at the prospect of meeting potential future employers or, at the very least, the opportunity to network. I was met with endless queues of stalls and even free merch (shoutout to tote bags!). And yet, every single stall was for either law, accounting, or finance management.Â
Now, maybe I wouldn’t have been frustrated if they’d had a big banner saying something like “Arts students welcome!”. But they didn’t. Nor did I expect that. Each stall was clearly looking for students in these fields of study.Â
Am I saying that employers should start hiring students with absolutely no theoretical or academic experience in the field they work in? No. I am saying that the idea that your degree explicitly dictates your career path is wrong. And more specifically, that Arts students deserve better support in career opportunities and universities have a responsibility in giving it.Â
Health, Law, and a couple others excepted, careers shouldn’t be labelled according to undergraduate areas study. This is especially true for the current Western world in which jobs in social media and those revolving around the internet are increasingly common.Â
Don’t Be Discouraged!
One small but helpful step universities could take is to get more creative in introducing and exposing their Art students to diverse job markets. Universities could create networking opportunities for art students beyond guest lectures and art exhibits, as valuable as they may be.Â
If you are also an Arts student, I’d like to sign off with a message of encouragement. Don’t feel dismayed if you don’t have a cookie-cutter career path in mind. Instead, allow yourself to get creative with how you apply your skills! Are you good at English? Try out copywriting! Do you love visual arts? Many businesses are looking for help with web design! If something interests you, even if it’s outside your field, follow it up. Challenge the closed boxes in your mind and open them up. You will be surprised at your new thoughts and ideas that were held captive since you were forced with the dividing academic choice of only this or that. Your degree doesn’t have to dictate your career.