Why I'm Studying A Useless Degree 

thisss

yes, this.

bro is tryna be edgy and flowy so bad

this made my day, so beautiful

And why is that?

All degrees teach you how to think critically as all require intellectual work. This argument doesn't really hold ground if it's not explained properly. Employers usually have specific roles in their companies for which they need specialized people. The same goes for government jobs or even NGO jobs. From HR specialists, to engineers, accountants, assistants, lawyers, drivers, graphic designers etc., it is specialized skills that get you through the door, not necessarily that you have a degree. The degree is suppossed to reflect what you learned to do and writing literary commentaries is not really a payable job. If you come from a top university, your degree may be useful because of branding, otherwise it's not that important. In itself someone without a university degree but who spent some time doing some courses to learn the necessary skills such as writing well, knowing how to use Excel etc. is going to be a better fit for a certain job position than someone who studied Shakespeare or arts at university level. Because nobody needs that knowledge to actually do something practical and hence make money. The reason people think it's useless is because they don't get how this will enable you to do something helpful for them that can actually make it worth their effort to pay you money. If it didn't directly help you gain skills, that's just something you did for yourself. I wouldn't say it's a waste of time though. Take my example. I teach English now in an private institution, but I'm paid peanuts to do it there, although it's higher level simply because I don't have a tenure position yet. I make most of my money tutoring on the side, the catch is at university I didn't learn anything about actually teaching English. We did all these advanced classes on literature and linguistics, but I make most of my money from teaching stuff I had to learn on my own by looking at curriculums for middle school and high school grades, buying materials for various international English tests etc. I could have made the same amount of money right after high school if I had studied English properly at high school and had the level some of my top students who graduate high school now have. These kids move on to study dentistry, law school etc and they sometimes read with me some of the stuff I do with my students at university level for way less money. Minus the BS stuff like feminism and gender studies. You go to college and pay tons of money to do things that you could honestly learn by getting a private tutor to teach you for a fraction of the same cost and to summarize it to a level where you don't need to spend years on useless theory you won't much remember anyway. They were interesting, but something to do in my free time, not to pay money to specialize in because they don't teach you any actual skills. Critical thinking is NOT an actual skill that differentiates you from other degree holders, that's what humanities and social sciences graduates don't get. It's like saying you know how to read and write.. well, news-flash, everybody in your competitive range knows how to do that. Yeah, compared to a construction worker you have critical thinking skills, but compared to a doctor or engineer, you have no differentiating skill.

@@ciobalina7445 I agree I haven't explained this properly. Though I think critical thinking is different depending on the degree. Engineering and MBA grads for example are probably not fine tuned to people skills as opposed to someone with sociology, anthro or psych background. Likewise English literature and classics majors are great at philosophising but perhaps lack some concrete skills you mentioned. I have a humanities degree and as I did psychology as one of my majors I think I stand out due to a high level knowledge of statistics which sets me apart from other arts grads. That being said this skill is not at all relevant within public policy/govt jobs (and my anthro major appeals to these jobs a bit more). I think above all it depends how you market yourself. Doing a purely English only degree might narrow your scope unless you couple it with something more concrete. Gender studies as one example is useful for very niche jobs (not for profit DV organisations as an example)

@@yana.rya_____ I wanted to edit the post, but I didn't get to finish before you replied. My argument isn't necessarily about doing purely one thing, such as only English (I had a double major by the way and English is not the native language here), my argument is that they only do theory, without any preparation for an actual job that may exist in your field. I intended to be a teacher and eventually that's what I did, but I question what is exactly the point of getting a university degree if most people doing humanities and social studies end up having to study on their own the skills they need to actually work in the field? It's not that I regret getting a university degree,.. it's just that at the end I had a very strong feeling it didn't prepare me for anything and I had to spend some more years afterwards learning some actual skills that could bring in money. It's fine if you're rich and can afford it, but I'm not and it would have made more sense to start working as quickly as possible with newly acquired relevant skills which could have helped me improve my life. But I didn't know what I know now. Humanities is like taking a very expensive fabulous trip when you're so broke you can barely pay your bills and food, for you and your family. It's nice, of course, but these areas are the surplus of a developed civilization and in absence of a financially developed world, funds towards them get cut. They're not a priority in certain contexts (you're not going to buy books or highly theoretical magazines, go to the theatre or to a museum when you can barely afford to pay your bills) and not the way for those who are hoping a college degree will increase their job prospects. There are very few good jobs in the field and they go to the top people. In humanities and social sciences there's lots of individual reading and writing essays, but no practical skills for what you'll actually end up doing as a job. Government jobs are something else. There are such jobs for all fields, including STEM, and the requirements are different. You need to study intensively to pass some theoretical tests. It's the same everywhere in the world. They're very competitive and it's very difficult and time consuming to prepare for all the stages of the examination. You are wrong about STEM. They practice social skills more than you think. They work in group projects and their team player spirit is more developed than that of humanities and social studies students who work individually many times.

@@ciobalina7445 Apologies for slight misunderstanding. I suppose this could also be a question of different programs then as I dont feel like my degree was pure theory and rather it prepared me well for work in terms of building other skills apart from critical thinking. For reference I'm now working in a corporate research and development context. I feel like Australian universities might have a less of a focus on theory and they value team work - We do a lot of group assignments within humanities and our tutorials are very focused on discussion and group work. There are quite a lot of essays and exams but I also did a good mix of presentations, business case formulations and research projects grounded in real life issues. The main end of degree subject assessment for both of my majors was group assignments that were weighted 80% of the subject. I also had an opportunity to do a work internship instead of a subject (I didnt do this but I had a couple of friends who got good work experience out of this). At my uni we're also forced to choose some subject outside of our degree so that was a good opportunity to learn a "side skill" (though admittedly I wasted this opportunity on doing a language stream). I know that other universities in Australia that are more affiliated with technical institutes (ie TAFE) have more links with industry and government so they have things like mandatory work placements as part of the degree.

@@ciobalina7445 you're very wrong, in fact you literally give an amazing example of how the humanities are so helpful. you view the humanities are broad, therefore useless, but thats not how it is. take for example, being able to write. stem students are notoriously bad writers and fail very often in writing their thoughts because they dont study the humanities and writing and literature. you used writing to form an argument, rebuttal to other arguments, and different examples. that is an example of the things you learn in humanities. you can find many different jobs in the humanities, you just choose to believe that because it isnt so specific and precise, there is nothing there. for example, you could work for a publishing company reading manuscripts, you can do freelance writing work, you can potentially even teach. another fault of stem is many lack so many soft skills for work. when it comes to finding a job, every position you might get is different, so you will need to be trained regardless of what you do. so it does not matter what your certifications are, because everyone is qualified. when it comes to soft skills, what you believe to not differentiate anyone at all, in fact plays a huge role in helping you stand out. being able to have those soft skills to help you help everyone else is vital.

Hey glad to hear that someone has gone through this path and made it alive, Could you help me with a similar problem, I am kinda going through the same thing as a freshman. Thank you for the comment!

Ahh as Giovanni Boccaccio said, we hold dearest to us what we achieve with great difficulty

Currently in my BA in English (literature) sooo if you ever need a literature buddy let me know! :)

@@rosl9517hey please! I genuinely need a buddy in my studies. How to contact you ?

Also I am kind of wanting to take some philosophy courses to study religious texts (I am just personally interested in why people believe in religion) and considering taking fine art courses :)

this.

You could work in Publishing with a Literature degree… only drawback is moving to New York or a major city for publishing in the country you’re from.

you have a beautiful reason and there's not anything more important than that! believe me, as a person who don't have any passion i would love to find anything in the world even if that means i'm not gonna be the most succesfull human being. I think having a purpose it's edverything you have to persue now a days. Keep it going!! Wishing you the best luck!

ur gonna be broke

@@beachwave5705 better than unhappy

I don't think u need a degree to become an author tbh

Hello from Czech Republic!

Another hello from Czech republic! 😊

STEM background does allow you the luxury of feeling philosophical. But starting out philosophical? Hell no

Is being a data analyst not worth it? I’m considering between medicine and software engineering, i have interest in medicine but don’t really know much about software engineering just that i can earn money faster. Idk what to do

This is great advice. Be can still do a professional degree. Get job and still study for BA or MA degrees.

You should've done a double major

I agree with this, im surprised not many other people aren't mentioning this. I'm all for studying the humanities, but is it worth ending up in debt? That is a question everyone should ask themselves

Humanities is more than listening to lectures - it's turning information into sophisticated arguments. When I did my history degree, my writing skills skyrocketed. There is an advantage with set readings, imo. That said - is it worth the debt?

ratatouille tings.

That must be why Jhumpa Lahiri's parents allowed to become an author. If you aren't familiar, she's a notable Indian American writer of Bengali ethnicity.

@@danielcarvalho1453 I am aware(I'm a Bengali)

good point

Well, yes and no. A library card is a great thing, if the library is of a good standard. But it will, by and large, only get you so far. A great teacher is great not for the wisdom they pass on to you but through the questions they ask which, as RC points out, can turn your world upside down. Not impossible to do alone, but your reading could so easily become something that constantly confirms your existing biases and never really helps you to grow.

Forces you to read something you otherwise wouldn't. Also the nature of having assignments set for you its hard to challenge yourself truly if you're the only one pushing yourself.

nice cope

@@FlanPoirot am literally a stem major lmfao

It’s really not the same to study alone in your free time and actually doing a degree!