Everyday there are articles posted online excoriating any sort of humanities degree that still remains in existence. Articles such as this one, http://news.yahoo.com/many-colleges-offering-more-help-career-prep-172711800.html. They make me very, very, angry when I read them. I majored in the humanities. I mastered in the humanities. According to the most unimaginative dolts who write these articles, I have a worthless degree with zero job skills. I am not sure of anything that could be further from the truth. There are many reasons why a degree in the humanities are very worthwhile, and I would further venture that the job skills we receive are those gathered outside of the university system, with regards to the obvious engineer, doctor, scientist, etc...Additionally, aside from waxing some bullshit about how great a humanities degree is, lets all be honest with each other and agree that maybe common sense should, can, and does carry us further in this world than a generic business degree.
If you are going to go to school to be truly trained for a career, then go to a tech school, barring the above referenced majors that make going to a university a necessity. The original curriculum of our fair college system, up until the financial sector took over, placed a heavy emphasis on the humanities. You know why? Of course you do not know why, if everyone knew why I would not have to write this, so I will let you in on a little secret. The majority of the foundation on which we base or have developed our society upon comes from the humanities. Philosophy, religion, law, history, politics, literature, art, and music. For most of human history these tenets have been the pillars of society. The humanities are civilization. I cannot believe for the life of me, that I feel the need to remind everyone of this. The humanities are more than just a superfluous waste of time.
I would also venture a guess that anyone with a humanities background is a more proficient and comprehensive reader than an architect, computer science or accountant. Would love to give a little shout out to my lawyer friends who are well versed in the art of reading long briefs in a very short amount of time and retaining everything they read. Further more, an asset that I can very much attest to owning due to my background in humanities, anyone who has ever studied history or philosophy has a greater advantage of putting the pieces together to see and understand the whole picture. If that is not an important job skill, than I do not know what is. If you specialize in one thing, and one thing only, then really how far can you see? I have an engineer friend who admitted to me that after he begrudgingly completed his schools humanities requirement, it made him a better engineer and the difference was noticeable among his colleagues in the industry. Also, do I have to get started on logic? There is nothing I love more than watching a lawyer or philosophy lover argue with a business background only person. The ability to relate to the other and by that I mean co-workers, clients, customers, the other ideas, other solutions, in general the ability to think outside of your realm and be comfortable and insightful in response should be a valuable skill sought out by employers. If that is not convincing, then our working world is damned if we do not place value on these skills.
Furthermore, if you are going to college without any job skills, your parents have done you a great disservice. I have been working since the age of 14, and playing tons of competitive sports. I have also worked in the business world since I graduated with my bachelors degree. If there is any skill I have lacked in, I either research and correct or open my lips and ask a mentor, employers cannot expect college graduates to know everything and I am sure they don't. Just because some corporate human resources God/Satan on Wall Street deemed an education in the humanities as waste of precious brain power, it should not usher the downfall of an important way of learning how to think and study people. If you would like to believe that, then I am offering you a challenge to prove me wrong. Take just a week and remove all benefits of a humanities education from your surroundings. No movies/TV (performance art), no books/magazines (literature), no art, not one note of music, you cannot discuss politics (philosophy/political science/history) no discussion of monetary policy (philosophy), no discussion of history, all good food gone (the culinary arts), you cannot attend church or discuss religion (religion/philosophy). Those are just few. But let me know how it goes.
Every skill obtained from degree in the humanities is 100% transferable to a career in the outside world. I appreciate the scientists, technology oriented people, engineers, mechanics, welders, builders, etc...I can see and understand the amazing things they can produce and create. Can you imagine the great things that can be discovered with a little bit of collaboration with someone who knows people? To limit our knowledge, because of lack of imagination, as a society to a few specialized areas then that is world I do not want to be a part of. Without the humanities our civilization looses its inability to grow. I might not be able to build a sky-scrapper or computer app, or fix my car, but I can help those who can envision the growth of their business and relationship with clients. If the business world refuses to seek out and understand the potential of these thought processes, well, I suggest going back to school and studying a little philosophy or literature. It might open your eyes up to a whole new world-
