# Does your Liberal Arts Degree directly apply to your current profession? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2021, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860 "2021-09-18T07:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/61 "2021-09-21T20:31:19Z")
I majored in history and minored in political science. Now I work at Vanderbilt University library. Having a background in history does help me at my work. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/62 "2021-09-21T22:59:28Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > I think this topic warrants an additional question: if a child of yours intended to take a liberal arts degree in college (English Lit., a foreign language, sociology, media studies, gender studies, whatever), rather than something practical like science, IT, engineering, etc., how would you feel about paying for their education? It’s not like most people can actually choose. I’m great at arithmetic, OK at IT, but totally suck at advanced maths. Studying science or anything that required maths was not going to happen. I did consider economics (I got a decent grade at economics A level) and was talked out of it. But I really couldn’t have studied any of the hard sciences. Same goes for a lot of people. We just don’t have good enough maths understanding to do degrees that require it. And that even applies to people who like maths and science and want to be better at it. Given that, actually, many of my friends and acquaintances have done well after studying for liberal arts degrees, I certainly would pay for my daughter to do one. What else are we supposed to do? Say no college for you! Only science is allowed to be studied in our brave new world! (Don’t say “go into a trade” because that’s a good suggestion for most people who are good at maths, too). And foreign languages have all sorts of direct practical job possibilities. Sort of weird to see them included as useless degrees. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/63 "2021-09-21T23:28:41Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Finally, it’s really important to point out that the tragic oversupply of Liberal Arts majors is greatly exaggerated. [Official stats](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37): > > > Of the 1,981,000 bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2017–18, the greatest numbers of degrees were conferred in the fields of business (386,000), health professions and related programs (245,000), social sciences and history (160,000), engineering (122,000), biological and biomedical sciences (119,000), psychology (116,000), communication, journalism, and related programs (92,000), and visual and performing arts (89,000). > > The solid bulk of those are in fields people would consider “pragmatic”. We don’t have a generation graduating with a degree in Lesbian Studies. That may be true, but that depends on the nature of the missing ~800,000 degrees. > [@MandaJo](#): > > But if it’s 20k a year to USC (with financial aid) vs 10k/at your local regional commuter College, I’d probably go USC. Which one? 😀 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/64 "2021-09-22T01:25:11Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Which one? 😀 The one that is a real college of course: South Carolina! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/65 "2021-09-22T09:21:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The one that is a real college of course: > > South Carolina! No argument there! That’s where I not only earned my doctorate, but also met and married my wife there. But I’m not gonna totally denigrate the left-coast USC, since that’s where my dad got his B.S. in chemical engineering, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/66 "2021-09-23T13:09:33Z")
Not directly. I have an English degree and work in special education which I guess helps me communicate with intra-office stuff and if they’re working on writing? Looking back I’d have chosen PolySci or something else honestly. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/67 "2021-09-23T18:43:05Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Many,many lib arts students are totally clueless about the working world. They just sit in their classrooms, getting good grades on exams, feeling proud of an “A” on a paper which was read by only one other person on the planet, who then deleted and forgot about it right after giving the grade. But… you’ve never read my masterful paper on _The Seventh Seal,_ with insights Ingmar Bergman never even thought of! The whole “Lit Crit” thing really helped me when I ended up teaching computer graphics at a technical college, I tell ya… ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/68 "2021-09-23T19:38:35Z")
I always end up doing the minutes and writing the accommodations when we do IEP meetings. The STEM teachers really are bad at it ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/69 "2021-09-23T22:02:14Z")
Hey, you’ve heard of Bergman and so may take your place among the company of the civilized.That’s gotta be worth something. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/70 "2021-09-23T22:10:51Z")
At one time I was a graduate student with a temp agency job, copying the applications for mathematics grants for a week each year. Every year I had that assignment, at least one of my college classmates or someone from another year applied. Each always had one or more letter writers enthusiastically praising their writing and organizational abilities and contrasting this to the vast majority of their graduate students in mathematics, who did not have liberal arts degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/71 "2021-09-26T20:12:08Z")
University courses (some of them, many in liberal arts) are among the few places one can state, test, develop, and change the ideas one brings to the table, through research, writing, and discussion with others in a relatively non-hierarchical setting. This learned skill is crucial for any civic engagement, from a strata council to federal politics. It is hard to imagine a more important skill to work on. When people say “cut the liberal arts,” some are saying, “we want people to shut up and do what they’re told, not question, debate, argue, or fight back.” ---
**Author:** ![Somethingwitty1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/somethingwitty1/32/8899_2.png) [@Somethingwitty1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Somethingwitty1)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/72 "2021-09-26T20:16:44Z")
> [@Somethingwitty1](#): > > I have a BA in Political Science. My answer would be no. reading through the responses, I guess I should amend my responses. My liberal arts degree did in fact help me get a job. But my job didn’t directly involve political science. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/73 "2021-09-27T23:13:28Z")
Several years ago, a book outlined some major research that said students learned virtually nothing in their first two years of university, in terms of reading skills, writing, critical thinking, etc. Oh, except in two disciplines: History and English, where they had to, um, read, write, outline their ideas in discussions and essays. Econ, sociology, psychology, many more, might have provided some information, but no improvement in the skills offered in History and English, two of the most “what are you going to do with that degree?”subjects. Oh, where information is also provided, along with such training ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/74 "2021-09-27T23:39:46Z")
I have a BA in English with minors in psych and poli sci. My career started as a newspaper reporter/editor, so that was kind of related to my degree. Then I went into organized labor for about 15 yesterday, where I was an organizer, rep and educator, so that moved me away from my degree. Currently I own my own organic lawn/garden company, and spend my days fertilizing lawns and bagging compost, so I’ve moved completely away from my degree at this point (22 years out of college). My college years taught me to be a good researcher, and that’s come into play as I’ve moved into organic agriculture as a career. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/75 "2021-09-28T00:17:27Z")
My degree is in English Teaching. No, not education. My university decided to call the degree something different than everywhere else does. Since I graduated, 100% of my positions have involved education, though generally speaking not much teaching. At present I’m the editor/director of instructional videos produced for people in the field of developmental psychology, and I also oversee the online courses they get put into. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/76 "2021-09-28T00:22:41Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I have a **BA in English with minors in psych and poli sci**. My career started as a newspaper reporter/editor, so that was kind of related to my degree. Then I went into organized labor for about 15 yesterday, where I was an organizer, rep and educator, so that moved me away from my degree. Currently I own my own organic lawn/garden company, and spend my days fertilizing lawns and bagging compost, so **I’ve moved completely away from my degree at this point** (22 years out of college). I’d say with taht major and minors, you should have gotten used to bullshit. (d&r) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/77 "2021-09-28T21:27:02Z")
On day 1 the school president addressed the incoming Freshmen and one of the points he made was how to respond to questions like, “What are you going to do with a Liberal Arts degree?” He said, “You will be educated with it.” He wasn’t wrong. It changed my view of the relationship between education and career. I stopped seeing a 4 year degree as a train up for a specific job. Instead it was, you get your new brain and a slip of paper you tuck away for the next 50+ years, and then you go out into the world and experience stuff with wider eyes. Sometimes a career happens, sometimes you make your way some other how. But cash flow and prestige were never the point. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/78 "2021-09-28T21:34:26Z")
This. Exactly this. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/79 "2021-09-28T22:31:15Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > On day 1 the school president addressed the incoming Freshmen and one of the points he made was how to respond to questions like, “What are you going to do with a Liberal Arts degree?” Exactly, college isn’t a trade school. The only time I have a problem with liberal arts degrees is if they’re not academically rigorous. But, that can definitely be said of other degrees especially the oh-so-practical business degrees. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860/80 "2021-09-29T01:30:32Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Exactly, college isn’t a trade school. Ha! One of my fellow teachers _(at a trade school)_ claims, the first day of class, “ **You’ll never pass this welding class if you can’t articulate at least three causes of the French Revolution**!” There’s so much “work time” (when the teacher gets to wander around checking on the students’ projects), that he has plenty of time to discuss literature, art, movies, music, and French history. Another quote from him: “We’re going to give you a Liberal Arts education, even though you didn’t pay for that!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-liberal-arts-degree-directly-apply-to-your-current-profession/950860.md?page=5)