The beaming sun told a tale a warmth, but the frigid February air shrieked another. From inside I was comfortable, viewing winter at a distance. A few friends and I were scoffing down lunch as quickly as our stomachs would allow before class…when I heard it, not for the last time, over ham and cheese wraps: “I’m a computer science major, so I’ll actually get a job after I graduate.”
Actually? What does that mean? We liberal arts students know what it’s supposed to mean. We hear these subtle insults day after day. If you’re a humanities major, this one’s for you. Here are five things you’ve heard probably more than once…
1. You’re actually smart… so why are you studying [insert humanities major here]? Why don’t you study [insert math or science major here] instead and apply yourself?
Some of us may be able to solve dizzying math problems, accurately predict the products of a chemical reaction and/or recite Newton’s third law, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we want to! I’ll admit I thoroughly enjoyed my science courses in high school, but the idea of forever differentiating complex equations and perusing dense skeletal systems makes me a little queasy. “Can” and “want” are separate states of being. Furthermore, studying English or history or anthropology doesn’t make you “not smart” or mean you’re “wasting your potential.” Studying something you love will bring out the best in you. Excited and enthused, you’ll look forward to class every single day, and in this way you’ll tap your greatest potential.
2. Trade school students are better off…they actually learn skills.
Vocational skills are great: trade students can work as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, automotive technologists and more. Soft skills are great: liberal arts students master written and oral communication, learn to think critically and excel in problem solving. It wouldn’t be fair to discredit one or the other—they’re both learned, unique skillsets that land jobs in the working-world dependent upon interest.
3. Do you just, like, talk about your feelings in class all day?
No. No we do not. Contrary to popular belief, life as a liberal arts major is no stroll through the park. Just the other day I entered my British literature class, took my seat and before I even had time to unpack my things my professor announced there would be a “pop essay.” We were provided 20 minutes to write a coherent essay comparing and contrasting Lady Bertha and Lady Alwena from the novella The Witch of Ravensworth. A lot of sweating and a lot of shaking out my cramped right hand ensued.
4. *Reading a book* Uh, don’t you ever have homework to do? You’re just reading?
That is our homework—well, half of it. The other half of our time will be spent writing paper after paper after paper. Try producing four A-worthy papers in one week. Try dissecting a ridiculously dense academic essay, day in and day out. Try staying awake after blazing through 80 pages of a novel with 20 more to go in the late of night. It’s not the easiest thing you’ll do.
5. Your fancy liberal arts degree won’t land you a job post-graduation.
A cultural/societal push for STEM means post-secondary institutions are handing out fewer liberal arts degrees. That means fewer college graduates are mastering the soft skills desired most ardently by employers. That means our unique skillset becomes even more desirable and valuable with time. Listen, if you are working your butt off, achieving good grades and always striving for the best, you will not have trouble finding a job after graduation as a liberal arts major. No matter your discipline, hard work pays off. So keep reading, keep writing and keep rolling your eyes at the unguided misconceptions naysayers throw your way.
