Why are the humanities still competitive?

[Anonymous]

DD is applying this year to jobs in the humanities sphere (Public facing careers mostly, along with publishing, editing, and copywriting). She has grown up in a generation where STEM has been thrown down the throat of every child in the education system, and people find humanities education a complete joke. Year over year, humanities departments are seeing reduced enrollment, funding cuts, and less cultural significance; yet, to get a job or to practice the humanities is very elitist and gatekept. What's going on here and will we ever see a resurgence in a literate, culturally-aware society?

[Anonymous]

No resurgence. Gate keeping by the most inept who can't find jobs elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

We will have a renaissance.

[Anonymous]

Things come and go, or at least gradually lose their importance and popularity. Black-and-white TVs, x86/Pentium processors, 5"/3.5" floppy disks, Fortran programming language, CDs, Blackberries, printed newspaper, horse carriage, Latin, Dodo birds, etc. Why not certain branches of humanities, at a longer timescale?

[Anonymous]

Majoring in and then pursuing a career in the fine arts, museums, English/writing, Classics, or the like has become again what those things originally were: elite niche fields for those rich enough to be unburdened by the need to prepare to work for money. These are not jobs for upper middle class privileged kids whose parents pay full-ride for them to study engineering or business, they are "passions" for people who will never have to think about money, ever.

When I was at Harvard, I met people like this and realized very quickly that there was a level of wealthy I had never imagined.

Most kids today can't afford to major in the humanities, and need a utilitarian business or STEM degree because they need a high-paying job to maintain the standard of living their parents hold. The trustfund kid who attended Rosey in Switzerland for boarding school and is a billionaire just for her name can afford to major in English or Latin or Art History and have a "passion." That is not a rational choice or option for the majority of college kids today, though. It's a big change from decades ago, when just getting a BA in anything was enough to ensure an upper middle class lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

There was a surge in recent years for game design, which had been a very lucrative career. This year's graduates (2025) are struggling to find jobs in the industry. Known professionals in the industry are losing their jobs. The entirety of Aardman Animations gaming dept was closed.

I believe game design is an arts & computer science degree that is soon to be dead in the water.

I don't know why OP is focused on the humanities when this kind of thing is not happening to the same extent for any humanities courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Majoring in and then pursuing a career in the fine arts, museums, English/writing, Classics, or the like has become again what those things originally were: elite niche fields for those rich enough to be unburdened by the need to prepare to work for money. These are not jobs for upper middle class privileged kids whose parents pay full-ride for them to study engineering or business, they are "passions" for people who will never have to think about money, ever.

When I was at Harvard, I met people like this and realized very quickly that there was a level of wealthy I had never imagined.

Most kids today can't afford to major in the humanities, and need a utilitarian business or STEM degree because they need a high-paying job to maintain the standard of living their parents hold. The trustfund kid who attended Rosey in Switzerland for boarding school and is a billionaire just for her name can afford to major in English or Latin or Art History and have a "passion." That is not a rational choice or option for the majority of college kids today, though. It's a big change from decades ago, when just getting a BA in anything was enough to ensure an upper middle class lifestyle.

Unpopular opinion but these takes that the humanities are inaccessible are nonsensical. Do you all not read books, listen to podcasts, watch movies, read the paper, ever visit a museum, ever go to an art fair or try a pottery class? I love my engineering degree and have my own woodworking studio and constantly buy new books, am subscribed to the Economist, New Yorker, and LA times, and am considering taking up sewing, so will likely go to a sewing house with my wife.

It’s concerning to me that so many people seem okay that their lives are filled with nothing but a corporate job and their phones. The AI might actually take over our lives, because people were too stupid to look out their window and attempt to engage in community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Majoring in and then pursuing a career in the fine arts, museums, English/writing, Classics, or the like has become again what those things originally were: elite niche fields for those rich enough to be unburdened by the need to prepare to work for money. These are not jobs for upper middle class privileged kids whose parents pay full-ride for them to study engineering or business, they are "passions" for people who will never have to think about money, ever.

When I was at Harvard, I met people like this and realized very quickly that there was a level of wealthy I had never imagined.

Most kids today can't afford to major in the humanities, and need a utilitarian business or STEM degree because they need a high-paying job to maintain the standard of living their parents hold. The trustfund kid who attended Rosey in Switzerland for boarding school and is a billionaire just for her name can afford to major in English or Latin or Art History and have a "passion." That is not a rational choice or option for the majority of college kids today, though. It's a big change from decades ago, when just getting a BA in anything was enough to ensure an upper middle class lifestyle.

Unpopular opinion but these takes that the humanities are inaccessible are nonsensical. Do you all not read books, listen to podcasts, watch movies, read the paper, ever visit a museum, ever go to an art fair or try a pottery class? I love my engineering degree and have my own woodworking studio and constantly buy new books, am subscribed to the Economist, New Yorker, and LA times, and am considering taking up sewing, so will likely go to a sewing house with my wife.

Your cute little "pottery class" or "art fair" or woodworking studio and...sewing hobby...are not the type of humanities referred to in that post.

Philistine.

It’s concerning to me that so many people seem okay that their lives are filled with nothing but a corporate job and their phones. The AI might actually take over our lives, because people were too stupid to look out their window and attempt to engage in community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Majoring in and then pursuing a career in the fine arts, museums, English/writing, Classics, or the like has become again what those things originally were: elite niche fields for those rich enough to be unburdened by the need to prepare to work for money. These are not jobs for upper middle class privileged kids whose parents pay full-ride for them to study engineering or business, they are "passions" for people who will never have to think about money, ever.

When I was at Harvard, I met people like this and realized very quickly that there was a level of wealthy I had never imagined.

Most kids today can't afford to major in the humanities, and need a utilitarian business or STEM degree because they need a high-paying job to maintain the standard of living their parents hold. The trustfund kid who attended Rosey in Switzerland for boarding school and is a billionaire just for her name can afford to major in English or Latin or Art History and have a "passion." That is not a rational choice or option for the majority of college kids today, though. It's a big change from decades ago, when just getting a BA in anything was enough to ensure an upper middle class lifestyle.

Unpopular opinion but these takes that the humanities are inaccessible are nonsensical. Do you all not read books, listen to podcasts, watch movies, read the paper, ever visit a museum, ever go to an art fair or try a pottery class? I love my engineering degree and have my own woodworking studio and constantly buy new books, am subscribed to the Economist, New Yorker, and LA times, and am considering taking up sewing, so will likely go to a sewing house with my wife.

It’s concerning to me that so many people seem okay that their lives are filled with nothing but a corporate job and their phones. The AI might actually take over our lives, because people were too stupid to look out their window and attempt to engage in community.

Your cute little "pottery class" or "art fair" or woodworking studio and...sewing hobby...are not the type of humanities referred to in that post. You sound so limited and ignorant.

Philistine.

[Anonymous]

Threads like this make me sad.

A lot of lawyers I know were English or Philosophy majors, and they’re some of the highest paid people I know.

What’s scary is this—-people crap on education degrees, “soft” sciences like psychology and sociology, and they don’t want their kids to go into these roles. But they still want and need teachers to exist, they still want and need professors to exist so their grandkids can go to college and take a variety of classes that widen their thinking. Some of the most revered people in the world are music artists and actors. You want your kid to take piano lessons—from whom? A musician. You go to the theater several times a year and it brings you joy? Theater graduates. These professions wouldn’t exist if the arts and humanities were not funded. I go to the bookstore and it’s packed with people buying books—you know who writes these books? English majors! You know who edits them?? Also English majors!

We have a sad society when these important roles that bring a richness to our otherwise dull lives are seen as worthless or bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Threads like this make me sad.

A lot of lawyers I know were English or Philosophy majors, and they’re some of the highest paid people I know.

What’s scary is this—-people crap on education degrees, “soft” sciences like psychology and sociology, and they don’t want their kids to go into these roles. But they still want and need teachers to exist, they still want and need professors to exist so their grandkids can go to college and take a variety of classes that widen their thinking. Some of the most revered people in the world are music artists and actors. You want your kid to take piano lessons—from whom? A musician. You go to the theater several times a year and it brings you joy? Theater graduates. These professions wouldn’t exist if the arts and humanities were not funded. I go to the bookstore and it’s packed with people buying books—you know who writes these books? English majors! You know who edits them?? Also English majors!

We have a sad society when these important roles that bring a richness to our otherwise dull lives are seen as worthless or bad.

+1 Not just sad, ignorant in so many ways. And seemingly unaware of what a liberal arts education means.

[Anonymous]

STEM majors have 40-50% of courses that are humanities.

It is the humanities majors who are having serious gaps in education.

Engineering is the liberal arts education of the 21st century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is applying this year to jobs in the humanities sphere (Public facing careers mostly, along with publishing, editing, and copywriting). She has grown up in a generation where STEM has been thrown down the throat of every child in the education system, and people find humanities education a complete joke. Year over year, humanities departments are seeing reduced enrollment, funding cuts, and less cultural significance; yet, to get a job or to practice the humanities is very elitist and gatekept. What's going on here and will we ever see a resurgence in a literate, culturally-aware society?

Don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Majoring in and then pursuing a career in the fine arts, museums, English/writing, Classics, or the like has become again what those things originally were: elite niche fields for those rich enough to be unburdened by the need to prepare to work for money. These are not jobs for upper middle class privileged kids whose parents pay full-ride for them to study engineering or business, they are "passions" for people who will never have to think about money, ever.

When I was at Harvard, I met people like this and realized very quickly that there was a level of wealthy I had never imagined.

Most kids today can't afford to major in the humanities, and need a utilitarian business or STEM degree because they need a high-paying job to maintain the standard of living their parents hold. The trustfund kid who attended Rosey in Switzerland for boarding school and is a billionaire just for her name can afford to major in English or Latin or Art History and have a "passion." That is not a rational choice or option for the majority of college kids today, though. It's a big change from decades ago, when just getting a BA in anything was enough to ensure an upper middle class lifestyle.

Your take is out of touch. Kid and kid's bestie are in one of those majors. The departments are smaller than STEM at their ivy, for undergrad, but the professors know everyone across the world and have connections. The undergrad majors who are not premeds trying to get an easier major are all gunning for phD(paid). PhD is needed for most museum jobs of worth these days: only 1/3 of phD stay in academia, so top jobs need the phd now.
The ones who do not go phD often get a job in arts consulting. From the top schools these pay extremely well because they are top consulting companies and they target ivy/T15.
Masters in writing is commonly fully funded, or at least the top 10 programs are(one of which is Iowa). Top masters in humanities can have funding as well but all phDs do. Look up phD admission for humanities areas at ivies: the admit rate is less than 5%. They are harder to get than stem phD. Many qualified candidates do a masters first and the top programs have funding for them. The rest do high dollar consulting which loves humanities-major kids, especially if the family does not have funds for an unpaid masters.

[Anonymous]

11/30/2025 02:41 knows the score.