So few liberal arts majors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here who went to med school. I’m able to pivot to a mostly grant writing/ research job that allows me flexibility while seeing patients part time because I can write. Good pay. I’ve spoken to others and they don’t think writing comes as easily so they are stuck with inflexible jobs just grinding. So that’s a win for me.

bolded is key. Most liberal arts major end up having to go to graduate school to get a decent paying job.

But many students want that. Not every 22 year old is rushing to get an entry role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few kids live in the DCUM bubble and can afford to major in something frivolous knowing that their school’s prestige and parental connections will ensure they do well anyway. Most kids are forced to be practical.

Yet many study the sciences...Not to be anti-intellectual, but many scientific pursuits are purely meaningless, require a PhD, and pay $30k-40k

Please give specific examples…

Pure Math, Theoretical Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Biology

Mostly useless degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here who went to med school. I’m able to pivot to a mostly grant writing/ research job that allows me flexibility while seeing patients part time because I can write. Good pay. I’ve spoken to others and they don’t think writing comes as easily so they are stuck with inflexible jobs just grinding. So that’s a win for me.

bolded is key. Most liberal arts major end up having to go to graduate school to get a decent paying job.

Those losers going to medical school and becoming doctors! Can’t believe what failures they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here who went to med school. I’m able to pivot to a mostly grant writing/ research job that allows me flexibility while seeing patients part time because I can write. Good pay. I’ve spoken to others and they don’t think writing comes as easily so they are stuck with inflexible jobs just grinding. So that’s a win for me.

bolded is key. Most liberal arts major end up having to go to graduate school to get a decent paying job.

If your career necessitates it, that's what you have to do. Not like there's a way to skirt around med or law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

…but that’s not true. It’s Harvard. He can join one consulting club and with a little effort, make back that sum.

Maybe sarcastic? But it is true. Except for the effort part. Should not be hard. Your nephew could be an English major with an eye on a job and would be fine. Harvard not as good as Yale and Princeton on this but I would think fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

How old are these two? Because times have changed.

No they have not. But you have to network and be thinking as much about the job as your major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

+1. At top schools without “professional” majors, the liberal arts majors get these jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just trying to read my car manual this weekend because I had a question about something and it was gibberish. Clearly, the world needs more English majors who can write clearly. It was just shockingly bad.

That is why someone with a STEM background with very strong communication skills and writing skills can go far. Every company needs a strong marketing team, someone who can write the manuals, etc. But it's hard for an English only major to be strong in the products of many companies . Hence by both skill sets are important

Funny! (I hope you’re trying to be funny.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here who went to med school. I’m able to pivot to a mostly grant writing/ research job that allows me flexibility while seeing patients part time because I can write. Good pay. I’ve spoken to others and they don’t think writing comes as easily so they are stuck with inflexible jobs just grinding. So that’s a win for me.

bolded is key. Most liberal arts major end up having to go to graduate school to get a decent paying job.

But many students want that. Not every 22 year old is rushing to get an entry role.

Many liberal arts students have to have that if they want a good paying job. If they want a grad degree, that's fine. Just know what you're getting into when you major in liberal arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English major here who went to med school. I’m able to pivot to a mostly grant writing/ research job that allows me flexibility while seeing patients part time because I can write. Good pay. I’ve spoken to others and they don’t think writing comes as easily so they are stuck with inflexible jobs just grinding. So that’s a win for me.

bolded is key. Most liberal arts major end up having to go to graduate school to get a decent paying job.

Those losers going to medical school and becoming doctors! Can’t believe what failures they are.

? if that's what you took from that statement, well, clearly you are a liberal arts major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

+1. At top schools without “professional” majors, the liberal arts majors get these jobs.

So, basically, unless you go to a top school, if you major in liberal arts, you have to go to grad school to get a good paying job. That seems to sum up this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

+1. At top schools without “professional” majors, the liberal arts majors get these jobs.

So, basically, unless you go to a top school, if you major in liberal arts, you have to go to grad school to get a good paying job. That seems to sum up this thread.

Not what I was saying. Just that a lot of top schools don’t really offer the “pre-professional” types of degrees, and so you when you find their grads in different jobs you will generally find they have a wide range of liberal arts majors. Business-oriented kids have tended to concentrate in economics in recent times but recruiters will still look across the range of majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

+1. At top schools without “professional” majors, the liberal arts majors get these jobs.

So, basically, unless you go to a top school, if you major in liberal arts, you have to go to grad school to get a good paying job. That seems to sum up this thread.

So what?

There's nothing wrong with a graduate degree.

Earnings will still be much more than a HS ( only) grad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few kids live in the DCUM bubble and can afford to major in something frivolous knowing that their school’s prestige and parental connections will ensure they do well anyway. Most kids are forced to be practical.

False dichotomy. You can have a rigorous liberal arts education AND major in something “practical”.

+100

I don’t understand why people think they can’t get a good job or meaningful career with a liberal arts education. I would hire a liberal arts graduate over a business degree undergrad any day.

depends on what you are hiring them for, no? More than likely, you wouldn't hire an English major for a Financial Analyst position. A business grad would at least have some finance and accounting background. An English major grad wouldn't know what goes into a Balance Sheet vs Income Statement, or what a P&L is. Can they be learned on the job? Sure, but more than likely, companies would prefer that new hires already have some knowledge rather than having to train them from scratch.

Most reputable companies do provide training. A graduate with a strong liberal arts background- balanced in both quantitative and qualitative skills and critical thinking is likely a much more successful job candidate for a financial analyst job than a business major.

If the company provides training then business majors will be more easily trainable than English majors.

And of course there is the question of interest. If you're hiring financial analysts, it is natural to wonder why an English major wants that job. No such question with a business major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College has gotten too expensive to justify a liberal arts major. And I say that as someone with a liberal arts BA, MA, and PhD.

We told our kids that we will fully fund their college educations, but they had to pick a major that was going to be employable upon graduation and one that could provide them with financial stability.

My nephew is an English Language & Lit major at Harvard. There is very little chance that he'll find employment after graduation that will justify the $330k-$350k my sister & BIL are paying for his education.

I wouldn't be so sure. I know an English major from Harvard who is a MD at Goldman and another who retired at 45 from venture capital. Most places will hire a Harvard grad, regardless of the major.

How old are these two? Because times have changed.

No they have not. But you have to network and be thinking as much about the job as your major.

You didn’t answer the question.