An ever prominent question for many humanities students is “So what job can that degree get you?” It is true that pursuing the humanities does not blatantly outline a career path for others to see as well as math, health, or science does. However, a compelling case is to be made for the humanities. What other fields can allow you to work virtually anywhere and create well rounded and educated members of society through study?
The struggling artist is a persona I’m sure everyone is familiar with. The graduate goes to art school, graduates and then realizes there are no jobs to be had. They are broke and struggling and sometimes forced to move back in with their parents. This is not always the case. The media drastically overplays this stereotype because, in reality, the Humanities can get you anywhere you want! The field of the Humanities covers subjects like literature, philosophy, sociology, art/music, and history. Those subjects cover just about every aspect human of life and have been considered, throughout history, as some of the noblest fields of study. So why are we forced to constantly remind others of this? A lot of people believe that the humanities is a field for dreamers and that there are no real jobs to be had from it. But this is not the case.
Studying the humanities allows you to work virtually anywhere: literature opens doors for editing, journalism, communication, even becoming an author; philosophy and sociology build skills in understanding the human mind and opens doors to teaching, social work, and politics; art and music allow graduates to pursue careers in those fields as well as film, dance, and more; and history paves the way for teaching, being a historian, or archaeologist to name a few. The study of humanities opens doors into so many different career choices! It allows you to work anywhere from teaching to television.
Studying the humanities also produces well rounded and educated members of society. This field builds on critical thinking, social skills, and communication. These are qualities that are useful to any functioning member of society. The Humanities are about studying human society and culture. Graduates from these programs are the most adept in not only analyzing our society and working towards mending the issues, but also furthering it culturally to create a modern society superior to any other. With so many branches within the Humanities, every aspect of human life is covered.
Now, this isn’t to say that studying health, mathematics, and science isn’t dignified. After all, where would we be without doctors and scientists? Those studying in those subjects should have full respect. Society would not function if it weren’t for those graduates. This article is simply making a case for the underappreciated humanities. A field of study that doesn’t get enough attention simply from preconceived notions about its “practicality”. But I invite you to tell me a field of study that offers students as much as the Humanities does. Hopefully, this is successful in changing your question from “Why study the humanities?” to “Why not study the humanities?” because I guarantee that philosophy will take you far greater places.
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