Arts is legit, yo.
So, the other day, I was creeping people on checking Facebook, and I came across a group called The awkwardness when an Arts student talks about their "future prospects". Basically, the group pokes fun at Arts students, suggesting that a BA degree won't (or rather, can't) turn into a legitimate career. Now, I'm just a lowly, misguided Arts student, but hear me out: this group is based on diddly-squat.
Arts degrees are extremely versatile. So versatile, in fact, that I have been granted interviews for positions specifically asking for students in science, software engineering, computer science, etc. etc.. And you know what? When it came time to offer the job to a candidate, I was ranked for these positions over students in those degree areas. Why? Because we learn so many transferable skills in Arts. I've learned how to write, for both academic and general audiences. I've learned to calculate statistics using t-tests and various ANOVAs. I've learned marketing strategies, how relationships work, how to communicate, how to speak and write Japanese, how to evaluate designs, how children develop, how jail affects criminals, how to design an experiment... The sheer amount of areas I now have knowledge in is amazing, not to mention the amount and depth of information I've acquired about my major itself.
Frankly, I don't think students in other faculties realize how many career options we Artsies have as a result. If one career doesn't tickle our fancy, we're fairly qualified for another. As a Psychology student, for example, I could pursue the obvious careers in psychiatry or research, sure. But there are so many non-academic careers available as well, including positions at Microsoft and NASA, doing everything from designing computer interfaces to creating federal policies. But of course, they don't realize this or care to look into it. I'm in Psychology, so obviously I'm going to become a therapist and over-analyze people's dreams, right?
I was discussing this with my roommate E and he made an excellent point: it all depends on the person. Sure, some students will do an Arts degree with no direction, no goals, and as a result, graduate with little in the way of a budding career. But really, that happens in any major. Crappy Health Science students do not become doctors. Bad Mechanical Engineers don't get to build awesome machines. Sloppy Computer Science students end up as code monkeys in second-rate companies or worse, as tech support, spending their days installing printer drivers and setting up projectors for Power Point presentations. There is no major that guarantees someone a satisfactory job without effort and direction.
Although I know the group is meant as a joke and I might be taking it too seriously, I find this stereotype really insulting. I put effort into my degree and it's frustrating to see all my work, my entire degree, unrightfully dismissed.
Arts degrees are extremely versatile. So versatile, in fact, that I have been granted interviews for positions specifically asking for students in science, software engineering, computer science, etc. etc.. And you know what? When it came time to offer the job to a candidate, I was ranked for these positions over students in those degree areas. Why? Because we learn so many transferable skills in Arts. I've learned how to write, for both academic and general audiences. I've learned to calculate statistics using t-tests and various ANOVAs. I've learned marketing strategies, how relationships work, how to communicate, how to speak and write Japanese, how to evaluate designs, how children develop, how jail affects criminals, how to design an experiment... The sheer amount of areas I now have knowledge in is amazing, not to mention the amount and depth of information I've acquired about my major itself.
Frankly, I don't think students in other faculties realize how many career options we Artsies have as a result. If one career doesn't tickle our fancy, we're fairly qualified for another. As a Psychology student, for example, I could pursue the obvious careers in psychiatry or research, sure. But there are so many non-academic careers available as well, including positions at Microsoft and NASA, doing everything from designing computer interfaces to creating federal policies. But of course, they don't realize this or care to look into it. I'm in Psychology, so obviously I'm going to become a therapist and over-analyze people's dreams, right?
I was discussing this with my roommate E and he made an excellent point: it all depends on the person. Sure, some students will do an Arts degree with no direction, no goals, and as a result, graduate with little in the way of a budding career. But really, that happens in any major. Crappy Health Science students do not become doctors. Bad Mechanical Engineers don't get to build awesome machines. Sloppy Computer Science students end up as code monkeys in second-rate companies or worse, as tech support, spending their days installing printer drivers and setting up projectors for Power Point presentations. There is no major that guarantees someone a satisfactory job without effort and direction.
Although I know the group is meant as a joke and I might be taking it too seriously, I find this stereotype really insulting. I put effort into my degree and it's frustrating to see all my work, my entire degree, unrightfully dismissed.