I'm Nicole and I'm a triple major in English, Environmental Studies and Philosophy. Yes, all three of those are bachelors of arts degrees and yes I am completing all three of them in four years. But as everyone who is some liberal arts related field knows, people will talk sh*t about it. Among other things, I've been told: My degrees are just liberal BS, a liberal arts degree is the easy way out of college, I'll never have any employable skills, I'll never find a job, and I'll never make any money. Lets try and dispel some of these arguments.
1. It's liberal BS
First of all, Its a liberal arts education but its not BS. Its actually a BA (haha liberal arts humor). But on a more serious note: An education in itself is not liberal. Yes, individuals who educate (aka professors) have personal opinions but for the most part they try and refrain from "forcing" their views on students. Part of my liberal arts education is learning to think critically. I know how to distinguish fact from opinion.
2. I'm taking the easy way out of education just so I can say I went to college.
First
of all, if I wanted the "easy way out" I wouldn't be a triple major. I
also wouldn't be looking at graduate school programs.
3. I have no employable skills
You're totally right, I don't need to read or write for any job (can you feel the sarcasm?). Among my other useless skills include organizational skills, interpersonal communication skills and critical thinking. I'll admit some of these you learn in any field (reading and writing), but my specialization in English means that I've fined tuned these skills and are more efficient than someone who isn't in such an intensive writing based field. Another part of my English program is taking one piece of writing and looking at from different angles. We never think of something as simply one-sided, and the real world definitely isn't one sided.
4. There is no job market for me
As I just established, I have skills required for any field. Sure I'm not an expert in medicine or astrophysics but I'm also not looking for a job in those fields. Just like someone from these fields doesn't have the right qualifications for the jobs I'm applying for. More importantly there will always be a need for someone who can look at something from different angles who has adaptable skills. Maybe I won't start at my dream job but I will find a job even if its something as simple as serving as a real life spell check.
5. I'll never make any money
Sure I may not start out in the same pay grade as some other bachelors level programs but as long as I can live a comfortable lifestyle, why does it matter what else I have? Success isn't determined by the money you make because I would honestly be absolutely miserable working some of these high paying jobs people keep insisting are the only reputable routes. Making money doesn't matter when I can make a real difference in the world.
