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re: Why do so many good universities offer unmarketable degrees?
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:02 am to volod
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:02 am to volod
BC once upon a time you could take a generic degree into the corporate world and do fine.
Also, once upon a time you could get an Art History degree and come out of college as a well-rounded, classically educated person who knows how to read and write well and think critically.
Now the job market has changed. Moreover, it's no longer necessary that an art history major can write intelligently about Caravaggio or the Hudson River School and the political and scientific influences of the time, and use that social adeptness in the business world where they'll inevitably end up, so long as that person can author unintelligible dogshit about how disenfranchised communities are harmed by impressionism because its airy style and light coloration devalues people of color.
In short, the market for these degrees is tightening and the degrees themselves are less useful than ever.
Also, once upon a time you could get an Art History degree and come out of college as a well-rounded, classically educated person who knows how to read and write well and think critically.
Now the job market has changed. Moreover, it's no longer necessary that an art history major can write intelligently about Caravaggio or the Hudson River School and the political and scientific influences of the time, and use that social adeptness in the business world where they'll inevitably end up, so long as that person can author unintelligible dogshit about how disenfranchised communities are harmed by impressionism because its airy style and light coloration devalues people of color.
In short, the market for these degrees is tightening and the degrees themselves are less useful than ever.
1
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:05 am to Mingo Was His NameO
College is a business.Went to Northwestern graduation once,half the grads were honors students.How could that be?My guess it was grade inflation to keep parents happy,keep the TOPs money coming in.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:06 am to volod
I don’t buy into the notion that certain degrees are worthless. I google as much as I can about people I meet with for work and their degrees are all over the place. The CEO at a utility company I met with recently has a BA in English.
In many cases jobs people hold today didn’t even exist 30 years ago. Ask most people close to 50 and they will tell you they never expected to be in the field/job they are in now 20-25 years ago.
This idea that college is some sort of job specific training ground doesn’t really hold true. I think people in places where there are less jobs outside of a few industry specific companies hold on to this misconception more than people who live in an area l with a variety of industries and opportunities.
In many cases jobs people hold today didn’t even exist 30 years ago. Ask most people close to 50 and they will tell you they never expected to be in the field/job they are in now 20-25 years ago.
This idea that college is some sort of job specific training ground doesn’t really hold true. I think people in places where there are less jobs outside of a few industry specific companies hold on to this misconception more than people who live in an area l with a variety of industries and opportunities.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:07 am to Gaston
quote:
My wife does pretty well and she got a French Lit degree. As long as you put effort into, and grow from, your studies it is marketable.
IDK how it is now but the State Department and CIA used to recruit LSU liberal arts graduates pretty heavily. One of my college buddies was a History major and is pretty high up in Turner Industries.
As an employer I'd look favorably on someone with a graduate business degree and an undergrad in something other than business over someone with both degrees in business. I say this as someone with a business degree myself. I never learned anything I couldn't have learned on the job, which is how it used to be. University business courses were nonexistent before the 20th century.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:09 am to volod
I was a History major. I was positive I was going to law school and loved history, so it made some sense. You really learn to digest a ton of literature and write long papers/opinions.
Then I realized my last year of undergrad the legal profession is completely over saturated and I would probably hate my life as a lawyer. My dad and brother are both attorneys so I guess I always thought I'd follow their lead.
I ended up getting a job in healthcare with a history major thankfully and my company helped me pay for my MBA.
Then I realized my last year of undergrad the legal profession is completely over saturated and I would probably hate my life as a lawyer. My dad and brother are both attorneys so I guess I always thought I'd follow their lead.
I ended up getting a job in healthcare with a history major thankfully and my company helped me pay for my MBA.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:10 am to Pettifogger
quote:
BC once upon a time you could take a generic degree into the corporate world and do fine.
Also, once upon a time you could get an Art History degree and come out of college as a well-rounded, classically educated person who knows how to read and write well and think critically.
Now the job market has changed. Moreover, it's no longer necessary that an art history major can write intelligently about Caravaggio or the Hudson River School and the political and scientific influences of the time, and use that social adeptness in the business world where they'll inevitably end up, so long as that person can author unintelligible dogshit about how disenfranchised communities are harmed by impressionism because its airy style and light coloration devalues people of color.
In short, the market for these degrees is tightening and the degrees themselves are less useful than ever.
I like this post.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:11 am to Jp1LSU
quote:
I don’t buy into the notion that certain degrees are worthless. I google as much as I can about people I meet with for work and their degrees are all over the place. The CEO at a utility company I met with recently has a BA in English.
In many cases jobs people hold today didn’t even exist 30 years ago. Ask most people close to 50 and they will tell you they never expected to be in the field/job they are in now 20-25 years ago.
This idea that college is some sort of job specific training ground doesn’t really hold true. I think people in places where there are less jobs outside of a few industry specific companies hold on to this misconception more than people who live in an area l with a variety of industries and opportunities.
I think the point is that this probably holds less true than in prior decades.
More people go to college, the market is flooded with mediocre degrees from bad schools. There is less reason for a corporation to hire someone based on an English BA when they can probably find someone with a more specific degree for the job.
I do suspect that "generic" degrees like history, poli sci, english, etc. do hold up fine from top universities, although given the deemphasis of classical education even at top institutions, that may change as well.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:13 am to volod
quote:
volod
you ask the dumbest questions
you know why? universities are big business
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:14 am to Volvagia
quote:
The question you should be asking is why do so many take those classes, not why they are offered.
I think you are trying to turn this into a "which came first the egg or chicken" arguement?
College students want the degree and are willing to do the least amount of work possible to achieve it.
The OP proposed a solution to the problem. If the university does not offer the class, then the student cannot waste their govt backed student loan on a degree that doesn't benefit the university or student. Profitable degrees put money in your Alumni's pocket & the university will benefit.
Let the private university do what they please. The state funded could help curve this trend.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:14 am to volod
Generally speaking, it's usually the person with that degree that is unmarketable rather than the degree itself.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:15 am to volod
If a bunch of people wanted to pay you millions of dollars to teach them a useless skill would you say "No, its a useless skill," or would you just agree and take their money?
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:16 am to High C
I like this disclaimer. Please add to your fine print; The university and your professors are the only ones making money with your degree choice.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:17 am to Pettifogger
quote:
I think the point is that this probably holds less true than in prior decades.
More people go to college, the market is flooded with mediocre degrees from bad schools. There is less reason for a corporation to hire someone based on an English BA when they can probably find someone with a more specific degree for the job.
I do suspect that "generic" degrees like history, poli sci, english, etc. do hold up fine from top universities, although given the deemphasis of classical education even at top institutions, that may change as well.
It's a causation doesn't equal correlation thing. Boomers pushed millennials into job training type education, and as such the serious students majored in accounting, engineering, etc and the others majored in history, poli Sci, etc.
If you get a talented student that major in history or English they are just as or more marketable then the STEM students, you just aren't seeing that very often because of the way education has been viewed the last 30 or so years.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:18 am to volod
A number of those programs started out as a place to warehouse affirmative action admissions in the 60s and 70s who washed out of their original field of study so they could get a degree in useless rather than dropping out.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:19 am to The Spleen
quote:
Generally speaking, it's usually the person with that degree that is unmarketable rather than the degree itself.
True. Starbucks is always looking to hire people with a degree in critical race theory.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:21 am to volod
Psychology and Sociology are fairly respected disciplines. African and Latin American Studies are not, but provide validation to angry blacks and Latinos.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:26 am to volod
Government backed student loans, grants, scholarships and the loud screechings of SJW's who think these programs should be worth a degree even though there's no market for them.
It's a perfect storm of the stupid feeding the greedy.
It's a perfect storm of the stupid feeding the greedy.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:27 am to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
If you get a talented student that major in history or English they are just as or more marketable then the STEM students, you just aren't seeing that very often because of the way education has been viewed the last 30 or so years.
I think that's true, but it's harder to discern and a bigger gamble for employers.
I mean, Enterprise doesn't need college educated kids to run car rental counters. But they do it because there is a threshold in place (college degree - yes or no) that improves their quality of applicants and they can theoretically and easily eliminate underachievers. I'm not saying it's a good metric but it's available and potentially an easy shortcut.
Our system of standards and achievements has fallen apart and that makes it a lot more difficult to hire someone from Southern Miss with an English degree. Moreover, it's likely that applicant goes through some utterly stupid HR-driven interview process where a one size fits all approach is employed, so the social competence and raw intellect of said person is harder to spot IMO.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:41 am to Welderman420
quote:
Welderman420
If i knew what I currently know now, i would have went to trade school. Cheaper tuition, get a skill, and you can always go back to school or work during your schooling for higher a degree if you so choose.
Posted on 8/1/19 at 11:44 am to Bard
Let’s be honest here. Liberal arts degrees are EASY to get in terms of class difficulty. It’s the past of least resistance for a bachelors.
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