first of all i never really post in this section and don't know if this is the correct forum, but i 'm looking for a serious discussion so i thought this might be the place for it
as someone with a useless liberal arts major who wants to teach (and is terrified first of the prospects of getting into a good PHD program - not to mention the subsequent job prospects), i'm wondering about people's opinions on the role of college/university education (and to a lesser extent, high school). there seems to be a trend toward college as more of a "vocational" venture - you get a degree so you can get a job. you're business, pre-law, pre-med, or getting a degree that trains you for a career immediately after graduation (like engineering or something - something with significant real-world application outside of teaching). otherwise, you're wasting your time. which makes perfect sense, especially given the price of US college education. few are fortunate enough to afford $40,000 a year just to "enrich their minds." yet as someone who comes from an academically-oriented family, i was kind of taught that's the point of college. and while i realize something like math might be more "useful" or better for my career options, i am not mathematically-minded in the slightest. so...is there still a place for the liberal arts in college? should we still be encouraging students to major in these subjects when job prospects are so slim? should we value learning for the sake of learning?
my bias in this argument is clear - i found something i love (or at least, am not as bored by compared to everything else ), so i went for it, though i'm definitely beginning to wonder if switching from pre-med to dead language was such a great idea. in fact, i think it was a terrible idea. but at the same time, i feel i am an academically-minded person, not a doctor. i'm a thinker, not a doer. i was raised to value highly intelligence and knowledge, and i don't think intellectual pursuits should be considered "useless." i suppose i have a romantic view of a human spirit enriched by reading and learning (not to sound pretentious - like any college student i spend most of my time just drinking beer and watching The Office or noodling on my guitar or what have you, not reading Pynchon and debating philosophy). obviously i understand there are many more "important" jobs in society, but teachers and professors have been an extremely powerful and positive influence on me, and i don't think they should be undervalued. but i understand the other side - it's hard to justify the existence of any field that is only perpetuated by telling other people that it does in fact exist. so of course funding for these fields gets cut in tough economic climates.
what are your thoughts?
as someone with a useless liberal arts major who wants to teach (and is terrified first of the prospects of getting into a good PHD program - not to mention the subsequent job prospects), i'm wondering about people's opinions on the role of college/university education (and to a lesser extent, high school). there seems to be a trend toward college as more of a "vocational" venture - you get a degree so you can get a job. you're business, pre-law, pre-med, or getting a degree that trains you for a career immediately after graduation (like engineering or something - something with significant real-world application outside of teaching). otherwise, you're wasting your time. which makes perfect sense, especially given the price of US college education. few are fortunate enough to afford $40,000 a year just to "enrich their minds." yet as someone who comes from an academically-oriented family, i was kind of taught that's the point of college. and while i realize something like math might be more "useful" or better for my career options, i am not mathematically-minded in the slightest. so...is there still a place for the liberal arts in college? should we still be encouraging students to major in these subjects when job prospects are so slim? should we value learning for the sake of learning?
my bias in this argument is clear - i found something i love (or at least, am not as bored by compared to everything else ), so i went for it, though i'm definitely beginning to wonder if switching from pre-med to dead language was such a great idea. in fact, i think it was a terrible idea. but at the same time, i feel i am an academically-minded person, not a doctor. i'm a thinker, not a doer. i was raised to value highly intelligence and knowledge, and i don't think intellectual pursuits should be considered "useless." i suppose i have a romantic view of a human spirit enriched by reading and learning (not to sound pretentious - like any college student i spend most of my time just drinking beer and watching The Office or noodling on my guitar or what have you, not reading Pynchon and debating philosophy). obviously i understand there are many more "important" jobs in society, but teachers and professors have been an extremely powerful and positive influence on me, and i don't think they should be undervalued. but i understand the other side - it's hard to justify the existence of any field that is only perpetuated by telling other people that it does in fact exist. so of course funding for these fields gets cut in tough economic climates.
what are your thoughts?