There is a joke floating around college campuses about how English majors have a bright future working as Starbucks baristas upon graduation.
While not exactly a funny joke, it does stem from a fairly common perception of a select group of majors offered by most universities, including Slippery Rock University. And we’re not talking about English majors being pompous cafe visitors.
Majors such as English, philosophy, or any of the arts are targets for the jabs about their usefulness in the modern world and the job outlook for their graduates.
While there does seem to be some proof to the job outlook for this select group of majors, we at the Rocket would like to stand behind our peers and their educational pursuits.
Is it more difficult to get a job with a philosophy degree? Maybe. Not a lot of companies are hiring philosophers at the moment, so law school might be on of the few options for graduates in that department. English is a difficult degree to list on your resume while searching for a job as well.
But just because these majors do not lend themselves to a career like biology does to being a biologist or journalism does to being a journalist, it does not mean they are not important and valuable skills.
English and philosophy, for example, produce great thinkers that can better serve the community in different fields.
These skills were once praised for their importance. Well respected and educated people were well versed in English and philosophy.
Now majoring in these fields has become almost a joke at times.
Part of the reason is a national trend in devaluing education. Being well versed in classic literature is not as important to college students today as it once was. But if anything, that should make the English and philosophy majors all that more valuable. These students actually have these skills and knowledge.
As for the lack of options the majors provide after graduation, graduates just need to know where to look. It’s a tough job market for everyone at the moment. Those two majors in particular lend themselves nicely to students wishing to continue their education after their undergraduate degree.
Regardless of whether or not graduates from those programs want to continue into the workforce or their education, their degree will provide them with various opportunities.
Not only that, their quality of life upon receiving an enlightening degree will surely provide happiness as well.
It is easy to poke fun at certain majors but there really is no point in doing so. If a student is really passionate about a topic, especially time-honored majors like English and philosophy, they should feel confident pursuing their educational goals. They have the same level of knowledge to offer the world as other graduates.
