You are not interested in hard sciences or business, regardless of how popular these degree options are and how much earning potential they unlock. During your college career, you want to engage with courses that make you think more critically about society and culture, and together, these credit hours will qualify you for a degree in the humanities or social sciences. But — will you come to regret this path through higher education? Should you engage with material that is tedious and difficult merely because it could provide more lucrative career opportunities, or can you find success with a degree in the humanities or social sciences?
The Humanities and Social Sciences Deserve More Respect
Study of the humanities is one of the oldest academic pursuits in human history. Ancient Greeks are credited with the first efforts at learning more about history, philosophy, art and culture, and from their studies, the field of humanities has grown. The origins of the social sciences are not much different, with many social sciences predating the natural sciences. Yet, despite the fundamental position that both humanities and social sciences maintain in the development of human enlightenment, both disciplines have lost significant amounts of respect as other education programs more efficiently channel students into high-paying careers.
The truth is that both humanities and social sciences continue to be exceedingly valuable to human society. These disciplines help humans understand themselves and one another in deep and meaningful ways; they show us who we are now, who we have been in the past and who we could become in the future. Quite plainly, studying the humanities and social sciences provides you with a useful perspective that can transform you into a better person — which in turn could make the world a better place for everyone.
There Are Many Career Opportunities for Humanities and Social Sciences Grads
Perhaps more pointedly, the rumor that there is little career opportunity for students in the humanities and social sciences is patently false. In both disciplines, students gain a diverse set of hard and soft skills that can lead to success across a variety of career fields. Aside from remaining in academia to pursue new discoveries in humanities and social sciences, students in these disciplines might look forward to some of the following examples of popular careers in industry:
- Human resources
- Public relations
- Marketing
- Journalism
- Political activism
- Social work
- Library and museum sciences
Of course, these are not the only career options for students in humanities or social sciences, regardless of their specialization within these fields. The humanities and social sciences give you more flexibility in your career choices, allowing you to explore more diverse jobs to find the field of work that ignites your passion and drives personal as well as professional success.
Conclusion
The most common advice for college students is to enroll in a bachelor’s degree program that offers hard skills that apply directly to a specific career path — like accounting or chemical engineering. Indeed, these degree programs make it relatively easy for graduates to find jobs immediately after leaving school, as their degree qualifies them for a narrow range of occupations. Thus, it can feel like these degrees are more effective at preparing students for life after college.
However, the truth is that the vast majority of available jobs are not as straightforward to obtain. They require myriad soft skills rather than a clear set of hard skills; often, they require employees to learn quickly from real-world experience and adopt new practices and processes with ease. For these jobs, degrees in the humanities and social sciences are ideal. Students in these fields tend to have plenty of practice building and utilizing soft skills, and many use their undergraduate careers to explore many different realms of knowledge, improving their ability to work within different fields.
Whether you pursue a BA in Sociology, English, Gender Studies or Geography, you will definitely be able to find a job after graduation. More importantly, you will enjoy a degree program that satisfies your desire to learn more about society and culture, which will help you achieve happiness in your life and community for years to come.
