The “Value” of Stem vs Humanities Degrees
In recent years, it has become fashionable to denigrate the humanities and social sciences at the university level as indulgent, easy, time wasting and useless. Indeed, in the book, Dilbert’s Guide to the Rest of your Life, humorist Scott Adams writes: “If your degree has the word ‘arts’ in it, you will have no trouble finding a job – as long as cars and dishes get dirty.” To be honest, there are many legitimate reasons to praise the STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors and strongly encourage students to enroll in these programs as opposed to humanities or social sciences. STEM programs lend themselves quite directly to specific career options and are in fields where these skills are in high demand. Humanities and the social sciences are much less direct.
In recent years, it has become fashionable to denigrate the humanities and social sciences at the university level as indulgent, easy, time wasting and useless. Indeed, in the book, Dilbert’s Guide to the Rest of your Life, humorist Scott Adams writes: “If your degree has the word ‘arts’ in it, you will have no trouble finding a job – as long as cars and dishes get dirty.” To be honest, there are many legitimate reasons to praise the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors and strongly encourage students to enroll in these programs as opposed to humanities or social sciences. STEM programs lend themselves quite directly to specific career options and are in fields where these skills are in high demand. Humanities and the social sciences are much less direct.
When considering the “value” of a degree, we need to first define “value.” The endless online debates and Op-Eds concerning humanities versus STEM majors fail to address the issue because they define “value” differently. For supporters of STEM, and many opponents of the humanities, “value” is in the ability of that degree to translate into a high paying job shortly after or immediately upon graduation. For supporters of the humanities and social sciences (who, by the way, are not opponents of STEM), the “value” of a degree is in the expansion of critical thinking, reading and writing skills. A college degree is to help an individual find their own voice and learn how to critically examine information and express their ideas clearly.
It is easy to see how this debate can go on endlessly. Since both sides define “value” differently, they can never reach an agreement. For the sake of argument, let’s accept the STEM supporters’ definition: a college degree is valuable insomuch as it translates into a good paying job upon graduation. By this definition, it is clear that STEM majors are more valuable and desirable. Students with strong computer, math, science, and quantitative analytical skills are readily employable by firms who desperately need engineers, programmers and technology team leaders. Indeed, even the names of these majors often suggest their jobs: an electrical engineering major often becomes an electrical engineer. Jobs in the STEM fields tend to pay starting salaries over $50,000 per year. This means immediately upon beginning work, STEM majors are in the top 50% of all earners. In some programs such as Chemical Engineering, starting salaries are over $65,000, placing graduates in the top 33% of all earners (a little over $30 per hour, working eight hour days, five days per week).
The humanities, on the other hand, do not often provide easily translated skills. Many companies have also cut back on their on-the-job training, making it harder to land a job as a smart employee expected to learn as you go. While a Fine Arts degree in drama would suggest an acting career, anyone who has ever tried the acting industry knows it is very hard to break into steady and well-paid work. Indeed, Fine and Performing Arts majors earn on average less than $30,000 per year upon graduation (comparable to working 12 hour shifts, 6 days per week at minimum wage). Degree holders in history do not usually become historians and English majors do not usually become English teachers or writers. This means the skills learned in the humanities and social sciences are more general and thus a harder sell.
For those whose aptitude lies outside the STEM fields, do not fear. There is plenty of opportunity, but you must be more creative and think much harder than your classmates in the STEM fields. Employers today stress that effective listening, reading comprehension, presentation and writing skills are essential for productive employees. These are skills that should be developed in humanities and social science courses. Thus, seize the opportunity to write, read, and present as much as possible. This means purposefully selecting classes with major writing components – short and long papers. To get a foot in the door, it is critically important to have some work experience. If you are in a non-STEM major, having an internship, co-op position or other work experience is essential. Do not waste the summers you have as an undergrad. Remember the old catch-22: “You need work experience to get a job, and you need a job to get work experience.” Internships are thus the best (and sometimes only) way to get into the gainfully employed workforce.
To sum, STEM is not more valuable than the humanities or social sciences, but it is easier to get a job. For those with a non-STEM inclination, be prepared to work harder to cultivate your skills and try doubly hard to get internships or other meaningful work experience.
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