Stay away from liberal arts or suffer big time!

[ngeorgiaagirl]

Hi guys. I feel your pain, just discovered this forum, and thought I'd vent too. I'm 24, and I graduated in 1999 from a good university! BUT I majored in psychology and history. For the past 4/1/2 years, my life has been hell. I've needed counseling...I've felt my mind slipping for too long. Upon graduating, I worked in sales a year, which sucked but was the only work I could get (even before our economoy really dipped heavity into this pit). Then, unable to find a job after corporate downsizing, I moved home (to a small town) and cried and went insane for a year, and 1/2, becasuse it took me that long to beg my way into a part time teaching position that paid poorly. After that I became a substitute teacher for some months, married ASAP to escape this, and am now in graduate school pursuing something I despise (pyschology again), because my husband's job and debt trap us here. Only as of late (I guess 24 isn't too bad), I've begun to narrow down my interests. And it is graduate school that is finally bringing me back into the loop.

Please, if you're thinking about a bogus major like psychology, don't do it, unless you have a history of doing so well on standardized tests that you won't hit a brick wall when trying to get into doctoral programs. Because there is no point in getting a undergraduate degree in psychology. A friend of mine is the apple of my professors' eyes. We're in the same clinical psychology program. The difference is, she can get a professional job with her BBA, and I can work at Burger King with my B.A. Only minor in liberal arts subjects or take simply the prerequisites necessary for entry into a doctoral liberal arts program!!! Get the BBA or technology degree. Yeah, you hear in the news that even individuals with such degrees are sufferning. We'll those people haven't bugun to know the depths of hell. Stay away from liberal arts!!!

[bumper3]

Have to agree with you there. The best thing I ever did was major in Finance for my undergrad. I am now almost finished with my MBA and although the job market is bleak, there are jobs out there.

[StateNAurora]

What a breath of fresh air you are. I too majored in psychology and minored in art history, nearly history. I have not been able to land the research postion I have wanted, but I have not given up. I work in a job I do not like but I'm growing in it an learning new skills that will help me in the future. I've conatacted by major universities earging me to apply to positions at their schools. Nothing has panned out yet, something will though and it will all the more sweeter then.

I could have easily majored in business or IT and done well. How boring would that have been though? I coanstanly hear about the girl I graduated H.S. with and how she now works for Wal MArts corporate office. BLAH. I would rather work at the local Tast-E-Freeze. We all make our own choices and we all can't be driven by the money.

[TankgirlyC]

Ok Im going to bring the other side to this post. I graduated in 2002 with a degree in HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.....its a step down from psychology but also involves sociology etc.

When I apply to jobs no one knows what this major is, and I explain how its the study of human behavior and interaction from birth to death.

Whats great is when talking about this employers typically see that since I know how people think and operate, I can use that to help facilitate things that need to get done, calm down angry people on the phone etc etc etc.

Have you thought of using THOSE skills that you have obtained to help get you a good job.
Just because you studied psych and history doesnt mean you are doomed to be working at some crap job.

Have you thought about working at a museum as a tour guide or curator?
Have you thought about working in hospitals ?? They always need psych interns to PAY and help with things....

There are so many options and psych is such a great major. Even if you dont use it in your profession TOTALLY-----take a major that you love in college, learn about it, its much more fun to learn about something you love than to learn about something that is just going to get you a job that you probably wont love anyway.

[Crimson King]

Liberal Arts = Grad School or Law School. Don't do one without the other.

[heatherf]

My beef is....why didn't people tell you that while you could have changed your undergrad major? Is it that they, meaning our parents and friends, want to just be supportive of us- and just want us to get a degree- any degree?

I used to be liberal arts (spanish)- but figured out while I was in college that I couldn't do jack with it. I specifically changed to a major that would guarantee me a job...and it did.

But why don't counselors etc. tell students NOT to pick these majors cause they won't be able to get a decent paying job upon graduation?

[jsp5000]

Before addressing the original posting, I would say to heatherf that the counselors do not tell the students probably because those departments are more interested in self-preservation than in the students.

For ngeorgiaagirl, here are some ideas:

1. The fastest way of getting a real job if you stay in school is a degree in library science-2 years at the most, and probably not very difficult.

2. There are companies (of course the general economy is an issue) that do not care about the applicant's major. Insurance companies are flexible in this regard. Proctor and Gamble is more concerned with skills than the major. Check out large companies.

3. If law enforcement appeals to you, try criminal profiling.

4. HR is a field that has use for psychology.

In general, I suggest thinking of your dream career and working towards getting the knowledge and experience you need rather than continue with psychology because of your degree. It is important to consider that if you do not like psychology, a PhD program will be unbearable and you may not finish. Make the effort to get on a new path, rather than continue down a path you do not want. A satisfying job is the objective. To what extent it relates to your studies is irrelevant.

Also, look at:

http://chronicle.com/jobs/

[pisces2473]

Library science is not that big of a field. People think so, and even the American Librarians Association will tell you that it is because the average age of a librarian is 45/50 (YIKES!)...BUT, these librarians are getting replaced by computer automated systems. I read this stuff on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website the other day (www.bls.gov). I work in library (am not a librarian) and my job is to convert the old cataloging index cards to computer databases. The best field to get into--if you want to become a librarian--is information systems--how the databases work, how to program them, etc.

Now I know we have some other Lib. ppl on the boards, so let's see what they have to say. :)

[haley]

Is Political Science considered liberal arts?

[pisces2473]

OH HELL YEAH. I have my BA in American Studies. What a joke. I LOVED going to school for it...but not now...

Liberal arts--english, history, polisci, foreign lang., philosophy, religious studies, art, music, etc.

[Mina]

Liberal arts majors get a bad rap because they're not intended to be technical or vocational training programs. If you just want a job, why bother going to a four-year college, why not just go to DeVry or ITT or whatever else they advertise on tv and get certified with a "real" skill in half the time and a fraction of the cost?

That said, if you plan to go to college, spend your days pondering Plato, and then expect to have a job fall into your lap, then YES avoid the liberal arts. If you're willing to be a little creative, then do what you want. I was a liberal arts major and I had a job lined up six months before I graduated. It was with a company I had done two summer internships with. Of all my friends who had job offers upon graduation, the vast majority had internships. Those who spent their summers lounging at home or folding clothes at the Gap are still, well, lounging at home or folding clothes at the Gap.

In the fight for a job, education is little more than a method to weed people out. Sure they say that a liberal arts degree means you know how to write and how to think, but I knew how to write and think when I graduated from high school. I might have gotten *better* at it in college, but I imagine had I been able to get the same job I have now *without* going to college, the writing and thinking I do would be at the same level, if not higher. Because it would be more applicable with on the job training, not all this esoteric theoretical rambling the liberal arts encourage.

Basically, nobody can get a job without experience. The time to get experience is not when you have a degree in one hand and thousands of dollars of loans in the other. If you're willing to scramble for summer internships, you can study anything you want, whether it's engineering or English.

Of course, that brings up the issue that the most interesting or easiest internships to acquire require that you work for free, and that perpetuates the class hierarchy because only those who can afford to work for free (and in turn be offered a nice job upon graduation) are those whose parents have money to support them...but, well, I don't know. My company paid me for my internship, and I realize I was lucky.

I still like the liberal arts, but feel free to continue hating.

[haley]

Thanks, Mina. I agree that volunteering or internships is a way to go to make sure you have a job after graduating. I'm starting to volunteer for kidsave.org and I can definitely see working for them or getting a good reference from them after I graduate. The path of a liberal arts graduate is long and winding, but I think more fulfilling in the long-term.

[StateNAurora]

Colleges were not set up to lead into careers. Rather they were institutions that allowed the well off to become more worldly. Perhaps people have misconceptions of what college is for.

[haley]

Maybe not in principle, State, but surely in practice, for how frequently do employers *require* an applicant to have a Bachelor's degree?

[gambit293]

There was a rather lengthy argument about this a bit back:

old thread (http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2671)

If that link doesn't work, just go to the thread called Hate My Life on this same board.

[gluegun]

I was surprised by the comment about how nobody tells you during college that a liberal arts degree isn't worth squat. That is all I heard in college! I originally majored in Psychology and English. My parents quickly nipped that in the bud by basically berating me with comments like "nobody is going to pay you to know that". I kicked and screamed but ultimately double majored in Finance and Economics. I then went on to get a masters degree in Quantitative Economics. It was the best thing that I ever did for myself. Even though I don't work in the Economics field at all, my technical background has made all the difference. Right now I am the Project Administrator for a non-profit organization. I do grant writing, manage personnel, and, yes, do a bit of finance. My sister is in a similar boat. She earned her degree in BioChemistry. Now she is the marketing manager for a database company. Both she and I have discussed the fact that we are thanking our lucky start that we pursued technical and demanding degrees. If nothing else it shows employers that you are smart and can force yourself to do difficult things. Which, by the way, is not to say that a degree in the liberal arts isn't demanding as well. I'm sure that it is. However, for some reason when I go on job interviews I always hear "wow, a degree in Quantitative Economics. That is impressive". I'm getting the impression from this thread that a Liberal Arts degree just doesn't have the same effect.

[Cricket96]

You should look into Market Research position. Marketing/Advertising field will take Psychology majors. :)

[TranquilSkye]

when i was about to enter college a wise person asked me "what do you want to do? learn or make money?" of course i inquired why they were asking. they then told me that if all i wanted to do was make money i didn't have to go to college. i could be a car salesman, be a state worker, sell insurance, or work my way up the corporate ladder and eventually be a manager of something. if i wanted to learn i should go to college and take as many classes in any subject as my heart desired. i may end up getting a degree that didn't earn me much of a living, but that would be the price i'd pay for wanting to learn. this is the best advice anyone has ever given me. money doesn't make me happy. yes i do need money, but i'm ok with just enough to get what i need. i'm much happier in a lecture or seminar stuffing my brain with theories and formulas and what not. i suppose what i'm saying is everyone needs to decide what's more important to them, money or learning and determine the steps in their future accordingly. there's nothing wrong with either choice as long as it makes you happy.


and in response to the person (persons) that said you can't do anything with psychology without going to grad school i'm going to disagree. yes grad school gets you into much higher paying jobs (if thats what you want), but there are options with a ba as i'm just discovering. psychology at the ba level allows you to branch off into so many areas and it gives you lots and lots of people skills. i can't tell you how many times i've used stuff i've learned in class in the customer service field without even realizing it at the time. i would say check into the nonprofit sector, they love liberal arts degrees.

ok so thats my $100 because 2 cents wasn't enough lol.

[blaaahhh]

Great advice TranquilSyke. I'd have to agree that in the end, although money is important and a nice comfort, I was always much happier in a classroom.

I think its unfortunate that the Liberal Arts is not getting such a bad rap. Concepts touched upon in Liberal Arts classes stretches out to many fields. Even if you are an econ major, you still have to understand theory and sociology. Without critical thinking, we really will have a world of mindless drones who are just out there working for the man :p a very liberal arts kind of statement, I know. But in every field you need theorists to question and further the ideas for that area of study.

I studied Global Literature, which touches upon literature of diaspora, postcolonialism and the likes... People have always reminded me that I won't make any money after college and/ or asked me sarcastically "What are you going to do after college?" Well, I don't know if I would have gotten a proper job back home in the US, but now I make quite a nice living teaching English in Taiwan. However, this is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. Teaching is not a bad job and I make a good amount of money to live comfortably and be able to travel quite often. At the same time, I don't want to be out here forever because being a travelling English teacher doesn't make me feel like I'm very accomplished. I wish to go home (soon).

Though I chose to follow my passion in college and study something not so practical, I've now found myself in a very practical situation but not entirely happy about it. I would love to go back to the classroom, but on the recieving end. But that means going back in debt and living like a poor student. What's more, I can only see myself going into an MA program. I would love to do an MFA program, but how impractical would that be. I could do an MA program in East Asian studies and hope to go to get my PHd and become a professor. But then again, I also only hear of how terribly hard it is to become a full-time lecturer at a university. So something like that sounds like a far off dream.

So I guess now my dilema is: I've already chosen passion over practicality once and know that it's led me to a practical job that doesn't completely satisfy my ambitions. Should I go back to continue my education in something that still isn't very stable?

Sorry this has turned into such a long post. I guess in the end I still believe in the importance and value of liberal arts majors. I just think that it needs to be valued more by society and that starts with ourselves. I guess we just have to decide if we will give up some stability and money for the love of knowledge.