This post was originally titled “What’s the value of a Classics degree?” in which I was going to explain tactfully how Arts degrees, such as Classics (which was my major at university), have either been replaced by Wikipedia or, simply, should be studied in addition to one’s “real” major in another field.
But then I never published the post (I wrote it on August 3, 2018) and put it away for a while. Recent events, ranging from the student debt debacle in the US to the much more recent and relevant pandemic striking the world throughout, has me looking at this article and thinking that now it is worth publishing.
With the current shut down all over the world (some universities still have yet to open here in China, notably in Beijing), there has been news recently that students aren’t happy with the amount of money they’re paying for their classes when they’re not able to go to the actual campus. Instead, all of their classes are being conducted online. I can’t say I blame them.
But, in addition to the cost of education, one might wonder: should you be studying that at all?
I write this as a product of that system. I finished high school, took remedial math, tried to do computer science, flunked out of that, and then happened into Film Studies and Classics, big money makers there. But I could do them. And one of the most common comments I have heard since graduating is, “Hey did you see that [insert name of some art house French movie]? I always loved his work.” Or, “I love history, how the Greeks fought the battle of Salamis and beat back the Persians.” Yes, I remember those so fondly.
And it struck me, since these comments were usually made by people who were gainfully employed, that it didn’t really make sense to go to university for those things, especially not in the time of the internet and Wikipedia. And now, when I hear someone has a PhD in some niche aspect of history I find myself wondering, “Why couldn’t you just read about that on Wikipedia and write a blog about it?”
This, of course, is a bit of a simplification. I, as a student of history, understand the value of preserving culture, language, and things from the past because they do give us a window through which we can look at how things used to be. And, to be fair, we need custodians of those very things, be it the study of the language or keeping the stuff nice and safe so we (as in, humanity) doesn’t destroy them and the wear and tear of time is slowed down.
Sure, digitization has helped in preserving a lot of our historical relics, from ancient languages to books to stone implements from thousands of years ago. Now we can access this information and, more importantly, inspect a lot of these things from around the world. This is a good thing. Now, was it built by solitary and focused study of history? No, it was built with the melding of keeping that history alive and using technology to preserve it.
So, considering all of the above, is a university degree worth it, especially if it’s an Arts degree?
Although I would question the choice of studying an Arts degree merely for the sake of it, I wouldn’t be against it if it was done with the right direction.
The common perception of an Arts degree (and of university degrees in general) is that they will help you think. I believe this is true because, given the right mix of access to materials, the critical thinking and research skills that are developed by way of researching and writing essays, and the feedback that you can receive from both professors and others, you are able to broaden your perspective and experiment with different styles and methods of thinking and idea creation. It is at university that you do meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and are able to share opinions in a “safe” environment. This is helpful.
Or, at least it was. Until things became politicized and now that same free-form educational banter appears to be under pressure, if not under attack altogether. It is here that the thought “you can’t say anything these days” becomes all the more true because there will always be someone somewhere who misinterprets the intent and context of what was said and then, ultimately, publish it online for all to shame the speaker.
But, maybe this is where an Arts degree does become even more useful?
To add to the point of writing skills and going beyond the critical thinking and researching skills, being able to formulate your thoughts and put them into writing or giving a presentation or, even more important these days, using multimedia to communicate, these are essential skills to have.
Now, do you have to go to university to develop those skills? Not necessarily, but, again, they do offer you a “safe” environment within which to hone your skills. Unlike the “real world” that would basically rip you apart and make fun of you to no end. But the access to technology and the multitude of people within a classroom is a very different experience than Googling a question or scrolling through your Twitter feed in an effort to learn.
So, I do think that universities still offer that environment within which to develop those skills with the necessary positive feedback and not just the negative shame-driven trolling that runs amuck on so many social media platforms these days. And these skills aren’t going away any time soon.
But, should you only focus on those skills?
No.
And certainly you shouldn’t think or expect university to teach you everything else that you need.
What else should you do?
Learn how you learn. There are a variety of different methods to learn something and everybody will have their own unique way. That doesn’t mean slack off, but it does mean that you have to try out as many methods as possible to figure out what makes you able to learn. This is probably the most valuable skill to learn above all.
Next, realize that a lot of the stuff you learn at university is just the start and that there are a lot of things you still won’t know: how to manage money, how to make money with money, taxes, confrontation, how to handle negative criticism, legal barriers, computers and how to simplify your life, and, probably even more importantly, that you’re not confined to where you currently are.
Think travelling overseas and getting a job is impossible? Think again, people have been doing that forever. Want to get out and try something new? The one thing that travelling overseas exposes you to is the simplicity of life and how similar things really can be all around the world. And that’s worth the trip.
Do I have any idea of what you should study?
This is where lots of arguments fall apart and I’m afraid I don’t have any better of an answer. A lot of people will bemoan their choices later in life, citing that they could’ve done this, that or another thing or, simply they should’ve become this, that or whatever.
The problem with that thinking is that, quite simply, not all of us are good at some things. Not everybody can do the math to get into computer science (my experience!), not everybody can stand the sight of blood so good luck being a highly-paid ER doctor, not everybody can deal with the technicalities and long hours of being a lawyer, despite the paycheques dangling in front of them. Likewise, not everyone wants to move away from their home town to find a job in another country.
And you’ll soon learn once you enter into the workforce that a) few people really care; b) everybody’s knowledge of something comes from “some book they read”, “someone they know”, or, more often than not, TV and movies; and, c) after a few times trying to correct someone which results in being classified as a know-it-all, you’ll simply give up trying to educate the masses, which means you need to refer to “a” again.
That being said, do you need to go to university?
I’d like to think “no, you don’t have to,” but university degrees still help in some ways. I am very much a proponent of the “certification of education”, in that you can choose which subjects or skills you need and to do a certificate in them. This applies to trades, communication, finance, or even blogging. Could it apply to medicine? I think portions of it could be but not all of it.
But one thing that university does offer you is that set schedule of four to five years of education within which you are able to experiment. I haven’t done the research but I do wonder if someone could attain more by way of taking specific certificates over the same amount of time that a typical university degree would take.
With that, I do have a few suggestions that younger people should learn, or at least start the process of learning as they make their way through their early 20s:
Learn about health, including proper nutrition, what foods help and which foods hinder your health. Understand that you don’t have to avoid foods but you do have to be aware of what you’re consuming.
Learn how to get exercise for your own health, especially when you have no energy (think writing an essay is a draining experience, try working a full time job and then coming home to work on your own project).
Learn how money works, especially taxes, and I don’t mean so you can point your finger and scream at politicians. I mean so you know how to claim deductions and work within that same system that everybody is subject to.
And while learning about money, learn that behind a lot of things in life there is some sort of marketing ploy. Learn to see what’s helpful and what’s not.
Learn to use the public services already available to you. Libraries, parks, business associations, funding.
Learn how to ask questions (because you’ll be asking Google, Bing or even Duckduckgo a lot). It’s probably the one useful thing you’ll learn at university.
Learn how to manage your time. You’ll never have enough. Even when you’re old and free of the restrictions of your parents’ house, you’ll find that the days fly by and that, in most cases, you’ll only be able to get two or three things done in a day. Your goal is to get through all of that and keep a smile on your face, or else people will think you’re unhappy and feel the need to tell you that.
Take the opportunities available to you but watch out for drinking and drugs, they seldomly fix any problems and usually only make things worse. I am aware that these days there is a prevalence of “smart drugs” out there, but these need to be researched and judged whether or not they are suitable for you.
Learn about relationships because there is probably nothing else (except taxes) that can be as complicated, frustrating and reqarding as working with, dating and even marrying other people (all of which can have tax implications). Further, whether or not you like the idea, you will be working with people from all walks of life and they won’t all have the same experiences or opportunities as you, some maybe more, some maybe less.
Learn about the tools you’re using, especially computers and keeping yourself safe not just from data loss, but from online hate and negativity.
It’s here I’ll end on a more positive note about one of the guys I went to graduate school with who recently achieved a tenure track position. I remember asking him over a few beers why he continued the way he did in the academic world, completing an MA and then a PhD. He responded with something that’s stuck with me ever since: “Because everyday when I went home I felt as if I’d accomplished something.”
Hard to argue with that.
The goal, of course, is find that in everything you do in life.