I largely agree with your thoughts on pursuing a Humanities degree. My own experience is that for most people, the key is to use the skills, if not the actual knowledge, you acquire in pursuing your degree in careers outside of academia. In my case, I was first in banking, then in finance as the business officer at an independent school. I have an English degree, and have never completed a finance or accounting class. But I do know how to learn! I know how to coherently string sentences together both on the page (or screen) and verbally. I know how to problem solve. I have a cache of interesting things with which to schmooze people at cocktail parties. I had to start as a receptionist but the skills I learned studying the Humanities absolutely set me on the ladder to career success.
This is a great point. If you know how to learn, how to communicate clearly, how to think critically, those skills will be a benefit no matter what you end up doing!
I was blessed to attend a small private high school where the humanities were front and center. In college I settled on another "risky" major: anthropology. Only recently have I come to terms with the fact that my former dream career of puttering around museum collections for the rest of my life is not likely to come to fruition. Still, I count myself a lucky man. I've been a professional writer for three years now and have "met" (via the internet) all kinds of wonderful creative people who I likely never would have encountered if I had stuck to my "plan" of going into academia. God has greater plans for us than we would ever make for ourselves.
STEM grad who read The Odyssey, Aristotle, and Jane Eyre in my engineering undergrad and I can't resist weighing in - I 100% agree that everyone needs the humanities and not everyone needs a degree in humanities. I would also invert your statement; everyone needs STEM skills, but not everyone needs a STEM degree. I love my STEM degree and career path but I am frustrated with our culture's current idea that STEM degrees are the correct path for everyone AND a fix to societal-level problems like the student loan crisis! Talk about a bill of goods! I want my society to have poets and songwriters, sculptors and choreographers. If the world was left to us engineers the trains would run on time but the stations would be ugly as sin ;-)
One of the overarching opinions that I give to young people considering STEM vs. liberal arts is this; in STEM there are a lot of fields where your beginning is quite regimented and it's (relatively) hard to pivot because you're fairly specially trained; if you're a chemist with lab experience you won't be able to get hired as a computer engineer, and you're going to be a chemist for awhile before you're a lab manager or a group leader. In other words, it's easy to get in and hard(er) to go up or out. In humanities, it's harder to get in/make a living in earlier years, but your opportunities for pivoting/personal reinvention are much more open. This is broad brushstrokes, but I think it generally holds.
I teach part time at a Chesterton Academy and I agree, it’s a fabulous foundation for young people. The Chesterton model of a board scope of humanities, learning how to think and discuss, and being surrounded by the faith and traditions gives such a great starting point for anything you will do in life. Some students will be called to go deeper in college, which is great; but others will be called to go into religious life, the trades, stem fields, etc. We need all of those elements in society, but nothing can shake a solid foundation.
So glad to hear people are still reading Charlotte Mason. I homeschooled my two boys through 8th grade (late 90’s through 2007) and gained valuable wisdom from her and from people who applied her ideas in their curriculum.
It was a whirlwind trip, but I'm kicking myself that I didn't tell you I would be in town for a couple of days! Fabiola and I did plenty of reminiscing about our time on pilgrimage with you!
Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine with the schedule you had to keep that we would have met up (and it being a work trip right after a school trip that would have left me immobile for a week)! I really am glad you got to see CAO - we're loving the school environment.
If it ever makes sense to host you/your family for dinner or over night, please reach out!
I largely agree with your thoughts on pursuing a Humanities degree. My own experience is that for most people, the key is to use the skills, if not the actual knowledge, you acquire in pursuing your degree in careers outside of academia. In my case, I was first in banking, then in finance as the business officer at an independent school. I have an English degree, and have never completed a finance or accounting class. But I do know how to learn! I know how to coherently string sentences together both on the page (or screen) and verbally. I know how to problem solve. I have a cache of interesting things with which to schmooze people at cocktail parties. I had to start as a receptionist but the skills I learned studying the Humanities absolutely set me on the ladder to career success.
This is a great point. If you know how to learn, how to communicate clearly, how to think critically, those skills will be a benefit no matter what you end up doing!
I was blessed to attend a small private high school where the humanities were front and center. In college I settled on another "risky" major: anthropology. Only recently have I come to terms with the fact that my former dream career of puttering around museum collections for the rest of my life is not likely to come to fruition. Still, I count myself a lucky man. I've been a professional writer for three years now and have "met" (via the internet) all kinds of wonderful creative people who I likely never would have encountered if I had stuck to my "plan" of going into academia. God has greater plans for us than we would ever make for ourselves.
STEM grad who read The Odyssey, Aristotle, and Jane Eyre in my engineering undergrad and I can't resist weighing in - I 100% agree that everyone needs the humanities and not everyone needs a degree in humanities. I would also invert your statement; everyone needs STEM skills, but not everyone needs a STEM degree. I love my STEM degree and career path but I am frustrated with our culture's current idea that STEM degrees are the correct path for everyone AND a fix to societal-level problems like the student loan crisis! Talk about a bill of goods! I want my society to have poets and songwriters, sculptors and choreographers. If the world was left to us engineers the trains would run on time but the stations would be ugly as sin ;-)
One of the overarching opinions that I give to young people considering STEM vs. liberal arts is this; in STEM there are a lot of fields where your beginning is quite regimented and it's (relatively) hard to pivot because you're fairly specially trained; if you're a chemist with lab experience you won't be able to get hired as a computer engineer, and you're going to be a chemist for awhile before you're a lab manager or a group leader. In other words, it's easy to get in and hard(er) to go up or out. In humanities, it's harder to get in/make a living in earlier years, but your opportunities for pivoting/personal reinvention are much more open. This is broad brushstrokes, but I think it generally holds.
Great points, Amy!
I teach part time at a Chesterton Academy and I agree, it’s a fabulous foundation for young people. The Chesterton model of a board scope of humanities, learning how to think and discuss, and being surrounded by the faith and traditions gives such a great starting point for anything you will do in life. Some students will be called to go deeper in college, which is great; but others will be called to go into religious life, the trades, stem fields, etc. We need all of those elements in society, but nothing can shake a solid foundation.
Sounds like an incredible environment to teach in! I really wish there was one here where my kids could attend!
So glad to hear people are still reading Charlotte Mason. I homeschooled my two boys through 8th grade (late 90’s through 2007) and gained valuable wisdom from her and from people who applied her ideas in their curriculum.
Yes! She's so wonderful.
Ha! My oldest said some WOF staff visited his school - I wondered if you were there! So cool!
Love your thoughts on the value of the humanities!
It was a whirlwind trip, but I'm kicking myself that I didn't tell you I would be in town for a couple of days! Fabiola and I did plenty of reminiscing about our time on pilgrimage with you!
Oh my goodness, I can't even imagine with the schedule you had to keep that we would have met up (and it being a work trip right after a school trip that would have left me immobile for a week)! I really am glad you got to see CAO - we're loving the school environment.
If it ever makes sense to host you/your family for dinner or over night, please reach out!