How to think

It’s tough being a liberal arts major these days.

Actually, it’s tough being any major these days. We hear how our college degree is worth less than it would have been 20 years ago, and that’s true. The rate of unemployed recent college graduates in 2009-2011 was higher than it’s been during the past two decades.

The bad economy left over from the Great Recession seems to factor in our generation’s college decisions, even when most people don’t know exactly what that means.

What we do know is that current prospects for college degrees are bad — but without a degree, it’s even worse. So many of us choose the slightly better bet and cross our fingers, hoping it pays off. Literally.

The good news is not every major company agrees that only specific college degrees equal success. It’s possible to be idealistic and ambitious.

The New York Times, for example, recently released a set of tips from the head of hiring at Google. Not only does Google not care about your major, they apparently don’t even care that you have a degree, saying that talent and grit is more important than a formal education. But for the most part, we can’t count on future employers being so open and flexible.

With grim unemployment statistics, many students are pulled towards the more “practical” majors — the ones that may not guarantee you a job, but at least give you better odds.

Majoring in English and political science, I’ve always known that I’m not taking a very practical path. But I also knew that a “sensible” degree wouldn’t guarantee me a job anyway. So I decided to do something idealistic and possibly naive — I majored in what I wanted.

College may feel useless at times. We’ve all had those existential moments sitting in a lecture. For liberal arts majors like myself, we’ve all had too many people ask what we plan to do with our lives when we would like to know ourselves. The point is, none of us really know for sure what we’re doing. And that’s okay.

Maybe I am idealistic and naive, but I can’t imagine taking the “practical” path. Maybe because today, there really is no such thing. Maybe seeking a traditional or more stable major will guarantee us a job, and then money, and thus a happy life — so the theory goes.

And it doesn’t even work all the time anymore.Some of us, though, are ditching so-called practicality. I get to learn how to think. I get to practice analyzing and critical thinking, and as a result, I feel more prepared to find my way in the “real world.”

The practical path isn’t for everyone. Nor is it the only path of value. The moment we stop valuing critical thinking and creativity, we inhibit progress. We need these skills in our society.

So maybe my little liberal arts major isn’t so bad after all. The moral is, find your own path. Because there isn’t just one.  

cjellert@indiana.edu
@cjellert