Thinking of choosing a career in the humanities? Here are some benefits to help you decide.
Many young students dismiss the idea of a career in the humanities. There is a pre-conceived myth among young students that says studying the humanities is useless, and that it won’t lead to a worthwhile career. We urge you to stop thinking of the word ‘humanities’ and start thinking about the courses it includes, instead. The study of ethics, of socio-cultural classes, and art history, should never be dismissed outright.
There are a number of benefits to studying classes in the humanities. In fact, by taking online classes in the humanities from Straighterline can help you further your college career or your professional career. Let’s talk about what those benefits might be and how they might help you in later life.
What are the Benefits of Studying Humanities?
Studying humanities primarily helps you recognize what makes people different, and what brings us together. You will study how that changes over sub-groups of society and how it evolves over time.
Studying the humanities is like looking at our past to understand our future. It helps us discern what sources are trustworthy and which aren’t. It helps us understand the art and media produced in certain places at certain times. To study the humanities is to understand the connection between the great war poets and the trenches of France.
Humanities have a place in the modern job market. Anyone who works with the English or another language on the day-to-day is using the humanities in their job role. If a second language lands you a job over someone else, then a humanities degree has helped you get hired.
Evidence has shown that students with humanities degrees are frequently taken on to perform other job roles. This is because of the inherent value to their knowledge base. The same evidence reports that those who start their career as a humanities graduate in a different role will soon close the pay gap between experts in the field and their initial salary.
Applying these Studies to Real Life Situations
There are a number of ways that a degree in the humanities can help you land a role that will benefit your career or your further education.
Imagine that you are an artist, applying for a job in a gallery. You could have studied art since birth, but the student who took art history will always trump you. They know the social, political, and cultural influences that created the paintings on the walls. You might know how to paint them, but that means nothing to the gallery owner.
A foreign language skill puts you ahead of any other candidate with similar qualifications to you. Travelling the world as a digital nomad is made possible by that language skill.
The study of ethics, of morals, and the inherent value in empathy, can put you ahead of others in nursing roles, in caring for loved ones that fall sick, or in recognizing where credit is needed.
In fact, there are a myriad of little skills that studying the humanities gives you over others. It’s not a useless degree. The Earth without Art is just ‘Eh’.
