Everyone is a Critic of the Humanities: what people who meet art students need to know



online.brescia.edu

It has come to my attention again recently that a lot of people see a degree in arts – my area of study – as a dead end road that leads to no real career.  Not only have I suffered from off-hand comments other people have made when they learn what I am studying, many of my friends in the arts faculty have experienced this same negative attitude.  Before going into why I think pursuing an arts degree is meaningful and productive, I feel I owe it to myself (and my fellow arts students) to explain why exactly I use the word “suffer” with regards to off-hand comments about my area of study.

There seems to be a common opinion that arts students have chosen this area of study because it lends itself to a more relaxed avenue of education that won’t demand too much of your time.  This actually could not be further from the truth.  My degree (a double major in English and Media Studies) has seen me at a desk for 10 hours a day minimum seven days a week for the last 17 weeks.  And that is only taking into account the most recent semester.  Moreover, the only other people I know who have as limited spare time as I do are those who are also studying and aiming higher than the minimum C pass.  To put it bluntly, myself and my friends at university are the hardest working people I know.  Please understand then that I might not be too impressed then when people take unnecessary digs about my study.  Really, you should be aware that at almost any given time I am sleep deprived, have not had any sort of a holiday in the entire time of my study (2.5 years) – not even a honey moon when I got married – am living on one day of work a week’s salary which has ensured I could not buy a single item of clothing (or anything else non-essential) in the entire time I’ve been at university.  Yet somehow people - many of whom know these things - think it is okay to make offensive remarks about my arts degree. 

Nevertheless comments such as “oh, the bugger-all degree” (what some believe the acronym BA stands for) or similar have a tendency to take me back to an orientation lecture I attended during my first week at university.  This lecture informed my fellow arts undergrads and I that universities were originally established in the middle ages because it was believed that the study of humanities was vital to a high-functioning society.  In my opinion such an assertion is not past-tense.  The fact that liberal arts is still taught in the majority of universities today accentuates the fact that this area of study has stood the test of time and is still needed. 

So, readers, I invite you to consider (if you have not already done so) why studying in the arts is valuable.  A key reason why people pursue arts is because it leaves you with options, meaning you aren’t just limited to a singular trade or vocation.  This is advantageous because the knowledge and skills you acquire during this degree is very much transferable: an education in the arts aids individuals in becoming masterful communicators, refined researchers, keen analysts as well as innovative thinkers.  Moreover, an arts degree can pave the way in opening unexpected doors.  Just now as I am typing, I recall a manager who has worked his way up in a reputable institution where seven teams serve under him.  His qualification?  An arts degree.

So, what about the local job market?

From 2000 to 2010, New Zealand held the highest skills shortage in the OECD.  A report from Manpower recently revealed that 50% of national employers were having difficulties in finding skilled staff.  These statistics begged to ask which university qualifications were most useful in light of employer demands.  Whilst science, technology, mathematics and engineering skills are still in demand, employers are also in need of individuals who are intellectually agile, flexible and who can think on their feet. 

According to Massey University’s Associate Professor Richard Shaw and Massey University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Paul Spoonley, employer’s need BA graduates.   Massey University recently contacted 300+ Wellington employers to ask how relevant they believe the BA degree is in the current labour market.   What will surprise many critics of the humanities is that 45% of the respondents stated that the BA is extremely relevant to business needs.  Feedback indicated that the BA degree “’provides employers with staff who are able to think critically rather than simply accept what is in front of them’; and that ‘knowledge is changing so quickly we need people who are critical thinkers and multi-taskers. These attributes I see more readily in an arts graduate as opposed to a more specialist degree’” (Shaw and Spoonley).

And what skills are employers looking for?  Critical thinking, oral communication, writing and research skills were the top four most cited skills among Wellington area employers.  These findings mimic the top ten skills that those hiring look for according to a more extensive survey conducted by Business New Zealand.  Shaw and Spoonley’s article goes on to assert that in the changing labour markets problem solving, the ability to research issues and independent thinking are skills employers place much value on.

Still think studying a BA is a waste of time?  If I haven’t convinced you by this stage that it’s not then I probably never will.  I can’t expand further than this; I need to get back to my ten hours of study.

-Wendie
Reference:
Shaw, Richard, and Paul Spoonley. "Opinion We Need to Talk About the Ba." BA: Part of the New NZ. Massey University 2014.