Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall

[williepete]

Tuition paying parents and students with their eyes on future paychecks are figuring it out:

WE HAVE ENOUGH BARISTAS ALREADY.

Why Are the Humanities Collapsing?

1. There is a widespread belief that humanities degrees should be avoided. Linking a master's degree in art history to working as a barista at Starbucks has become a punchline. Even President Obama mocked art history. The criticisms are exaggerated, but there's enough truth to them to scare prospective students away. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that humanities majors earn less money than other students and are more likely to be unemployed.

2. The humanities generate too much nonsensical research. Postmodernist beliefs absolutely have ruined the humanities. For the uninitiated, postmodernism is essentially a form of moral and epistemic relativism. Right and wrong are relative, and truth itself is relative. When a field can no longer distinguish truth from lies -- or worthwhile knowledge from dubious anecdotes -- then it is flirting with catastrophe. The problem is so bad that there is a satirical postmodernist generator that randomly strings together essays. They are utterly nonsensical, but then so is some actual humanities research. How else can we explain that a PhD was awarded for this?

3. The humanities, and academia in general, are politically biased. The political skew among the humanities is laughably absurd. A paper in Econ Journal Watch showed that in history departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 33 to 1. Overall, academia is getting worse. The Democratic:Republican ratio among the oldest professors (over age 65) is a "mere" 10 to 1, but among the youngest professors (under age 36), it is nearly 23 to 1.

Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall | American Council on Science and Health

 

[Unkotare]

Don’t write off the Humanities yet.

 

[BlackSand]

Tuition paying parents and students with their eyes on future paychecks are figuring it out:

WE HAVE ENOUGH BARISTAS ALREADY.

Why Are the Humanities Collapsing?

1. There is a widespread belief that humanities degrees should be avoided. Linking a master's degree in art history to working as a barista at Starbucks has become a punchline. Even President Obama mocked art history. The criticisms are exaggerated, but there's enough truth to them to scare prospective students away. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that humanities majors earn less money than other students and are more likely to be unemployed.

2. The humanities generate too much nonsensical research. Postmodernist beliefs absolutely have ruined the humanities. For the uninitiated, postmodernism is essentially a form of moral and epistemic relativism. Right and wrong are relative, and truth itself is relative. When a field can no longer distinguish truth from lies -- or worthwhile knowledge from dubious anecdotes -- then it is flirting with catastrophe. The problem is so bad that there is a satirical postmodernist generator that randomly strings together essays. They are utterly nonsensical, but then so is some actual humanities research. How else can we explain that a PhD was awarded for this?

3. The humanities, and academia in general, are politically biased. The political skew among the humanities is laughably absurd. A paper in Econ Journal Watch showed that in history departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 33 to 1. Overall, academia is getting worse. The Democratic:Republican ratio among the oldest professors (over age 65) is a "mere" 10 to 1, but among the youngest professors (under age 36), it is nearly 23 to 1.

Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall | American Council on Science and Health

Only 27% of those who graduate college and get a job, use their major in their job ...

Face it ... More young people now get a college degree ...
To have a piece of paper that says they went to college ...
And answered the questions the professors asked in a manner they passed.

.​

 

[DGS49]

I do a lot of volunteer work, and run into many "humanities" grads - including with Masters degrees.

You would be amazed at the number of bullshit jobs that are out there, many of them paying very well indeed. There are millions of government jobs (federal, state, local), foundation jobs, jobs with hospitals (social work stuff), jobs in universities (e.g., "diversity" specialists), work in retirement homes...the list goes on and on.

Habitat for Humanity, for example, employs a LOT of people with basically no skills coming in. Large universities employ thousands of people whose work is totally unskilled, and totally unrelated to education. A friend of mine is a chef at a university cafeteria that feeds the kids of employees who are being cared for at the "free" daycare center. It is the best job he has ever had, and HIS kids will get free tuition when they are old enough. I work for a foundation that provides free bus service to Seniors (many of whom are younger than I am), to go to doctor appointments and such. There are two full time coordinators (both Humanities grads) and twenty or so unpaid volunteers driving very modern, expensive buses. Sometimes I have as few as three or four riders a day, and it's never more than 10. It would be much, much cheaper just to give these folks Uber gift cards and be done with it.

Jobs for Humanities grads. Don't worry about them. They might start out in Fast Foods, but if they persevere, there are lots of very nice sinecures out there. Few get rich at it (though some in foundations do), but they can make a nice Middle Class living doing marginally-valuable do-gooder stuff.

 

[night_son]

Tuition paying parents and students with their eyes on future paychecks are figuring it out:

WE HAVE ENOUGH BARISTAS ALREADY.

Why Are the Humanities Collapsing?

1. There is a widespread belief that humanities degrees should be avoided. Linking a master's degree in art history to working as a barista at Starbucks has become a punchline. Even President Obama mocked art history. The criticisms are exaggerated, but there's enough truth to them to scare prospective students away. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that humanities majors earn less money than other students and are more likely to be unemployed.

2. The humanities generate too much nonsensical research. Postmodernist beliefs absolutely have ruined the humanities. For the uninitiated, postmodernism is essentially a form of moral and epistemic relativism. Right and wrong are relative, and truth itself is relative. When a field can no longer distinguish truth from lies -- or worthwhile knowledge from dubious anecdotes -- then it is flirting with catastrophe. The problem is so bad that there is a satirical postmodernist generator that randomly strings together essays. They are utterly nonsensical, but then so is some actual humanities research. How else can we explain that a PhD was awarded for this?

3. The humanities, and academia in general, are politically biased. The political skew among the humanities is laughably absurd. A paper in Econ Journal Watch showed that in history departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 33 to 1. Overall, academia is getting worse. The Democratic:Republican ratio among the oldest professors (over age 65) is a "mere" 10 to 1, but among the youngest professors (under age 36), it is nearly 23 to 1.

Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall | American Council on Science and Health

What a shame. Art has cracked open entire New Ages and fought wars of interpretation for us so we never had to fire a shot or raise the sword. The poison of postmodernism and the course path councilor who councils the unwitting into inane choices which put the apron on for them years before graduation.

 

[Manonthestreet]

I can't figure out how Starbucks and fast food joints are able to staff themselves with all the better paying jobs standing open ........

 

[BlackSand]

I do a lot of volunteer work, and run into many "humanities" grads - including with Masters degrees.

You would be amazed at the number of bullshit jobs that are out there, many of them paying very well indeed. There are millions of government jobs (federal, state, local), foundation jobs, jobs with hospitals (social work stuff), jobs in universities (e.g., "diversity" specialists), work in retirement homes...the list goes on and on.

Habitat for Humanity, for example, employs a LOT of people with basically no skills coming in. Large universities employ thousands of people whose work is totally unskilled, and totally unrelated to education. A friend of mine is a chef at a university cafeteria that feeds the kids of employees who are being cared for at the "free" daycare center. It is the best job he has ever had, and HIS kids will get free tuition when they are old enough. I work for a foundation that provides free bus service to Seniors (many of whom are younger than I am), to go to doctor appointments and such. There are two full time coordinators (both Humanities grads) and twenty or so unpaid volunteers driving very modern, expensive buses. Sometimes I have as few as three or four riders a day, and it's never more than 10. It would be much, much cheaper just to give these folks Uber gift cards and be done with it.

Jobs for Humanities grads. Don't worry about them. They might start out in Fast Foods, but if they persevere, there are lots of very nice sinecures out there. Few get rich at it (though some in foundations do), but they can make a nice Middle Class living doing marginally-valuable do-gooder stuff.

I know a guy who went to college on a soccer scholarship and majored in English Literature.
He struggled painting houses and working at Barnes and Noble until he saved enough money to go back to college.

He got a Masters in Forestry and is doing awesome now using a degree that helps provide him with a salary that puts him in the top 5% of wage earners ...

.​

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I do a lot of volunteer work, and run into many "humanities" grads - including with Masters degrees.

You would be amazed at the number of bullshit jobs that are out there, many of them paying very well indeed. There are millions of government jobs (federal, state, local), foundation jobs, jobs with hospitals (social work stuff), jobs in universities (e.g., "diversity" specialists), work in retirement homes...the list goes on and on.

Habitat for Humanity, for example, employs a LOT of people with basically no skills coming in. Large universities employ thousands of people whose work is totally unskilled, and totally unrelated to education. A friend of mine is a chef at a university cafeteria that feeds the kids of employees who are being cared for at the "free" daycare center. It is the best job he has ever had, and HIS kids will get free tuition when they are old enough. I work for a foundation that provides free bus service to Seniors (many of whom are younger than I am), to go to doctor appointments and such. There are two full time coordinators (both Humanities grads) and twenty or so unpaid volunteers driving very modern, expensive buses. Sometimes I have as few as three or four riders a day, and it's never more than 10. It would be much, much cheaper just to give these folks Uber gift cards and be done with it.

Jobs for Humanities grads. Don't worry about them. They might start out in Fast Foods, but if they persevere, there are lots of very nice sinecures out there. Few get rich at it (though some in foundations do), but they can make a nice Middle Class living doing marginally-valuable do-gooder stuff.

Where is the requirement that any of those jobs you described would require a humanities degree? It seems to me that for most, even a GED holder would be overqualified.

 

[DGS49]

The jobs don't formally require a degree, but when they search the applicants they are able to hire people with degrees.

Tangentially, this is the hidden issue with the $15 minimum wage. At that rate, a high school dropout doesn't have a chance.

 

[williepete]

Don’t write off the Humanities yet.

Liberal Arts studies have an important place in a well balanced education. Balance is the key. I think parents and students have become fed up with the useless study and research required for a fill in the blank general studies degree that has no other purpose than to stroke the ego of a professor that never has and never will have any contact with the real world outside of the artificial bubble of a leftist indoctrination center formally known as a college.

Face it. Colleges and Universities have become a joke. They out priced themselves by slipping out of their market. Parents and their kids have figured it out. Colleges forgot their job was to prepare young adults to enter the workforce. The professors slipped into the market of leftist propaganda pushing theories that have never worked. That doesn't sell in the real world.

A kid showing up at an interview with a gender studies degree, who's only experience outside of high school was college is going to face hard scrutiny from a firm requiring a high performer IN THE REAL WORLD.

Starbucks. Not so much.

Oh, and when I'm unable to pay back my student loans for my worthless degree, it's capitalism's fault.

 

[SweetSue92]

Tuition paying parents and students with their eyes on future paychecks are figuring it out:

WE HAVE ENOUGH BARISTAS ALREADY.

Why Are the Humanities Collapsing?

1. There is a widespread belief that humanities degrees should be avoided. Linking a master's degree in art history to working as a barista at Starbucks has become a punchline. Even President Obama mocked art history. The criticisms are exaggerated, but there's enough truth to them to scare prospective students away. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that humanities majors earn less money than other students and are more likely to be unemployed.

2. The humanities generate too much nonsensical research. Postmodernist beliefs absolutely have ruined the humanities. For the uninitiated, postmodernism is essentially a form of moral and epistemic relativism. Right and wrong are relative, and truth itself is relative. When a field can no longer distinguish truth from lies -- or worthwhile knowledge from dubious anecdotes -- then it is flirting with catastrophe. The problem is so bad that there is a satirical postmodernist generator that randomly strings together essays. They are utterly nonsensical, but then so is some actual humanities research. How else can we explain that a PhD was awarded for this?

3. The humanities, and academia in general, are politically biased. The political skew among the humanities is laughably absurd. A paper in Econ Journal Watch showed that in history departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 33 to 1. Overall, academia is getting worse. The Democratic:Republican ratio among the oldest professors (over age 65) is a "mere" 10 to 1, but among the youngest professors (under age 36), it is nearly 23 to 1.

Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall | American Council on Science and Health

Great write up. I love the part too where he says, "Stop complaining about post-modernism or African-American Studies'."

No, pal. Own your mess here.

 

[williepete]

 

[ScorpioRising007]

Tuition paying parents and students with their eyes on future paychecks are figuring it out:

WE HAVE ENOUGH BARISTAS ALREADY.

Why Are the Humanities Collapsing?

1. There is a widespread belief that humanities degrees should be avoided. Linking a master's degree in art history to working as a barista at Starbucks has become a punchline. Even President Obama mocked art history. The criticisms are exaggerated, but there's enough truth to them to scare prospective students away. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that humanities majors earn less money than other students and are more likely to be unemployed.

2. The humanities generate too much nonsensical research. Postmodernist beliefs absolutely have ruined the humanities. For the uninitiated, postmodernism is essentially a form of moral and epistemic relativism. Right and wrong are relative, and truth itself is relative. When a field can no longer distinguish truth from lies -- or worthwhile knowledge from dubious anecdotes -- then it is flirting with catastrophe. The problem is so bad that there is a satirical postmodernist generator that randomly strings together essays. They are utterly nonsensical, but then so is some actual humanities research. How else can we explain that a PhD was awarded for this?

3. The humanities, and academia in general, are politically biased. The political skew among the humanities is laughably absurd. A paper in Econ Journal Watch showed that in history departments, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 33 to 1. Overall, academia is getting worse. The Democratic:Republican ratio among the oldest professors (over age 65) is a "mere" 10 to 1, but among the youngest professors (under age 36), it is nearly 23 to 1.

Humanities Enrollment Is in Free Fall | American Council on Science and Health

I have met many humanities majors who are working at Wal-Mart. Burger King , McDonald's , Starbucks and 5 years later still in low wage jobs. Many go back for a master's in a degree they can use like a guy I know who just got a graduate Nursing degree. His undergrad was in sociology .