J. Kelly Robison
Why Do I Have to Take . . .
A comment I heard all the time as an undergraduate was "How is this course going to help my in my career as a_____ ," or "Why do I have to take _____ if I'm a _____ major," or worst of all "What kind of job can you get with a degree in _____?" The lament, in other words, is that the course work as an undergrad is "irrelevant. "
Well, folks, here's a news flash: College was never intended as job training.
This may come as a shock, but it's true. In it's very roots, higher education was a leisurely pursuit for intellectuals among the elite. No one had time to bother with such luxuries as philosophizing: They were too busy making a living. Education was a frivolous pastime of the impractical, hence the term "Liberal arts."
To this day, proper education is not job training. An undergrad degree is intended to do far more than give you skills to use on the job. You can get job training anywhere, even on the job. Skills are easy to learn. If you are pursuing a degree, you are committing to far more than practical skills for a more lucrative career.
A college education bestows upon you those qualities that can't be learned from "training. " It makes you a better person. You learn that complex problems never have simple solutions. You learn that there are always alternate viewpoints and that these are quite valid and must be considered. You learn to synthesize and integrate information and make informed decisions. You are exposed to and learn to appreciate other cultures, opinions, and world views. You learn to solve problems creatively and use resources selectively. You learn to admit when you don't know enough and you learn where and how to find more information. You learn to work together with peers of different abilities, and you learn to work independently with autonomy. You learn to read critically, find faults in logic, and formulate your own, independent, carefully reasoned opinions and judgments. You learn to trust your ability and question your assumptions. You learn that things aren't always as they seem and that every story has at least two sides. You learn to communicate your ideas effectively in speech and writing, with an appreciation for your audience. You learn to manage your time. You test your limits. You confront dilemmas. You become familiar with your limitations. You explore your curiosities. You find hidden talents. You make important friends and contacts.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Higher education does far, far more for you than teach you techniques to use for making someone else rich. That's why you have to take Spanish as a Biology major. You will acquire an appreciation for Spanish culture and ethnic diversity, gain insight into word meanings; learn rules of grammatical construction that you can apply in your English communications, acquire techniques for learning vocabulary (those biological terms are like a foreign vocab), and, indeed, learn a practical skill for travel, international relations, or just communicating with a Spanish-speaking person. Again, you get the point. The relevance of those college-wide requirements may not be immediately apparent, but they all help you to grow as a person and broaden your intellectual horizons.
The kind of learning that goes on in college can't be imparted in a two-week training seminar. It gives you new qualities that are highly desirable in any employee. You can learn the specifics of bookkeeping, word processing, or other job skills later, on the job. Many employers have to train their people to their specific ways of doing things, anyway. They would much rather hire a person with all those intangible qualities that a well-rounded liberal arts education gives and then train that person, as opposed to hiring a person who needs little training but has little else to offer.
There will be plenty of time after college to acquire the specifics for a career. Grad schools are much more focused on specific fields, and professional schools (Law, Medicine) will give you all the background you'll need for your career. So much so, in fact, that it's far better to take a broad. liberal arts degree as an undergrad in preparation for more technical training in, say, business school. Some graduate business schools actually frown on applicants who took Business Administration degrees as undergrads! They feel that liberal arts applicants have a better foundation for learning the specifics of the trade, whereas Business majors missed a lot of the breadth-wise preparation. Indeed, an English major, for example, has something fresh and different to bring to advanced training in business--a knowledge base that has direct and practical application, yet is not acquired in the program itself The Business major only has a head start on what he or she will be learning more about, the narrow, tunnel-vision focus can actually be a liability.
So embrace those "frivolous" courses. If you really want to major in Sociology, go for it! Don't worry about whether you'll get a job as a sociologist. Remember that by virtue of having a college degree in anything you'll be much more employable. There are lots of fields that need people with the kind of experience a bachelor's in Sociology gives--most of them are not obvious, either. You'll find out about them as you pursue the degree. Something will fall into place, and you will be doing something you enjoy. Remember, college is expensive, a lot of work, and a major investment of your time. Too much so to waste it learning something you don't like. Make sure you're doing it for yourself. Why on earth should you go through all that effort and expense to provide your own job-training, to learn something for some faceless, potential employer's sake? You'll be much happier and much more likely to succeed if you follow your heart, do it for yourself only, and look at college for what it is: an opportunity for you to grow.
Written and copyright 1996 by John H. Bickford, Jr.
I am providing this information in good faith as a free public service. Use it at your own risk, with the understanding that I do not accept responsibility or liability for any consequences of its use.