Avenue Q writes:
What do you do with a B.A. in English,
What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,
Have earned me this useless degree.
I can't pay the bills yet,
'Cause I have no skills yet,
The world is a big scary place.
But somehow I can't shake,
The feeling I might make,
A difference,
To the human race.
I come from the other side of the spectrum: My undergrad degree is in Mathematics and as everyone asks, "What do you do with a degree in Math?"
Well, you fake being everything else. Now, I went to Harvey Mudd which requires you to take a third of your coursework in the Arts and Humanities beyond the core and your major.
Yes, a good liberal arts education can teach you how to think. And yes, outside of specific fields, your degree is more a reflection on your ability to carry a task through at (what is supposed to be) a high level of detail. The vast majority of professional jobs (even in technical fields) require skill at language: At the very least, you need to be able to read complex materials and synthesize the information. Writing is right up there, too. But as an example of how it is often more important that you have done the work than what the work is: The contract I am currently on has different staffing levels depending upon your education and experience level. I was able to be slotted into the position that I have because I have a Master's degree. It did not matter what the degree was in, only that I had the degree.
A broad exposure to literature is not dependent so much upon the specific works as it is the variety of them. This makes you consider other opinions, explore them for content, and relate them to other opinions.
Now, if you do plan to go into academia, then the specifics of your degree become more important.
Like most things in life, there are good and bad reasons to do it. What is it you want out of it? Is the program you are going to go into provide what you want? Answer those questions, and you'll know where to go.
Rrhain
Thank you for your submission to
Science. Your paper was reviewed by a jury of seventh graders so that they could look for balance and to allow them to make up their own minds. We are sorry to say that they found your paper "bogus," specifically describing the section on the laboratory work "boring." We regret that we will be unable to publish your work at this time.