With unemployment rates at an all time high, students are having to pick majors that are more marketable to on-campus recruiters. The number of students majoring in the humanities has declined to a single-digit percentage across the country, weighing in at 8% in 2007 (I'm sure it is much lower now).
While I personally despise taking general education courses, I do realize their fundamental value. Courses in the arts and humanities make students well-rounded. If I had only taken accounting classes throughout my entire academic career at USC, I would not graduate with the broad perspective that one attains by taking classes across all fields of study.
I find it discouraging that students feel they no longer have the freedom to pursue majors that interest them based on whether or not it is easy to find a job with such credentials. I was lucky to stumble into a field of study that I loved, but also had great employment prospects (accounting)--but others are not as lucky.
I hope this decline is cyclical, and that once the economy bounces back, students are no longer fearful to pursue a background in humanities. Although I begrudgingly attended my East Asian Languages & Cultures humanities class, I'd like to think I gained perspective and insight from broadening my academic horizons. Long live a liberal arts education!
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