Useless Degrees, An Analysis

American Thinker ^ | 01/09/2024 | A. Welderson

[hanamizu]

I too am a retired teacher. I got my certificate in California back when getting a certificate meant one had to graduate college with a ‘real’ degree and then spend a year post-grad to get a teaching certificate.

History, which is what I taught for many years, is not considered important enough to require that a teacher actually know anything about history and in larger schools is given to a sports ball coach to fill out his day.

If one gets qualified to do special ed, that is what you’ll be stuck with. I’ve known some teachers who tried to somehow get their special ed qualification removed from their record.

[Fiji Hill]

I disagree that these subjects, except for maybe the “studies,” are “useless,” although photography, dance and astronomy would likely be better as minors. Yes, there are few jobs in these fields, but when properly taught, English, literature, art history and other subjects in the humanities can enrich one's life beyond one's chosen profession. When not taught by some wokester bent on indoctrination, these subjects provide insight into humanity and human nature as well as a body of knowledge that will facilitate one's ability to make choices in life and avoid being caught up in group think or herd opinions.

On the other hand, career-oriented curricula can limit the student's insight outside of his profession. As Everett Dean Martin wrote in The Meaning of a Liberal Education (1926), a career-oriented curriculum “may give one the means to make a living” but "liberal education gives living a meaning.”

[Fiji Hill]

History, which is what I taught for many years, is not considered important enough to require that a teacher actually know anything about history and in larger schools is given to a sports ball coach to fill out his day.

I'm a substitute teacher at the high school level in Southern California. Most of the history classes that I have subbed for have been taught by coaches.

[shotgun]

17th Century French Poetry, what an incredible waste of time!

[shotgun]

I have a friend whose wife has a Master’s in Art History. Her first job after receiving her degree was answering phones on the Suicide Hotline for $10/hour. But she was a very talented painter and nice person. Of course, me and him would laugh our asses off about that but then we are both Professional Engineers.

[Magnum44]

[aspasia]

17th Century French Poetry, what an incredible waste of time!

OTH, Cyrano de Bergerac, (Rostand, Depardieu!) unforgettable. What an incredible classic!

[Magnum44]

ok, boomer...lol (its ok, I am 61)

Seriously, I think your comment applied more so about 40 to 60 years ago. I am guessing that an ‘Ed’ degree today is not what it was then, and I am not sure what it was then.

Teachers should not have to have an ‘Ed’ degree. A retired specialist, in any field (math, science, engineering, physics, mechanics, woodcraft, etc, etc) should be able to pass on their skills (and in many cases, art of profession) without having to bow down to the PC/DEI gods and spend another small fortune on indoctrination technique. This (used to) work in Colleges. Why is it not the case in grade school?

[aspasia]

I know this thread is about the utility of a humanities or soft science degree, but we could use a little more 17th century English such as Shakespeare in our life.

I recommend Michael Fassbender's Macbeth. Also not to miss is Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing and Ian Holm in King Lear

[know.your.why]

Thermometers have degrees. You know where they put those?

[aspasia]

When we go so far as to pooh-pooh degrees entirely, it’s a sign we’ve lost touch with reality.

[shotgun]

Did you ever see the movie Groundhog Day? That’s the line Bill Murray tells his producer.

[alexander_busek]

I have a friend whose wife has a Master’s in Art History. Her first job after receiving her degree was answering phones on the Suicide Hotline for $10/hour.

"Hello, Suicide Hotline? I'm feeling ree-aly depressed right now..."

"I know what you mean! I feel the same way when I look at a painting by Otto Dix, the famous post-World War I German Expressionist (1891-1969). Especially his paintings of the maimed and mutilated war veterans. Just thinking about them now tends to suck the life out of me."

"Blam!"

"Hello?"

Regards,

[pfflier]

I’m not sure why EDUCATION degree is on this list. If no one majors in this, then who will be able to teach school (K-12)?

Maybe people actually qualified in their career field?

I taught 16 years of high school electronics, physics and engineering because my state certified me based on education (BSEE) and 20+ years of work experience in the military and aerospace engineering.

BTW I was shunned by some teachers who were ED majors, particularly the NEA types, because to them, I wasn't a "real" teacher. To them, I was appointed not anointed.

[Bikkuri]

I agree with you, with the exception that it’s rare to find the unis actually teaching that anymore..
Not sure which is worse, pre-college/uni or college/uni.
All I see being taught at about 98% of the time in any of the above, no matter WHAT the subject, is social justice/racism/etc...

[Churchillspirit]

My husband's son has a degree in Zoology. His specialty - contaminated water.

He works in a shoe store.....

[Shady]

Ditto here. Had a couple of false starts but in the end they (the powers that be) appreciated my vast skills and work ethic so much that they allowed me to carve out my own responsibilities. It was a very rewarding 20+ years.

[Rummyfan]

The libertarian view on this question has typically been along the lines of… if people are foolish enough to waste money on worthless degrees, the world will soon enough teach them another lesson.

While valid, that view ran aground on the Democrat vote-buying scheme to insulate those with useless degrees from the consequences of their poor choices and indebtedness, with our tax money.

Not to mention the unemployment of all those studies professors and DIE administrators that would result if kids wised up and just got either trade training or certifications that would allow them entry to professions.

[aspasia]

But you must keep in mind that the history of education shows that "the left" (as they call it around here) has worked very very hard to make education only about practical, calculable results.

Looks like it's available at Internet Archive.

[rellic]

my family insisted on us kids learning a trade before getting a university degree.
Thus
#1 I’m a journey man shipwright, I worked as a professional boat builder at a yacht manufacturing company before going in the military.
#2 Electronics technician, USAF educated. I worked as an Electronics tech at two different aerospace corporations.
#3 earned a degree, BS Computer Science and became a software engineer at one of those corporations. Most big companies will pay for most if not all of your tuition.
#4 Electroncis engineer at a world class Observatory in Hawaii.
Degrees do work. If it is combined with other skill sets.