Is an Arts degree worth it?

Mrs OBumble

Forget the degree.

Do a plumbing apprenticeship. You'll facilitate lots of arts degrees, while earning far more money.

somefeen

Just get a sales job. No where else can you start off in the entry level with zero qualifications and still make good to ridiculously good money.

JupiterKid

I am a senior lecturer on an Arts course and pretty much all of my students will either gain a good professional job or go on to do a postgrad course.

Going to college isn't just about the exact course you study, but about learning to engage in critical thinking, be able to articulate yourself well and develop habits of enquiry - all of which will equip you well for adult life.

Then there is the joy of learning for learning's sake, not just using your college degree as a means to an end.

The dissing of arts courses has got pretty old and stale at this stage...

lainey_d_123

I learned too late that it's class-based. Those teachers at school telling me 'go for the Arts degree*, you'll be grand' were coming at it from their point of view, being from families with money who could support them through the degree and then offer connections to good jobs afterwards. It's a very different reality for a working class kid. I'd have been much better going for something that paid, like accountancy or something IT related. I did very, very well at college, but then I had no connections afterwards and no support to just wait it out until I got a good job, like most of my classmates. I had to go for whatever I could find because I needed to pay the rent, and then got trapped in a cycle of working long hours for bad pay and being too exhausted to see a way out. Getting there now, but I'm in my thirties already!

*I didn't do an actual Arts degree at UCD or anything, but it was a Humanities subject.

Wanderer78

JupiterKid wrote:

The dissing of arts courses has got pretty old and stale at this stage...

I disagree, its still very well in fashion, but it is a very boring debate

lainey_d_123

JupiterKid wrote: »

I am a senior lecturer on an Arts course and pretty much all of my students will either gain a good professional job or go on to do a postgrad course.

Going to college isn't just about the exact course you study, but about learning to engage in critical thinking, be able to articulate yourself well and develop habits of enquiry - all of which will equip you well for adult life.

Then there is the joy of learning for learning's sake, not just using your college degree as a means to an end.

The dissing of arts courses has got pretty old and stale at this stage...

This is the kind of thing only well-off people say. Most kids don't have the luxury of spending loads of money to do something for the fun of it. They need to do something which makes money.

Wanderer78

lainey_d_123 wrote:

This is the kind of thing only well-off people say. Most kids don't have the luxury of spending loads of money to do something for the fun of it. They need to do something which makes money.

Agree and disagree, I've studied for fun, and I'm broke, most do study though to get a job

BrokenArrows

To answer that question just pretend you have an arts degree now. What doors would that open for you to achieve your goals today?

If the answer is that it doesn't help you achieve your goals then it's not worth it.

DavyD_83

Pissartist wrote: »

Arts is for dropouts

I'm an Arts dropout, the lowest of the low.
Doing alright though, sort of:D

peckerhead

Most employers with any experience know that it's not so much the content of your degree that counts as the kind of transferable skills that you have developed. Different programmes of study will tend to foster slightly different approaches to problem-solving, etc.

So, for instance, an engineering grad will look at something and think: "How does that work?". Whereas a science grad will say: "WHY does it work?". A commerce grad will ask: "How much does it cost?". And an arts grad will say: "Would you like fries with that?".

JupiterKid

lainey_d_123 wrote:

This is the kind of thing only well-off people say. Most kids don't have the luxury of spending loads of money to do something for the fun of it. They need to do something which makes money.

Touch of inverted snobbery there methinks....

Of course it's important to gain a qualification that will translate into a job and career that is well paid and fulfilling, but I find that students who have a real passion for learning the course fare a lot better than those who are doing it for the career at the end and don't enjoy their studies.

Not all aspects of any given course will be interesting but it does help to like the topic you are studying.

topper75

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

Only among obnoxious idiots who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Yes because studying a viable discipline by day and pursuing cultural activities in the evening is impossible? You can be an engineer or a coder and have philosophy, Irish history, or French literature as a hobby if want.

An arts degree is just a way of transferring cash from the gullible to pointless academics over a few years with little benefit ultimately to society at large.

I think the general poor reputation for arts is that it is a default option for many and too easy to drift into and through with no idea of what to do after and no obvious path to take. Also given the numbers you are more likely to encounter a disappointed arts student rather than say a disappointed botanist.

OP if you are happy with the subjects, cost and commitment don't be put off by the letters at the start.
In this context a BA, B Comm, B Sc, B BS aren't very relevant.

valoren

Seanf999 wrote: »

Long story short I dropped out of college (business), tried a few things and now I'm working in a warehouse, I just started and it's grand but not somewhere I want to be indefinitely.

I want to go back to college (- not for business, you won't find me doing any more economics or accounting..)
But there's a part time Arts degree where you can choose different modules to the regular arts modules..

My plan is to study Marketing and Management as a double major (technically two degrees) part time.
I think I can skip 1st year because I passed first year of business so it'll be 3 years instead of 4.
It's also €3,555 per year, cheaper than a full time course plus I can work and cover the costs anyway.

But Arts degrees get a bad rep.

Is an Arts degree worth it?

What if it's just to get a masters?

What do you want to do subsequently? Marketing and Management?
Skate to where the puck will be, not where it is now i.e. do a course that is relevant to what you want to do.

sk8erboii

Unless youre a 45 year old catholic day laborer, dont ask for any approval in afterhours. This place is a cesspool lol

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

topper75 wrote: »

Yes because studying a viable discipline by day and pursuing cultural activities in the evening is impossible? You can be an engineer or a coder and have philosophy, Irish history, or French literature as a hobby if want.

An arts degree is just a way of transferring cash from the gullible to pointless academics over a few years with little benefit ultimately to society at large.

Autodidactism has some value but there’s so much more to getting a degree than just reading and looking at things. With nobody guiding you and challenging you, you won’t hone critical-thinking skills like you would in a structured degree course.

LirW

A degree is always better than no degree. Just holding one, no matter what discipline, can open you doors that would stay closed if you're not a graduate.

Mr.Fantastic

Speaking from personal experience I completed a BA in history and classics and a MA in european history.

Was pretty difficult to get a career even nigh on impossible, I ended up going back and doing a hdip in computer science. Effectively walked into a job after that , essentially had my pick as there are loads of opportunities for IT grads.

I don't regret doing the arts degrees but I do wish there were more opportunities with them.

A lot of my masters class went off and did further courses or ended up in recruitment.

Yer Da sells Avon

topper75 wrote: »

Yes because studying a viable discipline by day and pursuing cultural activities in the evening is impossible? You can be an engineer or a coder and have philosophy, Irish history, or French literature as a hobby if want.

An arts degree is just a way of transferring cash from the gullible to pointless academics over a few years with little benefit ultimately to society at large.

Like I said - the price of everything; the value of nothing.

vriesmays

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Nope, wouldn’t bother. Do a worthwhile degree or just get a job.

An arts degree in maths and philosophy is worthwhile.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

vriesmays wrote: »

An arts degree in maths and philosophy is worthwhile.

I know someone with that exact undergraduate degree who is doing very interesting things with it!

DEFTLEFTHAND

Depends on your motivation.

Some see it as a 'doss' option because they don't know what to do or got an average Leaving Cert.

Others go into it with a clear goal and thrive. They have genuine passion for the subjects.
It's like anything in life, you get what you put in.

JohnnyFlash

It’s probably grand if teaching or the lower rungs of the civil service is your aspiration in life. Like any auld chancer could get a degree in the classics and English lit. Or the mature student special - a barely scraped 2.1 in history and politics. No harm with doing one part time I suppose if those subjects genuinely tickle your interests. Wouldn’t agree with funding a mature student to do these on a full time basis - they should find their own way to pay for a 3 year holiday that consists of sitting at the front of the lecture hall, wearing a hoodie, being the oldest dude at the protest, and generally annoying the younger students with their eagerness.

ToddyDoody

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

It’s probably grand if teaching or the lower rungs of the civil service is your aspiration in life. Like any auld chancer could get a degree in the classics and English lit. Or the mature student special - a barely scraped 2.1 in history and politics. No harm with doing one part time I suppose if those subjects genuinely tickle your interests. Wouldn’t agree with funding a mature student to do these on a full time basis - they should find their own way to pay for a 3 year holiday that consists of sitting at the front of the lecture hall, wearing a hoodie, being the oldest dude at the protest, and generally annoying the younger students with their eagerness.

Many add a bit of sophistication to the restaurant / coffee sector.

lainey_d_123

JupiterKid wrote: »

Touch of inverted snobbery there methinks....

Of course it's important to gain a qualification that will translate into a job and career that is well paid and fulfilling, but I find that students who have a real passion for learning the course fare a lot better than those who are doing it for the career at the end and don't enjoy their studies.

Not all aspects of any given course will be interesting but it does help to like the topic you are studying.

Clearly you're one of the people I'm talking about. Nothing to do with 'inverted snobbery'. Everything to do with the fact that kids who aren't from wealthy backgrounds are going to come out of that arts degree and struggle, no matter how much they enjoyed it. I was one of the best students on my course and got a first class degree (only a small handful of us did). It got me absolutely nowhere.

'Studying what you enjoy' is grand for kids with parents who'll fund further study, or who have professional connections. It's not grand for people who come out of college at 21 and immediately need to start fully supporting themselves (if they weren't already) and often need to start paying back debt they accrued to be able to study in the first place.

If I could go back in time, I'd do accountancy or something that 'pays'. I wouldn't have spent my entire twenties in total poverty. You can study what you enjoy in your spare time. Working class kids simply do not have the safety nets that their middle class peers seem to take for granted.

Woke Hogan

These discussions are always full of the usual incurious bootlickers who believe the only value in education is for churning out drones for the multinationals.

Being an expert of topics such as philosophy, literature, or history won't make you a millionaire but they have intrinsic cultural and societal value that being an anonymous coder or UI designer wouldn't have.

Roger Hassenforder

Do you know what this country needs more of?
Arts graduates majoring in preCeltic intersectionalist feminist poetry studies through interpretative dance.

Gimme A Pound

peckerhead wrote: »

Most employers with any experience know that it's not so much the content of your degree that counts as the kind of transferable skills that you have developed. Different programmes of study will tend to foster slightly different approaches to problem-solving, etc.

So, for instance, an engineering grad will look at something and think: "How does that work?". Whereas a science grad will say: "WHY does it work?". A commerce grad will ask: "How much does it cost?". And an arts grad will say: "Would you like fries with that?".

Usually zzz at the arts degree piss-takes, but this one I like.

bumders

Coming form someone working in IT I would say No.

Marketing now is knowing how to use Google and Facebook and Photoshop

Example of courses you can study in your spare time

https://support.google.com/academyforads/answer/9081805?hl=en


https://www.adobe.com/training/certification.html

https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/certification/taking-your-exams


Any company now hires older people that have actually researched what is needed in the workplace.

Over 30 an it degree is now useless, there's Microsoft exams, oracle exams, Cisco exams, Linux exams, cloud(AWS, azure) exams, security exams , VMware exama which are all internationally recoginzed

Have a look at jobs on Irish jobs and actually look at what the requirements are for roles your interested in.

There many more marketing exams but I work in IT so not overly famiar with others available.

Ipso

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Do you know what this country needs more of?
Arts graduates majoring in preCeltic intersectionalist feminist poetry studies through interpretative dance.

Pure drone fodder for big history!