Forget the humanities haters, these BA grads are killing it in the business world

Funnily enough, you don’t have to be a Geography teacher

| UPDATED

There’s only so many times colouring skills can be mocked, ‘minimal contact hours’ can be ridiculed, and the onslaught of jokes about becoming a librarian tolerated.

So, we spoke to some of the country’s brightest and youngest business people to debunk the myth that a humanities degree is worthless and how it actually helped them excel in business.


Feel like you’ve got what it takes to make it big in business? Discover more business tips at KPMG’s Future Ready site here


Jess, Oxford, English Language and Literature

Jess (25) is the Strategy Director at Lantum, a booming London-based healthcare startup that raised £5.3million in investment last year.

Alexandra, The City & Guilds of London Art School, Fine Art 

Alexandra (27) is the founder of Punch Foods, a company that produces healthy super seed snacks. She has written her own cookbooks and has a 34k strong Instagram following.

Thea, Cambridge, Geography

Thea (27) is the founder and CEO of Young Foodies, a site that connects aspiring food brands with experts and resources. Members include Propercorn and Pip & Nut.


Want to develop your own business skills? Head to KPMG’s Future Ready site here to find out more


What advice do you have for current humanities students who may want to eventually go into business?

Jess: Put yourself in situations where you’ll fail. I started up a small company in the wholesale food industry with a friend and it’s the reason I am where I am today, even though it failed. Build something and try it – if it doesn’t work, change it.

Thea: You’re going to have to self-teach yourself a lot of things, such as registering your business, but everything is Google-able. If you are still stuck, find that person who is six months ahead of you and has just been through your current obstacle – surrounding yourself with these types of people is invaluable.

Alexandra: If you’re looking to start up your own business, get a business partner. In any successful business, you’ll find there’s one creative person and there’s one that’s more analytical. You need that to be two different people, as each has to take precedence over the other at some point.

Thea (on the left) at her graduation

What are the aspects of your course that have helped you succeed in business?

Thea: My course taught me to think in a way I’ve never thought before. You’re surrounded by strangers and you learn to engage with differing views, which is something you need when you go into business – the power to think on a wider scale.

Alexandra: My Fine Art degree certainly helped me to be more creative with the way I do things like marketing and PR, which I firmly believe shows in the work I put out.

Jess: Pulling together market research quickly, digging out the right bits from the right sources, and knowing how to communicate that concisely are all skills I took away from studying English. Also – learning to slightly blag things based on a superficial understanding has been a pretty useful skill.


Are you about to graduate with a BA and want to start a career in business? The KPMG Future Ready is the site for you – discover more about your commercial acumen here


What were the next steps you took after graduating?

Jess: I left university knowing I didn’t want to go down the corporate route. I had ideas and was looking to pitch to anyone I knew who worked in venture capital. After a few failed attempts and continually knocking on doors, I got an internship at a firm. You have to have confidence in your idea. It’s really difficult to stick to your conviction, but you have to keep pushing.

Thea: I actually started off working in an investment bank, which I realised was just not for me. It takes guts to quit your first job, but if you know it’s the right move for you, you have to have the courage to do it. Thank god I did, because after helping out friends with various startups, a job popped up at Propercorn and I jumped at the opportunity.

Alexandra: On a whim I approached a startup founder and offered my services. She accepted, so I went to work alongside her and learned a lot about running a business. I learnt then that networking is key to making your way in this sector.

Jess at her graduation

Obviously there’s a lot you couldn’t learn through your degree about business – what personal training would you recommend?

Thea: I took the job at Propercorn because I thought this was the best place to learn – cut my teeth on someone else’s startup, learn the ropes from people much smarter than me, and make mistakes. I saw the company go from a few people in tiny room to selling three million bags per month. I took everything I had learnt and pumped it into Young Foodies.

Jess: Lantum, where I work now, was one of the portfolio companies of the investment firm I had interned at. I ended up working for their CEO for six months and built up my network. I took every opportunity to learn and ask questions that I could, which paid off because she offered me the role as her Strategy Director. 

Alexandra:  Everything I learned I taught myself, most of it from online. It meant I made mistakes, with packaging fiascos and a lot more, but it was all part of the process. You learn about all of that stuff as you go along.


KPMG’s Future Ready site has plenty of tips and advice on how to kickstart your career in business. Click here to find out more