Stop judging my degree

In an institution populated by intelligent and ambitious young people, it’s no surprise that we all love a bit of playful rivalry. Biologists love to mock Philosophy students for spending hours discussing problems with no real solution; and face the same kind of mockery in return for dedicating their lives to studying wonders like yeast (hey, at least there’s a right answer at the end of the day). But occasionally this goes beyond friendly banter and leaves people feeling inferior, even though they worked equally as hard to get here. I’m sure we’re all guilty of a bit of teasing, but is it really fair to say that any degree at St Andrews is worth less than another?

Most subjects offered at St Andrews are traditional academic disciplines, with no sign of the infamous David Beckham Studies or Star Trek modules. All are taught by leading academics (look, they got a great job in that field!) and produce hugely successful graduates every year. I think the problem here is simply people being narrow-minded. Newer subjects such as Film Studies often bear the brunt of this kind of prejudice, but it’s worth remembering that in the late 19^th century UCL was criticised for offering degrees in English. The times are a-changing.

Graduate employment statistics are usually cited when criticising someone’s degree choice, and while they imply that Geographers are wasting their time and all Economists are going to be millionaires by 30, at the end of the day your prospects extend far beyond the field you studied. Jon Stewart studied psychology, Mitt Romney did English Literature and J.K. Rowling studied Classics. If (god forbid) we’re short on International Relations jobs when you graduate (you never know, there are so many people studying it) there’s a whole world of different paths for you to follow.

Personally I would rather spend 4 years studying something I love than something I find mind-numbingly boring just because it has better job prospects, or worse, just because it has highly-paid job prospects. (Yes, we’ll have debts to pay off, but not everyone’s career choice is motivated by how quickly they can get on The Times Rich List). Instead of telling our peers what they should be good at, we should value them for their talents and encourage them. You never know who you might have to beg for a job when your current and super-valuable but horrendously boring degree goes out of fashion.

Images courtesy of www.forbes.com