Question

Which discipline (ex. humanities) values objectivity and truth?

Answer 1

For many decades, there has been a growing public perception that a humanities education inadequately prepares graduates for employment.The common belief is that graduates from such programs face underemployment and incomes too low for a humanities education to be worth the investment.

In fact, humanities graduates find employment in a wide variety of management and professional occupations. In Britain, for example, over 11,000 humanities majors found employment in the following occupations:

• Education (25.8%)
• Management (19.8%)
• Media/Literature/Arts (11.4%)
• Law (11.3%)
• Finance (10.4%)
• Civil service (5.8%)
• Not-for-profit (5.2%)
• Marketing (2.3%)
• Medicine (1.7%)
• Other (6.4%)

Many humanities graduates finish university with no career goals in mind.Consequently, many spend the first few years after graduation deciding what to do next, resulting in lower incomes at the start of their career; meanwhile, graduates from career-oriented programs experience more rapid entry into the labour market. However, usually within five years of graduation, humanities graduates find an occupation or career path that appeals to them.In terms of employability, humanities graduates are seen to possess some of the most sought-after skills in large organizations, such as literacy and communication skills.

There is empirical evidence that graduates from humanities programs earn less than graduates from other university programs.However, the empirical evidence also shows that humanities graduates still earn notably higher incomes than workers with no postsecondary education. Humanities graduates also earn more as their careers progress; ten years after graduation, the income difference between humanities graduates and graduates from other university programs is no longer statistically significant.Humanities graduates can earn even higher incomes if they obtain advanced or professional degrees.