Arts Curtain Call?

EMC Editorial - I don't usually do too much ranting here, but I desperately need to get a few things off my chest.

I find the recent suspension of Queen's fine arts admissions deeply troubling, as I fear it spells the beginnings of a trend I have dreaded for a very long time now.

Throughout my entire life, I have listened to everyone from political leaders to my parents drone on about how math and science are the most important and useful subjects. Perhaps in an act of rebellion, I completed bachelor and master of arts degrees in English literature.

The kind of people who look down on the fine arts are equally scornful of my educational choices. I stopped caring what these people think of me a long time ago, but I must admit it does bother me when their philosophy starts to sneak its way into the practices of educational institutions.

Lately, even the humanities and social sciences have been getting a bad rap.

Earlier this month, Globe columnist Margaret Wente suggested that the Occupy protesters should blame their own poor choices of what to study in university for the fact that they are now unemployed or underemployed. She lambasted a young woman studying for a master of sociology for her own short-sightedness, claiming that such people need to concentrate less on making the world a better place and more on what employment opportunities are out there.

I guess Wente would prefer if everyone chose their major purely on the basis of in-demand employers, like the companies who run Alberta's tar sands. Let's try that out for a decade, shall we, and see where that lands us. Heaven forbid anyone ever dream of affecting positive change.

But just how much further will a degree in the sciences get you than one in the arts or humanities?

I haven't conducted any formal studies on the topic, but I have watched with interest the career paths of friends and acquaintances my own age who majored in a variety of subjects. Few who graduated in the past decade have jobs "in their field" that are also full-time, permanent and decently gainful. (With the notable exceptions of doctors, nurses and tradespeople.)

A dear friend of mine has a very prestigious, practical degree in environmental sciences. She has worked contracts for the Ministry of Natural Resources for the past five years in well-paying, career-building jobs, but has yet to be given a permanent position.

I know others who have completed engineering degrees and are in similar situations. I hear that many companies require engineer applicants to submit transcripts, and filter candidates out based on university exam writing capabilities. More often than not, a degree is simply not enough to land a good engineering job.

Alas, even the bachelor of education is no longer the ticket it used to be. I can't count the number of new teachers I know who have either sat on supply lists for the better part of a decade waiting to get hired full time or given up on the profession entirely. (Side note: I love running into the many people who quipped "so, you're going to teach" when they found out I was studying English, then rolled their eyes when I answered "no, I'm going to write.")

That's not to say that there aren't just as many underemployed people with arts degrees. It's just that nothing I have witnessed suggests that a bachelor degree in biology, chemistry or even accounting or marketing is truly any more practical than one in art, English or history when it comes to achieving the ultimate goal for most of us: a comfortable, secure life supported by a somewhat interesting or enjoyable job.

I don't claim to have the answer to the economic problems that are clearly the root cause of these issues. But I do believe people should have the right to pursue their interests without judgement and unnecessary roadblocks. How far they go in life will still depend upon who they know, timing and how badly they wish to work in a particular field.

hpratt-campbell@theheritageemc.ca