Disclaimer: This post is not actually about giants, though I realise now it reads that way.
The degree I will hopefully have in July, is a BA in American Studies and Film Studies. I get only two reactions when I tell people that, which are either "what even is that?" or "what are you going to do with that?". These are both fair questions, which I didn't really ask myself when I chose to dedicate 4 years to it, but I was only 17 at the time.
American Studies is 'multi-disciplinary' (or so it says in the brochure), which is apparently great to talk about at job interviews. But the bottom line is that I have no recognisable skills. I can tell you a lot about 1950s suburban America or blag my way through a discussion about film theory but for the life of me I can't figure out Microsoft Excel anymore (though I will not be mentioning this in any job interviews, provided I get any).
The despicable truth is that I would not, at this point, be a very good employee.
I recently read David Foster Wallace's commencement speech from Kenyon College , which discussed the practicality and worth of a liberal arts degree. He argued that the value of this type of degree, is that you can escape your own mind as the centre of the universe:
"I submit that this is what the real, no bullshit value of your liberal arts education is supposed to be about: how to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone day in and day out."
Is it this kind of thinking that is going to dramatically effect my life?
We'll see...
Cartoon from www.nerf-herders-anonymous.net/
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