lol
we're not in the woods. we are barista-ing at a coffeehouse while we figure out what to do with our liberal arts degrees since we don't want to teach or be lawyers.
I find it amusing that people will poke fun at English majors using a communications medium that is based on text - the same medium that Melville used for
Moby Dick.
(I'm not trying to pick on you, HS, or on OSU - I liked those English major jokes.)
I had a double-major in liberal arts as an undergrad - Mathematics and English Literature. I have done a little teaching (computer science), but have not practiced law.
Sometimes, when the topic of worthwhile degrees come up, I ask people what their favorites movies are. And often the replies include titles like "The Shawshank Redemption" or "The Wizard of Oz" or "The Lord Of The Rings" or "Gone With The WInd" or "West Side Story" or any of dozens of others. That sometimes, but not always, leads to a discussion of what kinds of books make good movies, and how much better the book is than the movies, and how much fun it is to get engrossed in a good book.
Certainly one doesn't have to get a degree to enjoy reading for its own sake, but if a person does enjoy reading and is going to do it anyway while in college, why not get credit for it? One of my favorite courses was called Realism In Film and Literature. One of the works we studied was
The Caine Mutiny - the novel, the play, and the film. The course was a lot of fun, and the films were shown in the evenings. I thought at the time, and still do today, that it was a very worthwhile investment of some of my time as an undergraduate.
Now the question one might ask is this: did that course, or my English degree, help me get a job? Perhaps not directly, but I've noticed over many years that my writing skills have helped differentiate my work from some of my colleagues (many of whom are much smarter than me, but don't communicate as well). My studies in English may not have helped me get a job, but those studies have enhanced my career, and my life outside of work as well.
What's funny is that after I retire, I will probably start roasting my own coffee beans. I've looked into it a bit; a small roaster is about the size of a toaster oven, and not very expensive. I don't have plans to wind up working in a coffeehouse, but one never knows what the future may have in store.
Since this is a joke thread, try this one:
What do you call a leper in a hot tub?
Stu