In an era dominated by STEM fields, there's a persistent myth that humanities degrees are a one-way ticket to unemployment or financial struggle. Many concerned parents steer their children away from these disciplines, fearing a future of job insecurity and limited earning potential. But is that stereotype grounded in reality?
It's worth noting right off the bat that humanities students are an increasing rarity. As one pair of authors pointed out in an article for the The American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in the humanities fell by 16% between 2012 and 2020; bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering and in health sciences increased by 56% in that same period. It's no secret that humanities departments have been struggling to attract students, in large part because of the trope of the barista with an English degree.
While standing data does show a marginal discrepancy in the immediate financial outcomes of STEM and humanities majors, that stereotype is wildly overblown.
As of 2018, 3.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree in the humanities were unemployed, as opposed to 3.1% in engineering, 2.9% in the life sciences, or 2.0% in the health/medical sciences.
While concerned parents are often quick to advocate that their child abandon a humanities education in favor of a more stable field like engineering, the stats show that such advice isn't necessarily grounded in reality.
Furthermore, there's evidence to suggest that while STEM degrees have long been lauded for their stability, humanities may be back on the rise in the coming years for five key reasons:
(1) Resilience to Automation
In an era of rapid technological advancement, humanities degrees offer a unique advantage: a machine is much harder-pressed to take your job. Jobs requiring empathy, cultural understanding, and complex communication are far less likely to be automated. Humanities graduates are generally shoe-ins for roles that involve nuanced decision-making, ethical considerations, and the interpretation of complex information—skills that AI and robotics struggle to replicate. In an era where we are seeing dramatic AI-driven layoffs in Silicon Valley and beyond, this resilience to automation provides a form of long-term job security that some STEM fields may lack as technology continues to evolve.
(2) Diverse Career Paths
Humanities degrees open doors to a wide array of career options across multiple industries. From marketing and journalism to public policy and education, the skills gained in humanities programs are highly transferable. This versatility allows graduates to pivot more easily between sectors as job markets evolve, potentially leading to more stable long-term employment prospects. This has seemingly proved to be an issue for some STEM majors, as highly technical degrees sometimes limit a degree-holder's ability to pivot to another field in the face of lacking job prospects. Aerospace engineering, for instance, bears the fourth-highest unemployment rate among bachelor's degrees, at 7.8% unemployment. (A far cry from the aforementioned average of 3.6% across humanities degrees.) The adaptability of humanities graduates can be a significant advantage in an increasingly unpredictable job market.
(3) Growing Demand in Tech and Data Fields
There's a reason why Stanford and MIT—two of the most prestigious tech schools in the world—have invested heavily to become the two best humanities schools in the US. The tech industry is increasingly seeking humanities graduates. Especially on the cutting edge, there's heavy demand for talented individuals to predict the social/human implications of emerging technologies, and to design guardrails for everything from social media algorithms to AI suites. As MIT deans Agustin Rayo and Hashim Sarkis write, "...science and engineering operate within human societies and serve the world best when informed by the cultural, political, spatial, and economic complexities of human existence and ways of inhabiting the earth."
The ballooning of the tech sector has also created more "technical" humanities roles like that of the content strategist, UX researcher, or technical writer, which often prefer or require humanities backgrounds and offer competitive compensation.
(4) Government and Non-profit Sector Stability
Government and non-profit sectors offer a haven of stability for many humanities graduates. These sectors often provide steady employment with regular pay increases and strong benefits packages. Many roles in these areas, such as policy analysis, program management, and community outreach, align well with humanities skillsets. Additionally, public service loan forgiveness programs can offer significant financial benefits for graduates working in these sectors, reducing the cost of a humanities education.
Bonus fact: according to the US Census, only 28% of adults with STEM degrees go on to work in STEM fields! There are plenty of job opportunities beyond STEM, and a humanities education might be the right fit for you in getting there.
Ultimately, the biggest reason that students and parents shouldn't write off the humanities is that some people are genuinely happier pursuing a humanities education. One of the biggest myths that we at Success Koach are out to bust is the idea that everyone can follow a cookie-cutter formula towards happiness; there are humanities-oriented paths that can yield stability and success, and we can help you get there.
For more about the humanities, read about SK's humanities advising or check out our humanities blog posts!