I will bet my dachshund that this idiot had mom and dad pay her way through college.
You will notice no statistics, only 2 bits of anecdotal evidence (WOW, Sotomayor and an author! Wow! TWO WHOLE PEOPLE??? I'm game, let me major in philosophy!) and then stories that are just hilarious;
The CREATIVE WRITING MAJOR is (drum roll).....
WORKING CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE ENDS MEET!!!
Hey, guess what you freaking moron. You didn't have to go to school to become a creative writer! You just paid thousands of dollars and years of your youth to do something you could have done on your own and with just as much success.
And then of course the hyphenated name DEAN OF A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE plugs (drum roll)....
liberal arts majors!!!
Hey, guess what? I plug my book BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE FREAKING MONEY! I don't lie about it like saying getting a liberal arts degree is a wise investment or will get you a job. AND I DIDN"T HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A FREAKING BOOK!!! Something this moron presumably HAS YET TO DO!
"PUSH BOUNDARIES?"
"QUESTION CONSTRUCTS????"
You idiot, employers want you to program in C++!!!!
I can't write about this anymore, the whole this is just a freaking lie and is nothing more than losers trying to rationalize their majors (not to mention a liberal arts college trying to drum up business for a worthless product).
So here's what I'll do. Instead of write worthless drivel to make myself and millions of others feel good, I'm just going to provide ONE bit of economic data that will show this article for what it truly is - a lie.
STARTING SALARIES.
13 comments:
Actually, I think businesses may be starting to move away from C++ to Java and C#. Just a heads up for those junior economists looking to get into software development.
Ah, duly noted.
I noticed something interesting in the "Starting Salaries" link. Those jobs can all be broken down into:
Engineering-related jobs
Computer Science/IT-related jobs
Pharmacy
If you want to be as flexible and open as these liberal arts degrees claim to provide you, major in mathematics, minor in computer science and engineering (or at least take a lot of computer science and engineering/physics classes). You could probably write your own ticket from there with that degree, since a lot of the major concepts in both degrees boil down to pure, simple, mathematics.
I wonder it's too late to go into construction management...
How do I learn Java?
OK, I can understand that a degree in psychology might be kind of useful, depending on how you choose to apply it. But, creative writing? There is actually a degree program in that? It is not just a course you take if you pursue an english degree? Are they serious?
That's like having a degree in housekeeping. No, not a degree in hotel management, a degree in housekeeping. It is not something that you should have to pay to study. If you want to write, then write. If you need an assist with character development, or conflict resolution, Google is your friend.
Actually, I am not surprised to see this kind of article in this day and age. With unemployment hitting all time highs across the nation, the advertising for how important the luxuries are. (and do not fool yourself in any way, a liberal arts degree is a luxury)
When employment goes down, the people that get the boot first will be the ones that bring the least amount of money into the business. So, the manufacturer of that product needs to step up the sales to ensure they remain in business.
@Anon - For a quick introduction, I recommend the Head First series, they have a book on Java. It's an easy read with coding examples built around (highly contrived) case studies, but it should give you a good understanding of the basics behind the language. I also recommend http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/reallybigindex.html too - it's a great reference.
From my experience the starting salaries they listed seem very high. As a computer science major who has seen many new grads get hired it is far more realistic for most grads to expect a starting salary in the $45,000 to $50,000 range.
With that said, in my opinion the true advantage of career paths like Computer Science isn't their starting salaries it is what you can earn after 10 years of experience. As an independent contractor a software developer with 10 years experience can easily earn $150,000 per year in most markets.
Oh that makes me laugh my ass off... Like the other degree's don't teach that either huh? I have TWO courses in my first year -programming- course here at NAIT, one is Communication in IT and Media (hm they mentioned something about communicating effectively making liberal arts majors more desireable) AND a Applied Problem Solving (analytical and critical thinking tools anyone?), neither of these are elective. I have to take them. And these loaf abouts are trying to say they communicate better than me, or anyone else in my course that is going to walk away with all that AND a valuable skill?
Ahhhahahaha...
They are so funny aren't they...
The only thing that may qualify these people to be better communicators is they probably spend every waking moment talking to themselves in their head trying to justify their worthless choices, or talking to others.
Sigh, waste of money.
/rantoff.
PS. C++ is pretty much obsolete for new grads now, our focus is on Java and C# which is more or less the modern day incarnation of C++. But once you have one language, learning more is less... tricky.
One of the lib art confusions comes from the term "analytical skills". This doesn't mean diagramming sentences to look for hidden meanings. It means the ability to apply mathematics and logic.
C++ is still useful for embedded and high-performance computing. Fad languages like Ruby and C# have limited lifetimes, but C++ code will probably still be running into the next century...
I have to plug getting a Physics undergrad; it lets you enter most of the fields listed, but doesn't tie you to any particular one.
@Simon - absolutely. With my Physics degree I've worked in subjects ranging from avionics to internet map applications. Admittedly, still a narrow range. No community organizing, or questioning constructs, or anything. But a solid 30 years of employment.
As usual, CNBC is misleading. A so-called BS in pharmacy requires at least 6 years (officially 6), and my pharma professor friends tell me that within a very few years, it will only be possible to get a PhD, and anyone wanting to be a pharmacist will have to get an undergrad in chem, biology, or similar. All of the others (all engineering, IT or construction management) officially require 4 years or less (Western Governors University - an on-line school, awards fully accredited IT degree in 3 years). Also, petroleum engineers spend a lot of time unemployed, and that is one reason for the high pay - employers actually are willing to pay the practitioners to invest in their unemployed periods during the good times. In Obamaland, no jobs for petroleum engineers in the future.
Problem is, we "only" make, on average 2X as much as starting salaries 25 years later. But we seem to always have plenty of work.
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