[robryan]

I think it's partly the universities fault for promoting this kind of "well rounded" education. You would have to think though that this can't be doing him any favours applying for finance jobs against people that actually did economics and similar.

[mattm]

I agree but then universities are businesses. It's in their economic interest for offering these degrees.

I still have university students in my social circle and I cringe everytime I meet someone that says they are studying political science or psychology or art or history or women's studies. Many of the degrees universities offer these days are only helpful if you stay within the university system and become a prof.

[gaius]

There is a mantra that I don't know where exactly came from, but my teachers in the 6th form (High School) all repeated it: it doesn't matter what you study as at university you are really learning how to learn.

We need to knock that on the head before we make any progress,

[robryan]

Agreed, this thought has some value but people need to realise that it doesn't mean that studying something then applying for another field puts them on an equal standing to those who studied in that specific field.

[robryan]

Or can afford to spend time learning without any financial pressure to actually turn that education into a job.

[starkfist]

Universities don't promote this. Most humanities departments are fighting for their lives because of declining numbers of students and limited institutional support.

The #1 major in the USA is "Business."

Hacker News constructs this imaginary world of lazy "liberal arts" majors with degrees in french literature and can't find jobs. But, hardly anyone actually majors in subjects that people think of when they think of the "liberal arts." Only 27% in the USA even graduate from college at all. Thus in terms of actual numbers, there really aren't that many spoiled humanities majors loafing about.