This article is about tightwad parents.
I am continually amazed at the power parents have over their kids' degree choices. Specifically, if a teenager wants to study poetry in college (per the New Yorker article), it's the norm for their parents to say, "No. You can't have a profitable career in poetry." Duh. But I can have a profitable career in advertising with a poetry degree (and do). I could have a profitable career in teaching with a poetry degree. I could have a profitable career in the food service industry with a poetry degree. I could have a profitable career in firefighting with a poetry degree. I could have a profitable career in law with a poetry degree. I could have a profitable career in nursing with a poetry degree. Crap, I could have a profitable career without any degree. You know why? BECAUSE THIS IS FREAKING AMERICA, PEOPLE.
Parents actually refuse to help their kids out financially if they choose to major in English! That is so ridiculous to me. There is such a thing as a graduate program, even a doctorate program for those who wish to be more specialized. How many lawyers do you know who studied English for their Bachelor's degree? Advertising execs? (Rhetorical question since you may not know any lawyers or ad execs). They're really common and it's not a coincidence. People who study English are actually very adept at ... English. Any job that requires great communication skills will probably accept an English major, even (dare I say it?) a poetry major.
Thank God for my parents. When I said I wanted to major in Creative Writing, they didn't even flinch. They were actually supportive. I know. I was shocked, too. I even asked why they had no qualms. My mother answered that there are a crap-ton (not her phrasing but mine) of career choices if you have just a degree, let alone a degree in English. And she was right. Even though I am only an admin and not a lawyer, I've got it pretty cushy for a recent grad. And I majored in Poetry. Financially unstable? Eat my shorts. I make much more than most recent business grads, I love my job, and I enjoyed college - not only because I was inebriated most nights out of the week - but because I was (gasp) interested in what I was learning, not motivated by possible financial security .... possible.
