I came across a Washington Post story the other day that the University of Wisconsin might choose to eliminate English (and other) majors to clear the way for those degrees with more clear career pathways. Too bad the options were so limited for previous English majors, such as astronaut Sally Ride, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Anne Mulcahy (former CEO and chairwoman of Xerox), presidential candidate Mitt Romney, news anchor Diane Sawyer, Harold Varmus (Nobel laureate and former director of NIH), and countless others (Famous English Majors).
Obviously, folks in the list above had all sorts of additional background experiences (and other degrees) that played a part in whatever success they achieved. That said, the idea that college should be job training is one that rubs me completely the wrong way. Why start with college? Why not turn high school, middle school, and elementary school into job training centers? We don't need poetry or art in the world. What good are they?
Ironically, another Washington Post story from just a couple of months ago reported on the results of an internal study that Google did of its own employees and, at least according to the author of the piece, found that technical skills are not necessarily the best predictor of the most successful and innovative employees. Being able to communicate and empathize with other people is actually pretty useful in the real world. Who would have ever seen that one coming? (Hint: Humanities professors.)
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