I graduated with an English degree from a Suny ( state university of new york) in I976. The $250 semester tuition was free because I passed the NY regents exam. Rent was only $60/month because I shared a 1 bedroom apt. above a deli with 2 roommates.
I first started out as a biology major because my father who became an electrical engineer on the GI bill thought that I should be a doctor… So after a semester of discovering the Catskill mountains, partying and boyfriend searching- I ended up with a 1.6 average and switched to an easier – at least an achievable major-English.
Fortunately, I graduated with only a $10,000 college loan and learned a lot about people during those 4 years… My favorite course was organic gardening … I even learned how to be assertive when my Acting 101 teacher gave me a D because I wasn’t very good. But I had done all the work and he changed my grade to a C… so much for personal growth!
After graduation I found an entry level job working with adults with developmental disabilities. This led to moving to Boston and earning a M.S. in Occupational Therapy -a field That I excelled in and earned a living wage. I married an electrical engineer who always earned at least triple my salary .. Dad was right about where the $ was but I’m a human service type of gal with people skills and a big heart….
After WWII America thought it wise to invest in thinkers- a labor force that studied humanities and social sciences- hoping to avoid another generation of haters or another holocaust . … and it sort of worked during the 1960’s civil rights movement, but dwindled as the draft ended… leading up to watergate, yuppies and Reagan dumping the mentally ill onto the streets to save $$$ .
I have published 4 books over my career- so I guess my English degree was useful… I don’t know whether or not those first 4 years of college made me a better writer but it gave me time to grow up… Today’s young people don’t have that luxury unless their parents are rich or don’t mind loans in the hundreds of thousands… Majoring in computer science , engineering or medicine apparently continue to be more cost effective… but as a country we are losing out as state college costs rise and liberal arts colleges close their doors … this is just my highly educated opinion…