Your Womens Studies Degree is Trash, from Scott Brooks

May 9, 2017 |

I believe "African Studies", "Feminist Studies", "Women's Studies", "Social Justice", "HR Specialist", and so many more add no real value to the world.

Gordon Haave writes:

I disagree, those majors also open up the opportunity for community activist type jobs.

Thurston Trowell writes:

So people should get finance degrees and MBAs and go on to become analysts and managers of mutual funds and hedge funds, at least 88% of whom lag the markets each year? In your view, exactly how are these wealth sapping leaches on society diverting peoples' hard earned retirement savings into their own bank accounts and grand villas in Connecticut adding more "real value to the world" than the African Studies major?

Scott Brooks reacts:

As usual, you jump to conclusions and ascribe things to what I wrote that I never said or wrote. It makes me think that you're part of the media who spins what people say to fit their desired narrative in order to demean those that dare disagree with their "exulted enligntened world view". Heck, it's almost like you're trying to smear and label me as some unworthy disgusting deplorable person.

But, that might only be the case if you were one of those media people. But let's look at what you said and deconstruct your faulty logic about the evils of financial people and what value to they bring to the world?

Let's keep this simple: How many people do these financial employ? How much revenue do they create from their efforts of adding value to the lives of other people (whether you see it as value or not…..people voluntarily see it as value since they keep giving these financial people money…..at least I know my clients do).

Personally, I employ 8 full time and 2 part time people, all of whom make very good money. I'd say that's pretty good. There are ~ 50 financial advisors flying to STL in a few weeks (on their dime) to spend 2 days with me so I can train them to better serve their clients, grow their businesses. Further, I will be training them on how to grow their staffing (creating jobs) as their businesses grow. I'd say that puts me and my services in demand. I'm the guy who donates money to the people who think they are doing good deeds in their communities. I'm the guy who pays the taxes that are forcibly taken from me to "support" (read: create dependence on the government) those poor souls (read: people who will vote for the polilticians who take my money and give it to the poor souls). I'd say that makes me pretty valuable.

As a matter of fact, I'd go so far as to say that the "do-gooders" of the world and they people they serve are completely dependent on the value I create so that I can donate to their services (or allow their "revered government" to take from me and give to them. Those with a degree in African Studies can do…….what? Hope to get a job teaching African Studies at some university to students who can do…..what? Hope to get a job at some university teaching African Studies to students who can do…..what? And so on, and so on, and so on, etc. etc. etc. And feel free to replace "African Studies" with "Feminist studies" or any other such worthless degree. If we eliminated African/Feminist/ studies (and other BS degrees) from universities….what would happen? I submit that the world would immediately become a better place. Of course, you may not like it because it would be a world filled with more financial people and businessmen and media types. Heck, we might even see the rise of the worst possible mashup of those things…….a media businessman who specializes in writing financial articles.

Rocky Humbert responds:

Shame on you. It saddens me that you, as a devoutly religious man, views the world in such mundane economic terms, rather than philosophical or existential terms. I suspect that hostile prose distorts your true beliefs. One's college major and one's college means little. Whether it's in physic or math or basket weaving. It's a piece of paper. And only to academics and archaically minded professionals does it have any meaning at all. How one conducts one's life means everything. Defining one's worth to the world is for only oneself and one's creator to measure.

Russ Sears writes:

Having a degree gives others insight into what the graduate values.

I will agree that the usefulness of what you learn can only be determined by the person using that knowledge.

Few art majors would have the ability or desire even if they had the skills to commit the time to engineering a bridge for example, but the engineering team may need an art major to enhance a bridge's aesthetics.

Comments

4 Comments so far

Andre on May 9, 2017 5:28 pm
The most successful person from my high school up to this point majored in african studies and i believe enabled him to break into the music industry and subsequently work intimately with spotify and now venture capital. Could you have predicted that with this narrow minded attitude no but of course he’s an outlier and you have to learn to accept that the mass of man will always dissappoimt when you expect him to live up to the best see Nock and Cram
Josh on May 10, 2017 2:28 pm
“add no real value to the world” is one own’s opinion and THAT’S IT. Up to the market place to decided what is of value since everyone is free to choose the subject that wish to study and learn.

As to value in the world, look at the Kardashian’s, sitcom TV, soda, etc, there is plenty of junk out there that provides no real value, but still generates enormous income and demand by the people. Let the market place decide what the public values, that is all.
Erkly on May 12, 2017 7:50 am
To ‘Josh on May 10, 2017 2:28 pm’

Hard to know what the market wants in a mixed economy¨, with it’s distortions/regulations/redistribution of buying power etc.
Literal Liam on May 15, 2017 11:12 am
Let me ‘qualify’ my input by saying that I just completed an undergraduate degree in Math + Economics; the only two subjects I have ever felt passion for.

I think an African Studies major (or any of the aforementioned ‘fluff’ majors) can add tangible value - even in a business setting. Diversity of opinion has been instrumental in generating some of my most successful investment theses; and as a fiduciary you well know that not pursuing any opportunity to generate excess returns is not an option.

Sadly, in my experience, those pursuing the ‘fluff’ majors rarely provide tangible value.

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