Confessions Of A Regretful Gender Studies Student | The Frisky

It sucks when you don't realize you picked a useless major until you graduate and try to get a job...

Confessions Of A Regretful Gender Studies Student | The Frisky.

2 comments:

  1. Having majored in Women's and Gender Studies, I feel obligated to respond to this article. I don't disagree with the author's main arguement: it is true that the most interesting classes are not often the most practical. I find it really interesting that she complains about her general education courses, calling them a waste of time and money, but then claims that what she regrets most is not getting a general education. Hm. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

    Maybe it has to do with the quality of the different programs we were in, but I enjoyed majoring in Women's and Gender Studies and I find that the discipline does have practical applications. No, I do not get to impress my current boss with my limitless knowledge of abortion and sex work. No, I do not use feminist and gender theory on the job. But that's not the point. The point of the major was to broaden my perspective of the world, train me to have a critical lense, to recognize inequality and injustice and to question everything, including the current structure of society. I find those things to be incredibly useful.

    I once had a professor tell me that it doesn't matter what you majored in as an undergraduate. No employer will really care to know what your senior thesis was about. She said that what earning a college degree shows an employer is that you can show up on time (most of the time), do the work you're told to do well enough to progress to the next level, and communicate your thoughts adequetely (in oral or written form).

    I think that the author of this article is mistaken in her belief that college is supposed to teach you everything you will need to know. Graduating from college shows that you've been taught how to learn, how to think critically, and how to express yourself. A lot of "practical knowledge" comes from the job itself and of course from professional training.

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  2. I read a really interesting article about how it's not just one's resume, all things comparable, but the employer seeing if the character and values of the interviewee are compatible with it's corporate culture.

    It makes sense to me, if I had 3 entry level candidates, and everything equal all things considered, they varied between a history major, a women's and gender studies major, and a sociology major, I would pick the candidate that I deem the best fit.

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