Owing to the rising cost and student debt load, more students are evaluating the return on investment of education. What you study may be the essential aspect in terms of value. According to the employment website, ZipRecruiter, graduates entering the workforce with favourable career prospects and high beginning earnings are the happiest with their major.

Even while college application season is in full gear, many families are doubting the value of a four-year degree. According to some analysts, the value of a bachelor’s degree is diminishing and greater emphasis should be placed on vocational training.

A rising number of organisations, notably several in the technology sector, are eliminating degree requirements for various middle-skill and even higher-skill positions.

According to “The College Payoff”, research from the Georgetown University Centre for Education and the workforce, having a degree is always beneficial. The survey shows that bachelor’s degree holders make 84 per cent more than high school graduates. The higher the level of education, the greater the payout.

When split down into academic disciplines; however, the disparity is remarkable. The students majoring in STEM areas — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — are anticipated to earn the most in the long run.

In addition to STEM, health and business disciplines are among the highest paying, resulting in higher average yearly incomes at the entry level. And substantially more throughout a career than liberal arts and humanities majors, according to the Georgetown Centre.

Still, 44 per cent of the college-educated job searchers regret their chosen subject of study.

Journalism, sociology, communications and education topped the list of the most regrettable college degrees, according to a study of over 1,500 job seeking college graduates conducted by ZipRecruiter.

Most graduates who regretted their degrees said they would now major in computer science or business administration if they could change their minds. Optimism and a better salary translate into less regret. Over a lifetime, the highest paying college degrees make $3.4 million more than the lowest paying ones.

The happiest graduates with their subject of study are those with promising career prospects and high beginning earnings, according to the employment website ZipRecruiter.

The computer science majors with an average beginning income of over $100,000 were happy. Additionally, the students who majored in criminology, engineering, nursing, business and finance were pleased with their decisions. Money is still essential but the job stability is gaining importance, which occurs anytime there is a threat of a recession. But humanities and social sciences are essential for the society, at large, and suit the personality of many among us.

The humanities cover the whole of human intellect and creation, encompassing languages, religion, philosophy, and a vast array of artistic disciplines, including the performing and visual arts. Humanities education investigates the similarities and variances in self-expression that the people have shown across time and continues to display.

The humanities had always been and would continue to be the foundation of human civilisations and the source of our understanding of other cultures.

A student who pursues the humanities as part of a formal degree programme graduate with varied perspectives from throughout the globe, widening their horizons and fostering the development of critical thinking.

The sciences teach us the ‘how’, and the humanities train us to ‘why’. Why are we here, and why do we believe in what we believe? You cannot have the ‘how’ without ‘why’.

US former president Ronald Reagan thought: “The arts and humanities teach us who we are and what we are capable of becoming. They are fundamental to the culture of which we are a part.”

J Irwin Miller, a prominent entrepreneur and advocate for the civil rights, said: “The purpose of humanities is to make us fully human in the greatest sense of the term.”

Individuals’ personal and professional life may benefit directly from the transferable abilities that the humanities provide. American philosopher and law professor Martha Nussbaum states: “Business executives appreciate the humanities because they recognise that innovation requires more than rote knowledge. You must have a developed imagination.”

What Skills Can You Acquire Through Humanities Study?

Humanities broaden our understanding of human civilisations and help us comprehend what unites us together and what sets us apart. In addition to these high-level insights, they also provide practical applications that may increase your professional ability and give you a competitive advantage. By studying the humanities in a formal university programme, you may obtain transferable, marketable skills and attributes that will benefit your career endeavours.

You will learn critical thinking — the capacity to collect and evaluate information and apply imagination to generate novel answers to the challenges. The communication entails articulating oneself effectively and convincingly in both written and spoken form. One learns empirical and quantitative reasoning — the capacity to interpret and use numerical facts to make and communicate well-informed conclusions.

The graduates of humanities are also adept at teamwork — the ability to comprehend and accept the perspectives of others and to work together to attain shared objectives. Most students who pursue humanities have a strong sense of personal responsibility — the capacity to recognise the implications of one’s actions and to accept the responsibility for and defend one’s decisions. And the graduate with the capacity to see and act according to what is best for the society and the planet.

The employers need individuals who can provide innovative solutions to the challenges, communicate effectively, work with others and behave ethically. These skills are the basis for most job paths and graduate degrees.

(The writer is an Edtech expert)