QUT’s own ‘Academic Programme Report 2000’ has figures in it reflecting that a graduate with a BA has 5 times less success in finding a job than a graduate in Commerce, Engineering, Business or Law. Interestingly, a job seeker was likely to be more successful with a double degree (perhaps incorporating Arts?).
In any case, academics have shot themselves in the foot- most are completely disconnected with the requirements of industry and business. Furthermore, most academics are in denial about the requirements of students- most students do attend university to become better qualified and NOT to become political activists and philosophers. This fact has been reflected in almost every graduate survey ever undertaken (look some up).

wre - you're a bit of a slow learner, aren't you?

The 2000 QUT data you refer to (and let's charitably forget the fact it's 2007 now), then, would suggest that even if 100% of law etc grads found work, only 20% of BA grads did so. Is that a plausible statistic? The last statistic I saw QUT management generate on this suggested that the difference in employment was a factor of 2. Even their stats - deliberately weighted to make an argument to eliminate the BA and deeply questionable - are not as extreme as yours. And you keep missing the larger point: not everyone takes a job or wants a job (maybe read Daniel06's post); not everyone treats university instrumentally in this way. You might be interested to know that the School of Humanities has topped (or been right near the top) of all recent teaching satisfaction surveys for QUT of the last few years. They seem to be giving the students what they want, and student protests about the closure of the BA back this up. Fortunately, not everyone wants to be brain dead.

"most academics are in denial about the requirements of students" - I see: you claim 51% of academics have some sort of (psychological?) problem of this sort? I'm sure we don't need any more evidence for this; all of us are happy to take your uninfomed ramblings as fact.

"most [sc. academics - or maybe humanities academics?] are completely disconnected with the requirements of industry and business" - again, your detailed survey demonstrating that at least 51% of academics would struggle to recognise a factory would make interesting and vital reading.

Or perhaps you just like spreading your ignorance and don't want to let any facts get in the way.

By the way, on your earlier post, it's 'nous', not 'nouse'; it's originally a Greek word (sorry, unable to render it here without the Greek alphabet). 'Alot' should, in fact, be 'a lot'.

Look it up (oh, sorry, I forgot, you have no need of any fact-checking). Carry on as you were.

I completed (part-time whilst raising a family) a Humanities Degree (double major) which was one (just one) of the most enriching, mind expanding, skill developing undertaking and achievement of my life. My GPA was over 6 (7 HD's in a row helped bring it up). I decided not to do honours.

All my immediate family are university educated in more rigorous areas of study. My eldest has tenure and is on the way to being Associate Professor. The most important thing my degree did for me was to confirm what my "uneducated" parents always said which was to not let society or anyone tell you what to do or think. "Work it out for yourself."


Now my life's experience have educated me more than any degree will ever do. I have as much respect for say the learned experiences and consequent wisdom of a working-class battlers, indigenous folk, the mentally ill, the misfits, the Maureens of this world, and so on and on and on that the likes of Daniel06 takes delight in belittling (because Daniel06 has a degree). Big faacking whoopee you’ve got a degree.

Daneil06 you've shown through your contempt for the ordinary person, people different to you and who make different choices what an ignorant fool you are elsewhere on OLO. Your degree is nothing Daniel06 if your only benchmark is how much better you think your education makes you. You've referred to me as uneducated and therefore stupid, idiot, moron, and just about every derogatory name associated with intelligence that you can think of - you are the antithesis of what a humanities student should be thinking. I can understand why you use a non-de-plume I’d be ashamed to put my name to such intellectually dishonest and anti-humanities rubbish you have posited. You need some understanding of real ethical behaviour to back your BA up and make you a well- rounded individual.

People with a humanities education who slag off the "uneducated" have missed the point and are essentially as uneducated as the day that they received their acceptance to uni.

Ah Ronnie Boy,

If only you could see how ironically your own posts prove your total lack of intellect quite resoundingly on their own - you don't need any supposed claims by me to do that Ronald.

What a suprise to know that even a Humanities Degree had no effect on you, and that unsubstantiated, uneducated urban myths are what you live your life by. You are so boring and predictable.

PS It is hillarious that your opening paragraph is verbatum copied from mine. Did you learn that at Uni?

WRE,

I am guessing you are a real hit at parties?

By your logic we should all:-

1. Go to uni exclusivlely for a specific job relevent to that particular 3-5 year period. (don't worry that most jobs that people will do in their lives have not even been invented yet and that most people have around 3-5 careers in their lives)

2. Only read to obtain facts - I suggest the phone book or a dictionary. Why would anyone read for fun or to expand their minds?

3. Only have sex to procreate the human race. No fun here please.

4. Travel only for the purposes of getting somewhere. Never take in the view, smell the fresh air or have any fun. Transport is for getting from a to b only.

5. All be slaves to whatever industry is in fashion that decade. I here dot-com start ups are the thing to invest in WRE.

6. Pick a career at 17 and stick with it! Don't worry how soul destroyingly boring, low-paid and or wrong you may realise it is 2 years later.

7. Eat only protein shakes - why enjoy eating meals?

8. Don't invest in a house, you could spend the money on a holiday or blow it all at the casino for a few days of fun.

WRE studying at University simply for a job is just so short-sighted and puritanical. If thousands of people didn't share your puritanical view I would honestly think it was a joke.

I imagine that this is just the sort of thing Kevin Rudd will be happy with. He will see it as an economic rationalist's approach to education. From his view point we don't need people with degrees in humanities...just degrees in science, technology and Asian languages.

The problem is that cultural literacy is in serious decline. An educational institution does not become a university merely by labelling it "university". Much of what is now taught in universities does not need to be taught at all, especially not badly taught. What is lacking is the debate about the subject matter, the capacity to do creative research. It's publish (as much as possible) or perish. One research paper a year is not enough. It has to be ten or twenty - as long as they are in the "acceptable research" areas... no good asking for funding in a basic down to earth practical problem of some genuine social value in the humanities.
Without humanities we will lose our creative edge in the sciences...and that problem starts back in schools where the most intelligent students are expected to do maths and science instead of English and history.