Let it not be said that I don’t realize that my job prospects are as dim as a philosophy and religious studies major. These are not majors I entered into with the prospect of becoming a philosopher or a scholar, and if I had, I could call myself naive at best. I entered my degrees and have devoted years of my life to them because I am passionate about them, am interested in studying them and honestly believe they are worth time and effort to know about. I am interested in knowledge for knowledge’s sake, and I am aware that I am in a small minority for that.
I can understand the governor’s – and, I believe, Mr. Havey’s concern that my studying these subjects is a waste of both my and the state’s money and time. After all, that which does not improve my job prospects is a complete waste of time, yes? What I believe both fail to consider though, is why exactly I am here and what being here accomplishes.
Suppose for a moment that the UNC system cut funding to liberal arts programs such as the ones in which I am enrolled. That would leave me with the choice of not getting a degree, getting a degree in another subject or attending a private university. If I were to try and receive the same degree from a private institution – such as, say, Duke – I would pay in the range of $43,000 in tuition and fees alone. I am passionate about my field, but that amount of money is quite an effective deterrent. Quite simply, I wouldn’t be able to pay it. That leaves me with the option of no degree or a degree in another field. In today’s society, a degree is essential for even the most menial of jobs (including my philosophy degree). Considering Governor McCrory’s objective is to decrease unemployment, it would seem more likely that he would want all the liberal arts majors to seek out another field of study.
It may be the case that close to every other major is more employable than mine, but suppose there were a sudden glut of students flooding into STEM majors, all intelligent and willing to work hard for the job at the end of their studies. It seems rather unlikely that the number of jobs available in STEM fields would increase to match the sudden increase in STEM students, meaning that rather than solving the employment crisis in this state, defunding liberal arts has ensured that both liberal arts majors and STEM majors will not be able to find a job. There will be, as always, too many students for the jobs available. Nothing is solved but forcing quite a lot of people into a field they would prefer not to be in, for reasons that don’t seem to have panned out.
This speaks nothing, of course, of the overall danger inherent in limiting access to liberal arts degrees only to those who are fortunate enough to be able to afford something like Duke’s tuition. North Carolina’s culture and heritage are what make it unique. This heritage is based as much on literature, history and religion as it is on food, geography and technology. It could be that there would be no immediate consequences for cutting off the sources of culture, but inevitably, the state would suffer on a much deeper level than financially for letting its humanity languish.
However, there is another option that I failed to mention. It could be that I could go out of state to get my degrees. I would, of course, be taking my tax dollars, my ideas and intelligence, and my ability to consume and put money into the local economy with me. I may be an impoverished college student, but my taxes still pay to maintain this state, the same as anyone else’s. Drive the liberal arts majors out of the state, and revenue goes with them. With their revenue goes the opportunity to fund things that will actually improve this state, like subsidizing manufacturing, a key part of this state’s economy. Considering the governor’s unwillingness to raise taxes, it seems reasonable to think he should also not be willing to drive away what few sources of income there are.
Or he could consider — having majored in education, after all — that there is more value to knowledge and education than the immediate jobs it provides.