Meg Sargant says the value of arts degrees is increasing. Photo: Supplied.
“What does that get you?”
Like many arts degree students, I’ve had multiple questions and criticism directed at me over my choice of university studies.
But as the job market diversifies and artificial intelligence (AI) grows, skills such as communication, adaptability and critical thinking (which arts graduates develop) are exactly what modern workplaces need.
As an arts graduate and now postgraduate student, I often reflect on my early studies. Although unsure about my dream career, I knew that I was passionate about creative writing, sociology, cultural studies, civics, and communications.
These fields offered a broad foundation for discovering meaningful work.
An arts degree led to endless possibilities, where I developed the flexibility to explore a range of industries and maintained a variety of skills, both analytical and creative thinking. The qualification prepared me for what was next.
So why do we continue to degrade the value of the arts degree?
Some of the common misconceptions centre on the perception that they offer limited job opportunities or employment.
This stigma frequently connects to the belief that arts degrees do not equip students with the ‘job-ready’ skills compared to STEM-oriented disciplines.
A Griffith University article recently unpacked the ‘useless degree’ misconceptions, a mindset rooted in societal narratives. The research highlights how the arts are viewed as a ‘frill’ or luxury, a perception spawned from school classrooms where creative outcomes are often devalued.
Over time, arts students have been associated with a carefree and directionless aesthetic.
These consequences are real. The stigmas hold significant weight and continue to affect the future of the discipline.
In 2020, the then Coalition federal government’s Job-ready Graduates Package increased the cost of humanities degree fees by 110 per cent. That was not just a political move, it was a signal to students that their skills do not matter.
But let’s consider their real value.
According to the 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey, 86 per cent of humanities, culture, and social science graduates were employed in a range of industries within several months of graduating. This percentage has been steadily increasing, showing that arts graduates are more attractive to companies than ever.
Why? The workplace is changing. Employers are prioritising highly transferable and human-centric skillsets. Arts degrees develop the very skills now recognised as essential, including but not limited to creativity, adaptability, critical analysis, empathy, copywriting and problem-solving.
Don’t be afraid to do an arts degree, says Meg Sargant. Photo: Supplied.
While many other degrees also develop these ‘soft skills’, it is the arts and humanities that centre them at the core, not just an optional extra, but as the foundation for learning.
You are probably asking, “Why does this matter now? And why should I care?”
Significant changes are happening within the workforce with automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Many types of jobs are disappearing. But research indicates that jobs that require uniquely human skills such as creativity, empathy, emotional intelligence and complex reasoning will survive.
Nevertheless, young people continue to feel pressured to pursue “practical” or “safe” pathways that align directly with vocational employment.
An article in Ohio’s Kent State University’s Burr Magazine argues: “The stigma around arts [careers] and the way it presents itself in everyday conversations matters, because it promotes value judgments and affects mental health and career choices”.
When students internalise the belief that their interests are “impractical”, they lose the freedom to explore, create and lead.
Arts and humanities education nurture the very skills needed for people to pivot across industries and careers, lead with insight, and contribute to building a better world. We must reframe ’employable’, especially at a time when adaptability is key.
Arts and humanities degrees are not an impractical choice. Rather, they are a foundation for lifelong learning, career versatility and societal understanding. For a world that needs more empathetic decision-makers, better communicators, and forward thinkers, we cannot afford to push aside this vital qualification. We must move beyond the stigmas and recognise arts graduates for who they truly are: valuable and essential.
The next time someone asks you, “What are you going to do with an arts degree?” your answer should be “almost anything”.
Meg Sargant is a liberal studies (arts) graduate and a communications postgraduate student at Charles Sturt University. She is a creative and aspiring researcher on a journey to explore the real-world impact of arts and humanities education on employment and communication.
