(ThyBlackMan.com) The liberal arts in general are getting a reputation for being a soft major that won’t help you get a job after college. A literature degree might not be a direct route towards a well-paying bank job, but nevertheless it’s still an important, and relevant, subject.
Transferable skills
Obviously employers aren’t going to hire you based on your ability to explain the death of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby or on how well you can reference Henry David Thoreau in a sentence, but literature degrees teach you a lot of transferable skills. You learn how to investigate and obtain information, form concise arguments, write like a pro, and take in a lot of information in a short amount of time, amongst other things. Even if you have no idea what you want to do after college, these skills will be valuable in any 
career.
More options
There’s a reason why literature undergraduates can go on to take a Masters, transfer to law school, and have more career choices open to them than any other focused degree. After you graduate, you can go on to do a journalism Masters, get a court reporting certificate to find a different way into law, or go into an entirely different industry. After all, you start college as a slightly immature 18 year old and emerge as a young adult in their early 20s with entirely new life experiences. Unless you’re absolutely certain that you’re still going to want to be a banker once you graduate, why not just keep your options open.
Study abroad
Literature is an international subject, whether your focus is American Literature, English Literature, or even Italian Literature. Therefore, some colleges offer an opportunity to study your degree abroad for a semester or for a whole year. This opens up a whole range of experiences and opportunities that you might not have otherwise enjoyed. Any time spent abroad that wasn’t for a vacation looks great on a resume because it shows employers that you can adapt to new environments, and you are open minded. Your time abroad might even inspire your future career plans.
Humanitarian
More than ever, it’s important for us to understand the struggles and triumphs of humanity, and you can achieve that understand from novels more than textbooks. People who read often and on varied subjects are able to empathise more with outsiders, have a better understanding of society, and can see how far we have come as a society, but how far we still have to go. We can also see how certain literary works directly influenced public opinion in controversial matters such as slavery, segregation, and the role of the American Dream.
Novels
By studying literature instead of math or pre-law, you get to spend at least four years reading novels instead of textbooks. It’ll still be hard work -three novels a week isn’t easy – but it’ll be enjoyable. The time for hard work should come after graduation when you’re stepping out on your own.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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