The Value of My UCLA Degree
In recent news, questions have been raised as to the value of a college education and degree (also here), and if college is challenging enough. In fiscal terms, the most valuable degrees are those in the sciences and the least valuable are those in the arts. Economists and students worry about the increased cost of college over the decreasing pay rate due to the staggering economy. Sociologists are worried about the state of education in a society where students view college as a social experience and not as means to advance their intellect. There is concern over an increase in universities seeming to care more about admissions rates, statistics, student housing, and things to put on brochures rather than providing their students with stimulating, substance-filled education. An excellent overview of these issues can be found at the New Yorker.
All of this media attention and debate has led me to wonder: What is the value of my UCLA degree? Is it measured in salary figures, job prospects, desirability, or popularity? Who determines its value and measure? The institution? Employers? … Me?
Me.
If to no others, to me my degree is worth more than any salary figure, mainstream status, or job market trend. My degree from UCLA is a representation that I have acquired vast knowledge of the world – its histories, ideologies, languages, economies. I have been ridiculed for my major choice, even though my degree is intrinsically interdisciplinary. I can’t tell you how many times people have commented, “Art history? What is that? Can you even do anything with that?” — I understand such questions stem from lack of knowledge about the field of art history, but the questions continue even after explaining the nature of the field. How will you find a job? Who will hire you? How can you possibly make money? As if lack of faith in my choices wasn’t bad enough, to add salt to the wound I was told at least twice – “Art history is fruitless. You should be a doctor.”
A degree that focuses solely on pursuit of knowledge, on creating knowledge, meets most people I speak to with confusion. And yet, money is not the most important thing in this world. Money comes and goes, and I am not materialistic enough to constantly need money to buy things that I don’t need. A simple, wise, thought-filled, love-filled life is all I want, and my B.A. in Art History is a means to provide this. Art history gives my mind peace and sends my intellect soaring. In just my undergrad years alone, I managed to fill half a notebook worth of art historical theories that I intend to explore, prove, or disprove in graduate school.
A life where I am writing, teaching, learning, exploring, theorizing, and most of all, spending time with my husband, is The Ideal. Teaching others about the times, events and art that I am so passionate about would be a dream come true – to explain through example the value of the critical mind, the value of art, the value of history… this is the end of my degree. My degree is invaluable. No one can take the knowledge and passions I’ve gained from it away from me. Money, jobs, or lack thereof cannot and will not stop me from pursuing art history. Even in my current job, where my degree has little relevance, I am writing, thinking, drafting essays and lectures and refining my ideas. If anything, my job is the strongest impetus to get out and strive even more forcefully, unflinchingly, for the Ideal.
Popularity did not deter me from choosing art history. Our department was small, with rumors among us students that many faculty would be leaving or retiring as budget cuts increased. The classmates I knew were not as driven as I was for creating knowledge, but, characteristic of UCLA students, they were excellent in their work. Most people I knew at UCLA were majors in the sciences, and they had their own brilliance, which I could never fathom. Art history was not, and probably will not ever be, popular as a major; in the mainstream; in the top earning percentile of college graduates. But this is missing the point of the field. Art historians, I hope, would rarely become such to seek fame and fortune. Rather, art historians are driven by a love of art, of history, of seeking meaning and forging new paths to explore yet undiscovered ideas or controversial, old, historic ones. Art historians discover truth about art, artists, art production; how art influences religion and war; how art reveals past taboos and past ideals. Art historians are tasked with a special assignment: to uncover and speak about why art, history, religion, geography, and wars intersect; to explain the expansive, ancient relationship between the art humans create and their actions and desires; to illuminate that art is languageless and can be understood by all cultures and people if they so desire and seek to understand.
My degree sets me on the path to becoming one of these incredible scholars. A PhD will slowly and carefully mold me into such a scholar. The charge that the field of art history gives me is greater than promises of wealth, school ratings, or what people would say about my academic choices. The preparation that I received at the University of California, Los Angeles was priceless, rigorous, and unforgiving. The faculty generously shared their wisdom, interests, eyes, ears, voices, and time with me. And now, I’m ready. I’m ready to fight intellectual battles, to discover new things, to spur discussion, to fail, to learn, to teach, and to lead.
I am a UCLA graduate. My degree from this institution represents that I graduated a True Bruin, with the virtues of Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, Respect and Service in tact. As an Honors student, I strived for excellence and attained it, even if it was difficult. I created knowledge under the protective wings of my professors. I formed friendships with professors who I hope to one day also call ‘colleague.’ I was among peers and constantly challenged to do better and to be better.
So, dear media, money has no say in the value of my degree, nor was university “not challenging enough,” and certainly not only a social gathering. My degree, my university, and my lips testify to this.
The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth. – John F. Kennedy
Amy, This is a wonderfully written post and encapsulates the value of many majors in the humanities. You are well-suited to graduate school and I have no doubt you will make a tremendous impact on any program which you attend!
Thank you so much, Kim! :)
You keep making me cry! I am so proud of you and who you are. Keep that integrity at the core of your being and all you do and you will leave an impact where ever you are in life!
You, my dear, are an inspiration to me. Good luck with your research.
This so perfect and truly inspiring to me as a budding art history major. I am completely familiar with doubtful questions from everyone and I feel like you beautifully and accurately summed up all of the thoughts that I’ve been struggling to express. Thank you for this!
I received my BA in Art History in 2010, and sad to say, I am the stereotype. I am currently poor, unemployed, and hopeless about what to do about it. And yes, I have had more people blame my choice of degree than the crumbling economy and the gross amount of funds that have been cut away from the arts in my city, all the layoffs in the galleries and faculty. I admit it got to the point where I was ashamed to tell people what I had studied in, as passionate as I was during those first years of University. And, as someone who was raised a “gifted” child I have always been told I should have done something “more”.”Be a doctor”, indeed.
I will no longer be able to afford to continue graduate school, so it’s very likely that I will never be published, be taken seriously, or make a “difference” regarding my research, yet I will probably never stop. To discover and enrich our histories and to find all those intricate connections, as you put it so well, will forever be my raison d’etre.
All this to say: Thank you for posting this for people to see and maybe better understand what we’re all about, and also for really lifting my spirits today.
Wow, Jay! You certainly lifted my spirits. Thank you for your honest response. I’ve also struggled with the thought that I might never really impact the field, be published, etc., and it was just an absolutely sickening thought until I realized that it’s ok to write and research on my own, for myself. I think this website is keeping me on track, if not making a difference in the wider scholarly realm, then the thing that I can strive toward is inspiring people! Please continue to explore art history, and write and research regardless of who will read it. I also realized that there are many scholars who have contributed to our understanding of certain artists who might not be considered “scholars” proper by the wider academic realm (e.g., Peter Robb), but their work is extremely influential. The important thing is that you’re passionate about it and you know that you have something to say. That alone gives your ideas merit. Fight for your passion! I wish I had advice for graduate funding. I can say that useful websites I’ve found are the Grad Cafe and (not a website) my subscription to the CAA newsletter.
This is one of the main things that have been on my mind lately.
I do agree with you and your vision of ideal life.
I don’t need money to buy things I don’t need.
But: I do need some things money can and does buy – food, electricity, water, plumbing, roof over my head.
Even if I knew how to construct a toilet on my own, doing so (and at the same time gathering my own food, getting my own water, etc.) would take away from my a. art time, b. family time, c. me time, d. friends time and maybe even e. health.
Not to mention I’d like to support artists by acquiring their works – they need food, water and shelter as well, alongside the luxury of time in which to create their art.
I’m not going to share my appreciation with anyone, in a lecture, or a book, if I don’t get to eat.
Even if I do not charge for lectures (and college professors do), somebody would have to pay for my sustenance so I could teach another day.
And if I do write a book, how will it reach somebody equally passionate if they can’t afford it?
The problem with some degrees (or “all degrees, to some extent) is that they a. are not guarantees of knowledge in a particular field and b. that knowledge could be acquired elsewhere.
If I can pursue my passion for art in a non-art job (meaning it (my passion) isn’t limited by the external) why should I value a degree in it (another external factor) so highly, if at all?
Why not get a degree that will leave me with more resources for exploration of my field of interest and admiration/support of those who work in that field, especially if my field can be “understood by all”?
Or why not charge for that degree as much as it offers?
Around here the arts are the most expensive and the most populated.
Although I must say that I’m writing this with arts degrees in general in mind, while the post was written with a UCLA degree in particular in mind.
[Since tone can’t be felt through an internet comment, I’ll just say that these are just some of the thoughts that have been running through my mind lately, not something negative.
The post itself lifted my spirits quite a bit :) .]
Well written, and very encouraging. Thanks! (: (:
As a student in Australia in the Visual Arts, Theory of Art and Design and Creative Writing, I was impressed and inspired by your defense of the study of Art History. So many times I have come across the same questions – only with Painting as my undergraduate major, I am usuallly even more ridiculed and probed as to what ‘real’ job I could get with my degree, how I could survive as an ‘artist’, or what I plan to study -after- painting to help me ‘grow up’ and get a job. I understand the need for survival, I work casually to help pay my bills, but I do not appreciate the growing blind obsession with vocationalism in the tertiary field, and resentment of learning for the simple pursuit of knowledge, and passion. Thank you for reminding me why I am doing what I am doing, and that I should stick with it.
Thank you for your take on the importance of earning a degree. I do not wish to take anything away from that, what you wrote was great. But I do want to say, as a person without a a degree, you can still be everything you wrote, except being a graduate of xxxx college, or university.
nicely put
I’m a new UCLA student and major in Art History. I’m from Japan and Art History is not popular at all, so as the people who asked you what you possibly could do with your major, my friends, even family members, keep asking me how I can get job and make money. Since I am an international student, the school tuition is more expensive than students who have US citizens, and my parents are becoming doubtful what I am studying. In fact, I’m thinking to drop UCLA since Art History is not ‘promised.’ I don’t know what to do. But, I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you Saki!
I hope it’s comforting for you to know that your experience with your parents, family, and friends is not uncommon. There are steps you can take to make yourself competitive in the art history job market, but weighing the pros and cons of majoring in art history is a wise thing to do. You might find my Q&A page helpful.
I wish you all the best! Feel free to reach out via email if you ever want to talk.
Your post has lifted and lightened my day. In fact, it warmed my heart, made me smile and almost made me cry.
I came to your website by chance, looking for information about what it’s like to study in California; my girlfriend is currently looking to study linguistics for her fourth year, (she is currently in Madrid, Spain in her 2nd year), at UCLA. Your story strongly resonates with me after a conversation I had with her whilst she was unhappy during her 1st year of a Communication Science degree in Germany.
The crux of the conversation centred on how her initial choice of degree in Germany had left her unfulfilled and unhappy. She felt that she was not following her passion (languages) and that she didn’t know whether to change course, and, even if she did, how it would affect her future career prospects. After some time and much thought, she decided to take a chance, come to Spain and start over again to follow her dream. Her chances of finding financially lucrative employment having been reduced and her international degree value being lower than if she had stayed in Germany have left her with some concern, but little, if any, regret. Why? Because she is doing what she loves.
Whether intentional or not, your message has given (me) renewed vigour and faith in the pursuit of our passions and dreams and I will never tire of reading stories such as yours that, in my opinion, captulate the very essence of the human spirit – living what you love.
It leaves me with just one more thing to say, and that is to wish you all the best in your pursuit of your beloved Art History. Your message is fuel for a better world.
Thank you Amy :)
Thank you so much for your kind words, Steve! I am glad I could help lift your spirits. I hope that things are going well for you and your girlfriend!