Would You Like Fulfillment With That?’

Requiem for a bad joke…and a tired public myth

By Ken Norrie
University of Alberta

I thought the joke was dead. I thought it had fossilized under the weight of contrary evidence, and was buried somewhere near Nirvana’s lyrics in the dustbin of youth culture. But just last month, a friend remarked sadly that he had heard it recited at a public meeting.

“An engineering graduate asks how that works,” goes the joke. “A science graduate asks why that works. So what does an arts graduate ask?”

The answer, of course, is: “Would you like fries with that?”

The tired punchline drew chuckles from the crowd. But my friend grimaced. There has always been something bleak and repulsive about the joke. It implies that kids must abandon their passion for the liberal arts in order to “succeed”; that the incomparable pleasures of the humanities, social sciences and fine arts are just selfish indulgences. That only “real” degrees are rewarded with real money.

This suggestion would be crass enough if a Bachelor of Arts degree really hampered one’s job and salary prospects – but as we have long suspected, this is pure fantasy. Fifteen years ago, when the joke was first being told, we had only scattered economic data to support our convictions. Today we have indisputable proof that a BA is both an exciting intellectual adventure and an excellent investment, one of the most promising options available to students in the new economy.

The statistics give us a chance to laugh at the joke…ironically. Consider this:

• In 1998, UBC economist Robert Allen concluded that a background in the liberal arts provides remarkable long-term earning power. Graduates of humanities and social sciences programs see their incomes continue to soar as they move from their twenties to their fifties.
• Allen also found that liberal arts graduates are more likely than technical specialists to be employed in professional or managerial jobs.
• A recent University of Alberta Senate study revealed that, three years after graduating, our alumni enjoy a startlingly low unemployment rate: 1.2 per cent. This is even better than the university’s overall rate of 1.5 per cent.

These findings shatter myths; they also make perfect sense. In our new, knowledge-based economy, the most valuable employees are critical, adaptable and creative thinkers. Arts grads, who spend four years confronting new and unsettling ideas, fit the bill beautifully. In a world in flux, they offer – and communicate – creative solutions to problems. They anticipate, they synthesize, they enable. They make life unpredictable, in good ways.

Small wonder that corporations are eager to hire our graduates, or that 30 high-tech CEOs should have taken the time to lobby government to support liberal arts programs, which they describe as equally valuable to technical and professional degrees. “A liberal arts and science education nurtures skills and talents increasingly valued by modern corporations,” the CEOs wrote in an April press release.

“Our companies function in a state of constant flux. To prosper we need creative thinkers at all levels of the enterprise who are comfortable dealing with decisions in the bigger context. They must be able to communicate – to reason, create, write and speak – for shared purposes: for hiring, training, managing, marketing and policy-making.

“In short, (Arts grads) provide leadership.”

Powerful testimony. Yet despite the near unanimity of the business community on these points, the myth of the feeble BA continues to endure. That’s why, whenever we meet young people who are eager to study with us, we are quick to alleviate their career concerns by showing them the economic facts. Last month I spoke in an Edmonton high school gymnasium bursting with students.  I gave them the information I have shared with you, and finished my presentation with a joke. Not the joke…but almost.

“An engineering graduate asks how that works,” I said. “A science graduate asks why that works. So what does an arts graduate ask?”

They waited for me, dead silent.

“An arts graduate asks, ‘Could you have answers to those questions on my desk by Friday morning?’”

The gym erupted into cheers and applause – enough joyous noise to warm the heart of anyone who loves the liberal arts.

Link to Additional Information on the Web

Transferable skills http://careers.d.umn.edu/cs_handbook/cshandbook_transferable.html
Education pays: http://collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/press/cost06/education_pays_06.pdf

Ken Norrie is an economist at the University of Alberta, and dean of the University’s Faculty of Arts. Retrieved June 14, 2005, http://www.sfu.ca/arts/articles/fulfil.htm.