How many successful filmmakers, authors and musicians do you know personally? Let’s keep the bar real low: ones that can feed themselves and retire without supplemental income from a spouse that does something more pragmatic?
I was a Physicist before leaving for industry. What would you like to know about how science works and how it is funded?
Believe it or not, I have several degrees in physics. I worked in the field for a bit then left for industry. I don’t disagree with the premise that diverse educational backgrounds can be a good thing, they are more often than not a fine pathway to being a very interesting bartender buried in crippling student debt. Why not double major in something useful on top of Art History?
It’s a tough call. I was as liberal as it gets on my 20s, now I’m in my 40s. I see a lot of people bitching about inequality, injustice etc. that acquired a ton of student loan debt to major in subjects that would very clearly not land them a job.
Socially, still very liberal. Fiscally? Stop wasting my tax dollars on anything that’s not defense or legit scientific research.
I’m not blaming anyone for studying anything. I’m simply stating that the bill for that education will come due and it might be a good idea to have acquired a skill to help pay it if the projected return on investment is non-existent.
Ever have a conversation with people in your local service industry? I live in a major US city and this is a common story:
Do you think they’d have advised a younger version of themselves to do something else?
A nice thing about Physics: quantitative reasoning is a highly valued skill in many paying jobs and something you have to acquire along the way to learning things like QED. The end result of knowing, say, if a neutrino has mass isnt terribly useful.