From the editorial The Degree Hierarcy

Why are some degrees or fields of study seen as superior to others? I was confronted by this question again this week, though it has come up many times during my journey as a humanities student. I believe there are two major factors.

Firstly, the matter of perceived difficulty. I’ve encountered many individuals who deemed a BA to be “easy” and “laidback” compared to their BSc, BCom or BEng. Completely ignoring the fact that these same individuals would most likely fail miserably when asked to write an essay on the postmodern techniques used in Toni Morrison’s Beloved to illustrate the inadequacy of language. If I can acknowledge my inability to do a titration practical, write an economics paper or program in Python, why can’t you admit that you would struggle to pass my modules? Even within the different faculties there is a culture of superiority. For example, in EBIT, some regard computer engineering as more difficult (and consequently, better) than computer science.

Secondly, societal valuation. Our society tends to place more value in mathematics and the sciences than the arts, so much so that if you do not excel in these subjects, you are easily deemed as less “smart”. However, should one type of intelligence be favoured above another? We need all of them to thrive as a society. Yes, scientists and doctors help to enhance our lives, but what would happen to the world if we had no one to write, direct and star in our favourite Netflix series? No rugby or football matches to unite us in supporting our chosen team? No teachers to educate our children?

As value and financial gain are closely linked in a capitalistic world, it seems important to note that there are many job opportunities in the so-called “soft sciences”. Furthermore, according to a New York Times article, “by age 40 the earnings of people who majored in fields like social science or history have caught up” to STEM majors.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. I leave you with a final request: let us start appreciating the complexity and importance of every degree and career.

Karla van Dyk