Opinion Piece: Is There a Future in Studying the Humanities?

Recently, a high school student who achieved a perfect score in the national Chinese language exam expressed on Threads their dilemma about choosing between the Chinese Literature Department at National Cheng Kung University and the Electrical Engineering Department at Yuan Ze University, sparking widespread discussion. A news report included an interesting comment: An engineer frankly stated that achieving a perfect score in Chinese reflects the ability to precisely identify key points and construct coherent logical and emotional arguments—skills that are highly practical in all kinds of jobs and everyday life. These abilities won’t go to waste even if one doesn’t major in Chinese literature. 'For engineers, these skills are actually a major advantage. In the tech industry, the ability to “understand what others are saying” and “express yourself in ways others can understand” are capabilities that affect your career ceiling. It’s not that one should necessarily choose electrical engineering—many things aren’t black and white. Humanities majors can also enter high-paying career tracks.' This engineer’s firsthand insight clearly holds significant reference value and invites society to reconsider the relationship between humanities and STEM in the workplace.

Stereotypes About the Humanities

The book The Revenge of the Humanities mentions that in the late 1950s, British scientist C. P. Snow wrote an article pointing out that Western intellectuals were divided into two camps: natural scientists and literary intellectuals. These two groups didn’t understand each other and often misrepresented the other: 'Those who understand the second law of thermodynamics don’t understand the meaning of Shakespeare’s works, and vice versa.' The book notes that to bridge this gap, American higher education encourages students to take courses outside their major during their four years of study:

'We want engineers to read novels, and poets to appreciate the natural beauty of numbers and equations. If you major in science or engineering but also enjoy taking humanities courses, you’re already prepared to serve as a bridge between these two camps. If you’re a history or English major who doesn’t panic when faced with numbers and equations, you also have a chance. Graduates with interdisciplinary majors like cognitive studies are becoming increasingly popular, showing that employers, students, and university faculty are gradually realizing that graduates with diverse perspectives have added value in the job market.'

The book also includes a particularly insightful passage:

'Don’t believe anyone who tells you that liberal arts education is dying. Across universities in the United States, numerous outstanding professors are revitalizing the humanities and social sciences. Harvard University professor Michael Sandel offers a course on justice that covers a wide range of topics and attracts 1,100 students. The University of Texas English professor Elizabeth Richmond-Garza’s course on Victorian literature draws large numbers of students as well. Additionally, according to student evaluations, the most admired professors at the College of Charleston, San Francisco State University, and Appalachian State University teach in the Spanish, Music, and Psychology departments, respectively.'

However, the author also acknowledges the concerns humanities students have about future employment and the fact that many people don’t know how to help them transition into the workforce. This has led to the persistent stereotype that humanities graduates end up working at Starbucks in green aprons making coffee (in Taiwan, scanning barcodes at convenience stores or flipping fries at McDonald’s). The humanities have even been ridiculed by politicians; during a U.S. presidential debate, one senator said, 'We need more welders and fewer philosophers.'

Last year and this year, I was invited to write two public forum articles for the journal Goose Lake Monthly—one discussing the relationship between humanities and medicine (medical humanities) and the other on humanities and democracy (civic humanities). I also wrote an article titled 'Is the Humanities Important to a Democratic Society?' for Storm Media. All three articles addressed the fundamental importance of the humanities to modern society, but none discussed the practical applications of the humanities in job hunting. This article aims to explore the 'workplace value' of the humanities.

What Kind of 'Critical Thinking' Does the Corporate World Need?

When humanities scholars introduce the humanities to the public, they often emphasize 'critical thinking'—which is correct. However, the author of The Revenge of the Humanities reminds us that universities interpret 'critical thinking' richly based on academic research, but companies, businesses, and workplaces generally 'don’t understand' the academic definition. Therefore, an additional layer of 'translation' is needed. The book includes a thought-provoking passage:

'Employers want to hire college graduates who can speak and write fluently, function effectively in teams, and know how to analyze complex problems. These strengths are at the core of a good college education, especially the strengths of humanities graduates. These qualities are deeply embedded in the academic concept of “critical thinking,” but if you ask university leaders to explain critical thinking in detail, the feedback you get is a pile of overlapping, conflicting (and self-serving) noise.'

So, what does 'critical thinking' mean to businesses, workplaces—what do they understand, demand, or 'hear'? From over 5,600 job ads in 2016 that sought 'critical thinking' skills and offered six-figure salaries, the author identified five key factors that define the kind of critical thinking businesses need:

- Working on the Frontier - Finding Insights - Choosing the Right Approach - Reading the Room (assessing atmosphere and emotions) - Inspiring Others

The book clearly explains these five traits and provides numerous examples.

Humanities Training Matches Workplace Needs

The author also points out that choosing a humanities major is like becoming an explorer—someone who begins exploring new knowledge, develops their own interpretations of controversial topics instead of simply copying professors’ views, and learns how to listen to different ideas and integrate opinions through discussion.

In certain senior-year seminars, students begin selecting topics, gathering data, analyzing, discussing, reporting, and revising—training that teaches humanities students how to identify and solve problems, how to discuss and communicate with others, and how to interpret others’ thoughts and express themselves. These are all essential workplace skills. A survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities previously asked employers to list the most important skills they expect from college graduates. The top skill was speaking ability, followed by writing ability.

Additionally, humanities disciplines frequently require analyzing and interpreting texts. Many classic texts—such as Zhuangzi, Dream of the Red Chamber, and One Hundred Years of Solitude—require significant time and effort to unpack and interpret. This process sharpens a keen mind, helping graduates analyze and solve various information and problems in the workplace.

Furthermore, philosophy training helps one grasp concepts precisely and express them clearly—skills that are also important in the workplace. The book cites Danielle Sheer, who majored in philosophy, later attended law school, and has served as General Counsel at Carbonite since 2009. Sheer says that explaining complex technical concepts in simple, clear language greatly improves problem-solving efficiency—many unresolved disputes arise simply from misunderstandings of terminology.

There’s a Chicago-based investment firm called Morningstar that prefers hiring candidates with humanities backgrounds. When asked why Morningstar favors humanities graduates, research vice president John Rekenthaler responded:

'When faced with ambiguous situations, humanities graduates feel comfortable. You can give them something that’s not fully formed and tell them, “Go figure it out.” And they actually do. Other graduates wouldn’t deliver as well. Second, humanities graduates are good at weighing evidence and setting priorities—they’re excellent at evaluation. Third, humanities graduates have context and historical awareness, which is crucial for investors. You need the ability to step back and see the big picture.'

Interestingly, Morningstar’s founder named the company after a line from Thoreau’s Walden.

Many Companies Hire Humanities Graduates

Moreover, on the global e-commerce platform Etsy, there are many software engineers and data analysts who majored in literature, Japanese studies, or philosophy. The CEO of Logitech once said, 'If you understand the humanities, you really stand out.'

A senior Silicon Valley executive went to Stanford University’s School of Humanities to find people who can tell stories. He said, 'English majors are exactly the talent I’m looking for.' A company providing online restaurant reservation services, which requires data analysis, repeatedly hires talent from Spanish, Child Psychology, English, and Political Science departments.

Hyosung Group, a large multinational corporation focused on chemical industries, heavy industry, trade, and information technology, recently announced plans to hire specialized talent from humanities or language departments. According to reports, they are seeking 'integrated talent with humanistic literacy, language communication advantages, and enthusiasm for being stationed at global locations.'

It is believed that in the future, the workplace will need