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In 1999, on the day I received my A level results, I went into town to buy some stuff for university. I went into a shop and a man I didn't know said. "You look about the right age. Have you had results today?"
I said "Yes."
"What did you get?"
"3 As."
"Where are you going?" https://twitter.com/DarrenSimpson44/status/1295760476194902017
I said "Yes."
"What did you get?"
"3 As."
"Where are you going?" https://twitter.com/DarrenSimpson44/status/1295760476194902017
"Cambridge, to study English."
And this guy I'd never met said "What? English? Isn't that a complete waste of time for someone as clever as you clearly are?"
Arts subjects are not, and have never been, a waste of time.
And this guy I'd never met said "What? English? Isn't that a complete waste of time for someone as clever as you clearly are?"
Arts subjects are not, and have never been, a waste of time.
They help us to understand the lenses through which people view the world. They teach us nuance (something sorely lacking in the world today) and compassion, communication skills, logical analysis, show us glimpses of another world.
But more than that, art itself, in whatever form - literature, visual art, drama, music - transcends and transforms existence. It touches us, moves us, entertains us, inspires us. A world without art would be a dark and a dull place indeed.
And if you believe a course must be judged from a capitalist viewpoint and by employability, I can tell you that as an English graduate, not only am I a qualified teacher but I was also offered a graduate job by a big four accountancy firm. Skills are skills.
