Higher Ed Musings 3.

The English Major/Plumber Project

I’ve been having lively conversations with fellow deans and university administrators around the country toward disentangling a university education from the job/career one pursues after graduation. Our jumping off point: what if we encouraged English majors to take jobs as plumbers? (The broader phenomenon would be liberal arts majors going into any trade — art history major to HVAC technician, say.)

The arguments *for* this career path are all about valuing the life of the mind and the values inherent in an English degree (or any liberal arts degree) for its own sake — arts appreciation, the understanding of social structures, aesthetic sensibility, history of countries and cultures, the role of language. In short, cultural capital. One might use a liberal arts education as a matter of attaining or maintaining class status, a familiarity with certain kinds of conversations and manners of polite society. The English degree ensures this social mobility (and today’s universities are all about social mobility) no matter what job one takes after college. Plumbers make better money out of the gate than most other jobs; a new graduate who takes a job as a plumber can make a great living and enjoy the fruits of a liberal arts degree on weekends, reading The New Yorker magazine, going to museums and concerts and poetry readings.

The argument *against* this career path is that it’s a waste of money. If someone is going into trades, why go into debt for a useless liberal arts degree? Go straight into plumbing! Forget the English major and all its useless trendy theory and costs. Make a good living and go to the library on weekends if you want to learn to read.

None of the deans who argued against the English major-plumber pathway seem to think that cultural capital, social class, or social mobility mattered at all. Maybe it does maybe it doesn’t. Mostly these deans — like all people — are uncomfortable talking about social class as a matter of specifics, even as we tout the awesomeness of first generation students going to college as a general rule.

This being the AI age, I asked Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet to dive into the question. What social class would an English or art history graduate of a flagship state university who took a job as a plumber likely inhabit?

This is an interesting scenario that highlights the complexity of social class categorization. Let's break it down:

Education: A flagship state university graduate typically receives a high-quality education, which is often associated with middle to upper-middle class backgrounds or aspirations.

Majors: Art history and English are liberal arts majors that are often associated with cultural capital, which can be a marker of middle or upper-middle class status.

Current occupation: Plumbing is generally considered a skilled trade, typically associated with the working class or lower-middle class.

In this case, there's a mismatch between the individual's educational background and their current occupation. This situation could arise for various reasons:

1. Personal choice: They might have decided to pursue a trade they enjoy or find more lucrative.

2. Economic necessity: They may have had difficulty finding employment in their field of study.

3. Career transition: This could be a temporary situation while they pursue other goals.

Given these factors, this person might be categorized as:

1. Working class or lower-middle class based on their current occupation.

2. Middle class based on their educational background.

The most accurate classification would depend on additional factors such as:

• Income level

• Wealth and assets

• Social connections

• Cultural participation

• Self-identification

This example illustrates how social class can be fluid and complex, often defying simple categorization. It also demonstrates how education and occupation, while important factors, are not always perfectly aligned in determining social class.

The following image is from Google Gemini, not Claude:

I followed up asking for Claude’s for and against list, re: should a liberal arts major take a job as a plumber:

This scenario presents an interesting intersection of education and career choices. Let's examine some reasons for and against an art history or English major taking a job as a plumber:

Reasons for:

1. Financial stability: Plumbing can offer a stable income, often higher than entry-level positions in art history or English-related fields.

2. Job security: There's consistent demand for skilled tradespeople, which can provide long-term employment security.

3. Entrepreneurial opportunities: Plumbers can start their own businesses, potentially leading to higher income and autonomy.

4. Tangible results: Plumbing offers immediate, visible outcomes of one's work, which can be satisfying.

5. Less student debt: If they transition to plumbing early, they might avoid accumulating more debt from further education in their original fields.

6. Work-life balance: Plumbing jobs often have regular hours, unlike some positions in the arts or academia.

7. Physical activity: For those who enjoy hands-on work, plumbing provides a more active lifestyle than desk jobs.

Reasons against:

1. Misalignment with academic interests: Plumbing doesn't directly utilize the knowledge gained from art history or English studies.

2. Potential loss of cultural capital: There might be a perceived status decrease in some social circles.

3. Career path shift: It could be challenging to return to art or literature-related fields after establishing a career in plumbing.

4. Physical demands: Plumbing can be physically taxing, which might not suit everyone long-term.

5. Educational investment: It might feel like their university education isn't being fully utilized.

6. Passion pursuit: If their true passion lies in art history or English, they might feel unfulfilled in plumbing.

7. Skill development: They would need to acquire a new set of skills, potentially requiring additional training or apprenticeship.

8. Intellectual stimulation: Depending on the individual, they might find plumbing less intellectually stimulating than careers more closely related to their studies.

This decision ultimately depends on individual priorities, circumstances, and long-term goals. Some might view it as a practical choice for financial stability, while others might see it as diverging too far from their educational background and interests. It's worth noting that skills learned in liberal arts degrees, such as critical thinking and communication, can be valuable in any career, including plumbing, especially if one aims to run their own business.

Claude agrees, that is, that the English major-to-plumber career path depends on how well the individual cares about or cares about negotiating social class.

But mostly, it seems that the assumption that a university education *must* be tied to vocation remains strong. I’m going to keep chipping away at this idea…