<p>I wonder why folks drop out of the humanities. I’d wager that much of the loss may be due to extrinsic factors. My son’s initial interest in engineering was in part because the idea of designing and building stuff sounded like fun, but also because the career track for most engineers is pretty clear, and reasonably financially rewarding. In a time of economic uncertainty, it’s comforting to hear things like, “everyone of our civil engineers who graduated last year received job offers in the field, or significant support to go to graduate school” (actual quote from a large state university with a great engineering program).</p>
<p>I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with what Harvard is doing with their humanities students. I know my son is having a blast in classics, and has more or less accepted that the price for all the fun he’s having is a less-clear career path. But perhaps not every student - especially at a place like Harvard - can achieve equanimity in the face of the fact that his/her career may wind up peaking teaching Latin in the local high school.</p>