<p>There are always the success stories, and yes, there are many who get jobs with humanities/social sciences degrees and PHDs. If that is what a student wants to study, that’s the passion, then I’m all for doing it. Like the lottery, “you gotta play to win”. I also don’t discourage those who want to go to law school. But, anyone contemplating these things should fully understand what things are like in terms of job opportunities and pay probabilities in these venues. If things don’t work out, there should be an inkling of that possibility and an eye to some other paths one can take to make a living. </p>
<p>My very dear friend is a talented artist as is her sister. Her father encouraged both of them to study what they loved and they had wonderful years in taking their passions as far as they could. One is in an art related field, the other isn’t, but they don’t regret those years they took in breathing it all in, learning all they could. Yes, it cost them in terms of making money and had they taken teaching certificate courses along the way or studied accounting or health services, they would have made more money sooner, but those years they spent doing as they pleased and studying what they wanted to study are so precious to them. How can one put a dollar value on that? But the thing is, there should also be an eye and ear out for other possibilities before the specter of the wolf knocking at your door becomes a reality. </p>
<p>So Plan B is too specific, IMO, though great if one can go that far, but being aware of the situation and possibilities out there is important. </p>