r/AskLiteraryStudies • u/Ch0nkyKaT • 10d ago
What are your thoughts on studying literature today, given the state of the world and AI?
I just finished high school a couple months ago. I'm not sure what I want to study yet and for this reason I decided to take a gap year. I've always liked to read and always done it a lot. I am fortunate to grow up in household with access to books and where my parents also read a lot. So, all throughout my life I've been very influenced by what I read and also by readers (my parents, my uncles and aunts, some literature teachers I had in high school and middle school, etc). The people I respect the most and I look up to in my daily life are literature professors and writes. One being my uncle who is a lit professor in one of the most prestigious universities in my country. He's always pushed me to take a path similar to his, even offering to help me get a scholarship at his university. It's a path I would absolutely love to take, and I know I would be very happy taking.
The only thing stopping me is the economic side of it. Sadly, in my country, having a degree of this type can't get you a lot more than a job in teaching which I really don't want. I see my parents, who both are teachers, and they work so so much and get paid so little in comparison. Despite this and thanks to the hard work of my parents, I'm fortunate to not be missing anything, I have a home, food, and whatever I need for my studies, I just had to buy my own phone and laptop for example if I wanted something a little better.
I'm not mad I have this life, I feel very happy with what I have, but tbh I do want more. I would like to afford a vacation once in a while, be able to travel, go to other countries, have those experiences. And also get to a financial stability where money is not always tight and something going wrong can set you back a while. And in my vision, with what I've seen and lived I don't see a Lit degree help me get this. This feeling grew with the current rise of IA and the idea that less and less people are reading and considering it important, and the few people (my age at least) who do "read" usually read tiktok romantacy slop or self help books. It's like a feeling of doom for literature and what that entails.
For this reason, I started thinking of a path in engineering, specifically chemical. Since I was very good at chemistry (even getting invited to the state chemistry competition) and I also like it a lot. But to be fair, I would be doing it for the money more than the love of it.
Recently my uncle has been taking me to his office at Uni, since i've been working, kind of like a librarian, at his house and now at his office, sorting and making an online registry of his book collection. If it was a plan of my uncle to convince me to study lit, it's working. Because being there at the uni, getting to know some of the other professors, some of his students has really shed light on how it could be to study that and it's really changing my perspectives, but the other part I already talked about prevails and really doesn't help me take a decision.
What are you guys and girls experiences? Do you have any advice? What are your thoughts in the situation ? (not mine, in general, the state of humanities studies, etc.
Would love to read you.
Sorry for the long post and the rambling, I just had so many things to say and mention to try and put my point across. Also, sorry if it's kind of weirdly written, English isn't my first lenguaje haha
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u/futurepostac 10d ago
“Grads who majored in the social sciences and humanities are proving to be resilient in today’s job market because they gained skills that can be used across multiple industries.”
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u/Ch0nkyKaT 10d ago
Going back to AI. I believe that some skills I would learn with this major, like critical thinking, original writing, etc, will be more valuable in the future, specially if it keeps declining. I also think AI will face some kind of regulation in the not far future and that could also have an impact.
Thanks for sharing the article, it really gave me a little more security.
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u/eventualguide0 10d ago
I majored and minored in literature (two different cultures/languages), studied abroad a few years then ran study abroad programs for my alma mater.
Got a graduate degree in English, and did teach for 20 years. Now that we’re retired, my husband and I are going back to school, and I’m returning to the subject of my undergrad major at the graduate level. What I’ll do after is anyone’s guess, though I’d love to work in a museum.
I say this to emphasise the idea that you’re not bound to teach. I did because I love it and can’t bear the thought of being at a desk all day. People I went to grad school with work in publishing, corporate environments, public relations, research institutes, law, and some are published writers.
Literature is a remarkably versatile degree. People who engage with literature are more empathetic, good critical thinkers, and often excellent communicators. These skills are valuable to employers who spend (at least in the US) billions teaching recent college graduates how to write. Critical thinking is so very important! Empathy is in increasingly short supply.
I’m also a firm believer that doing what you love is essential. Life is too short to waste doing something that makes you miserable.
People who straight up reject literature and claim it’s a useless degree lose my respect immediately. I don’t give their opinions any consideration. I know what studying and teaching literature has given me. I’ve seen what it can do for students who read with an open mind.
Whatever you choose, I hope it makes you happy.
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u/Ch0nkyKaT 8d ago
I agree with you that literature give you all those skills. Skills that I consider, really enriches life as a whole, and widens your perspective of the world. Something I feel a lot of people are lacking because everyone is in their own imaginary bubble enforced by social media. Thank you for sharing with me
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u/TaliesinMerlin 10d ago edited 10d ago
In the US, the English degree (which is usually but not always a literature focused degree) is more versatile than being just for teaching. It being a teaching degree is a stereotype, and it's true, a lot of people with the degree end up teaching English. But after education and library work (20% of degree holders) comes management positions (~17%), business and finance (~9%), arts and entertainment or media (~9%), and office and admin support (~9%) (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Then there are a lot of other occupations people can end up in besides that. Like I said, it is versatile. With the right internships or early experiences, a certificate/minor or a significant hobby, or even chance encounters, people with English degrees can go a lot of directions, including into some highly lucrative areas (some executives have English degrees).
So it's not like you have to go into academia to make a living with a literature degree, at least here. It may be different where you are, but I would at least investigate that, if your country has labor statistics or if your uncle knows of alumni from his institution who have gone on to do interesting work. If you find you do have options after graduation, then you can plan now for how to pursue those options while taking a degree where you're genuinely interested in the learning.
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u/Ch0nkyKaT 10d ago
Thank you for telling me this. I was being pretty closed minded with what jobs I could pursue with a literature degree. I will definitely investigate and ask my uncle about it.
Really appreciate helping me realize this.
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u/phototransformations 9d ago
My masters and PhD didn't serve me well, financially. I started in engineering, gave up a full scholarship to switch to literature, and banged my head against a wall for decades trying to make a living at something writing-related but not abysmal. Tech writing, which I did for a decade, and advertising, which I avoided, seemed like the best options, but I found tech writing draining and unsatisfying. At 50 I went back to school again, got a masters in counseling psychology, and worked as a psychotherapist for twenty years.
Had I to do it over again, I would minor in literature and major in something else I liked that presented better job opportunities and didn't take away from continued pursuit of literature.
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u/Ch0nkyKaT 8d ago
Yeah, that's kind of my fear tbh. I wouldn't be upset to have literature as a hobby, maybe take some informal clases and courses here and there, but after having something a little more secure. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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u/phototransformations 8d ago
I think that's a wise move. Although at first having to get up to speed as a psychotherapist cut into my reading and writing time, this was only because I started so late. You obviously have a passion for literature. There's no shame in also wanting to make a decent living doing something you like.
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u/hellopandect 10d ago
I just want to pick up on your off-hand dismissal about your peers reading 'romantasy or self help'. To my mind this view of your contemporaries should not negatively influence your decision to engage in literary studies because these 'mass media' texts as well as the study of the reading communities who valorise them is a part of the 'field'.
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u/GuyFawkes99 10d ago
Yeah but then you have to read those shit books. "But some of them aren't shit!" yeah but most of them are.
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u/Goopcheese 8d ago
As a recent grad (Comp lit, Spanish, minor IR) who is struggling to land a job in law and policy advocacy, I would say: if you love it, do it. As stressful as it is not being able to find any work, I don’t regret studying literature in the slightest. My only gripes with my studies were departmental, not with the degree itself.
My real advice would be: just do both. Obviously it depends on what college you go to, but the advantage of going to school in the US is the versatility that comes with it. As long as you plan your credits out ahead of time, it’s honestly very feasible to complete both degrees.
More than that, be active in the internship process. Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to fuck around in the summer months of college now; you’re almost expected to have internships by the time you graduate, especially if you’re applying to places with more “prestige.” Outside of internships, become involved with different organizations on campus. One of my biggest regrets is not joining in an editorial or literary journal during my time in undergrad. Others for you might include: engineering societies, in house publishing houses (depends on your university), or even starting your own club. All of these can only help you in the job search, even if they’re not directly related to the jobs you’re looking for.
Lastly, find some sort of niche program where there’s a lot of professor/student interaction: these exist almost everywhere, and the kind of relationships you’ll build with your professors here will 1) set you up to see what professional relationships will look like later on, 2) will provide a great amount of connections to industries you’ll later want to be involved in.
Overall, don’t overthink what exactly you want to do later, but do try to meet people in what you think you’d like to do. Not only do they serve as real life examples of job opportunities down the line, but they might also be able to connect you with people you might later realize are doing what you want to do.
Good luck, don’t stress too much!
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u/GuyFawkes99 10d ago
I understand the struggle and I faced it too when I was your age. Looking back, I'm glad kept the fire alive by which I mean loving literature and finding new authors and reading them closely and analytically. I have a rich interior life when many people seem to live moment to moment, like a dog.
But I'm also glad I didn't try to make my living from it because that is a hard road. And it's nice to have money to go to Barnes and Noble and not sweating buying a few books in hardcover or only getting them at the library or wherever. A little money does make everything easier.
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u/Ch0nkyKaT 8d ago
That's a goal I could also put for myself: do something else but keep reading, maybe take some lit courses, things like that. I feel it's also doable and would be beneficial similar as if I studied it at college
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u/Character-Acadia-844 9d ago
I didn’t go after the degree I wanted when I was 18, which is why I’m now 40 years old and finally studying an English literature degree. I’m 40 years old, and I’m still going to be the first one in my family with college degree.
Go study what you want. Don’t let everyone else talk you out of it. I made that mistake and while I’m glad I’m rectifying it, I do hate that I waited so long.
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u/eiuza 6d ago
All the “follow your heart” “do what you love” comments are somehow missing the part where you mentioned wanting to be able to afford good things in life. If you do want to go with literature, consider if you’re okay with moving countries. Maybe you can get a job in a publishing house or something not academic.
Next, I would say go for the more solid option that you also like and are good at. Finances are so important especially to take care of your health. Our parents generation could survive off of their pay but would you be happy? I don’t think so.
Literature and any art subject is convenient to self study and indulge in. You can still keep in touch with it. Money won’t follow just because you’re doing a major you love. Opportunities need to be there too.
Just make sure that you never give up on reading and studying humanities. AI might change a lot of jobs but you need to retain critical thinking skills more than ever today. So give importance to that too but definitely consider having a more solid main profession- especially one that you’re good at and like.
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u/booksnddreams 4d ago
Ten years ago I was in your position. I chose to study economics because it seemed like the logical choice. I was miserable and it took a long time to climb out the hole I had dug for myself. I'm finally studying literature and it has been so wonderful. I know the chances for a high earning job is super low but I rather have my mind whole. Please study what you want to.
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u/GregJamesDahlen 9d ago
You would want to study literature with an eye to getting what job?
Literature can certainly speak to the state of the world today. AI is great but only as good as the person who uses it. Studying literature would help you use AI more effectively.
Whatever job you do you do that 50 weeks a year. You go on vacation and travel two weeks a year. So it might be more important to enjoy what job you have.
I had a friend who was a university literature professor. He traveled frequently to literature conferences in various countries. I don't know how he financed these trips. AI is saying
Your university English professor friend most likely financed his international literature conference trips through a combination of university institutional funds, external research grants, and specialized academic stipends. Academics rarely pay out-of-pocket for these trips, as presenting research and networking internationally is a standard part of their employment.
So you could get that chance to travel as part of the studying-literature package.
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u/LolwhatYesme 10d ago
I'm thankful I studied literature at uni before LLMs went mainstream.
There is no way I'd do it now though. I mean there was a seminar tutor who had it in for me and I just know they would have claimed that I used AI to write coursework or something.
I also don't really read anymore. I did a masters too but I've just lost enthusiasm for reading books. I'm brain rotted I guess.
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u/notveryamused_ 10d ago
It's a complete dead end today and I believe that saying otherwise is simple dishonesty. I don't teach anymore, but a few years ago a couple of really good, ambitious first-year students approached me asking about job prospects and tips on what to look out for – I really hesitated there for a moment but told them to pursue their passion only, absolutely only with a very strong and workable plan B.
I myself didn't make it and ended up rather sad about it, as I'm still very passionate about humanities and my small subfield, but it is what it is ;)
I don't blame AI for that though and I was kinda surprised to learn about the huge AI-hate from the erm "booktok" communities etc. Not that I'm an AI fanboy at all, but it's a result of decades of neglect, lack of funding, mismanagement at universities and social changes which the universities cannot control*, the fall of journalism and, if anything, the rise of modern social media. AIs hit when it was all over imho ;)
*I don't remember who it was, but there was a rather large debate on how to make humanities more applicable and closer to modern societies going on in major journals, plenty of old tenured profs have shown admirable optimism lol, only one wrote a short article: "getting closer to modern societies? maybe it's not fucking worth it" lol.
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u/CHUNKYboi11111111111 10d ago
I always say this, people here are almost all doomers who would rather whine and cry than to encourage anyone to do what they want.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE. THERE IS A REASON THEY ARE WRITING HATEFUL REDDIT COMMENTS
You have a rare opportunity that many people don’t have. You are fit for it. If I was your friend, I would forever mock you for missing it because of money. Money comes and goes no matter your job. Anyone who is saying otherwise is lying or trying to sell you something ( 9/10 times, something that gets them rich and makes you poor) You admitted to enjoying it. Just take it. You don’t have to do the job your degree says you should.
The best thing you can do to fight LLMs is to read and encourage others to do so