For years, students majoring in philosophy, English, art history, and other humanities disciplines have had to endure the same anxious question from parents, relatives, and friends: “What are you going to do with that degree?” It’s a question that can feel dismissive, especially when you’re passionate about ideas, texts, histories, and the human experience. Now, as artificial intelligence transforms the way we work, the very skills that humanities students develop—clear writing, critical thinking, nuanced communication, and the ability to make sense of complex, messy information—may be more valuable than ever. Employers increasingly want people who can interpret, question, and explain, not just execute routine tasks. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: those abilities alone won’t necessarily land you your first job. Unlike engineering, nursing, or accounting, humanities degrees don’t come with a clearly marked career path. You don’t graduate and know exactly which job title to type into a search engine. Robert Townsend, director of humanities, arts and culture at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, points out that liberal arts graduates often bounce through two or three job changes before they find their footing, partly because they struggle to explain to employers what they can actually do. That’s not a reason to abandon the subjects you love. It doesn’t mean you need to add a second major in computer science just to feel employable. It does mean, though, that you should be intentional during your college years. The good news is that there are concrete, practical steps you can take before graduation to make your humanities degree work for you—without losing the intellectual soul of your education.
The first step is to get honest about money, and that means borrowing carefully. The student loan debt you take on today will follow you for decades, and humanities majors often don’t start with the same salaries as engineering or finance graduates. A widely used guideline from financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz says your total student loan debt should stay below what you expect to earn in your first year after graduation. If you’re a philosophy major, for example, and the early-career median wage is around $52,000 a year, you shouldn’t borrow more than $52,000 total over four years—and ideally, you’d borrow a lot less. That might sound scary, but it’s not necessarily about picking the absolute cheapest school. It’s about making smart comparisons. A private college with a big financial aid package might end up costing less than a public university that gives you nothing. You need to compare net prices, financial aid offers, and the average debt and earnings of graduates from specific programs. That’s where the federal government’s College Scorecard becomes your friend. It lets you look up real data on what graduates of a particular college and major earn, and how much debt they carry. Use that information to make a realistic plan. Student debt isn’t inherently evil, but it can become a quiet burden that limits your career choices after graduation. If you want to take an internship in a city, build a portfolio, or travel for a research project, you’ll have more freedom if you’re not drowning in monthly payments. Think of borrowing conservatively as an investment in your future flexibility, not a constraint on your dreams.
Second, start getting comfortable with artificial intelligence now—not because you need to become a programmer, but because AI is already woven into the fields where humanities graduates tend to land. Publishing, marketing, communications, research, education, and even non-profits are all using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other generative AI systems to draft content, analyze data, and generate ideas. You don’t need to know how to build a large language model from scratch, but you do need to know how to use one well. Chris Nienstedt, vice president of global talent at General Mills, put it plainly at a recent conference on the future of work: not everyone needs to be technical, but you have to be familiar enough with these tools to know whether what they’re telling you is actually correct and makes sense. That’s where humanities skills shine. Philosophy students know how to spot logical fallacies. English majors know how to recognize weak arguments and awkward writing. History students know how to question sources and look for bias. Those are exactly the skills you need to use AI responsibly. But those strengths only become useful in the workplace if you also have hands-on experience with the tools themselves. Take at least one course that teaches you how to use AI effectively, and spend time experimenting on your own. As Phoebe Sengers, a professor of science and technology studies at Cornell University, says, to succeed with AI in the workplace, you need to know how to use the AI. Don’t let your fear or skepticism hold you back. Instead, think of yourself as the human who keeps the machine honest—that’s a role the world needs more than ever.
Third, make sure you complete at least one internship before you graduate. This is especially important for humanities majors, because internships give you the real-world experience that academic coursework simply can’t provide. Yet a recent survey from Sallie Mae found that only 43 percent of arts and humanities students think internships are essential or very important, compared to 84 percent of engineering students. That gap is a huge missed opportunity. Internships are the bridge between studying ideas and applying them in a workplace. They give you stories to tell in interviews—concrete experiences that demonstrate you can show up on time, work with a team, solve problems, and produce something useful. Nienstedt stressed that when students come to interviews, they need to be able to answer questions with real stories of experiences that show what the employer is looking for. Your internship doesn’t even need to be directly related to your major. An English major might explore marketing or public relations. A history major might find a role in government, consulting, or even business operations. What matters is that you learn how workplaces function and how your skills translate into results. The biggest mistake is waiting until senior year or assuming you’ll find something by just sending out applications online. You need to be proactive. Talk to professors, reach out to alumni, attend career fairs, and build relationships with people working in fields that interest you. Sometimes an internship comes from a conversation with a friend of a friend, or a club advisor who knows someone in the industry. Be curious, be persistent, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You’ll not only gain experience, but you’ll also start building a professional network that can help you long after graduation.
Fourth, consider adding just one marketable skill to your major—something that makes your resume stand out without requiring you to become a completely different kind of graduate. Think of it this way: you can keep your passion for literature, philosophy, or history, but adding a practical tool can open more doors. An English major who understands data analysis, or a history major who knows how to manage a project, is simply more versatile in the job market than someone who only has academic coursework to show. You don’t need to double major in accounting or get an expensive certificate. There are plenty of less painful ways to build these skills: take a course in statistics, learn data visualization, study digital marketing, try a basic coding class, or take a few business courses that teach you about budgets, organizations, and how companies operate. Even if you never plan to become an accountant or a project manager, understanding the language of business is enormously helpful. At Brandeis University, the Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts is doing exactly this. The center develops microcredentials—short, concentrated programs that certify specific skills—based on actual labor-market data. Lewis Brooks, the center’s director, says they look at job postings to see what skills industries are looking for. That’s a smart model. You don’t need to guess what employers want; you can look it up. Maybe it’s public speaking, social media management, user experience research, or basic financial literacy. Which skill is right for you depends on your interests and career goals, but the point is to choose one or two things that round out your profile. It’s not about selling out or abandoning your values. It’s about acknowledging that a humanities education gives you the big picture, and a marketable skill gives you a way to enter the picture and start working.
Finally, build a portfolio that shows what you can actually do. A resume can tell employers that you’re a great writer or a good researcher, but a portfolio proves it. It doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate. It can be as simple as a website or an online collection of your best work—a published article, a research paper you’re proud of, a presentation you gave, a digital project you built, or an assignment you completed during an internship. Amber Alexander, vice president of global talent management at Medtronic, emphasized at a recent conference that it’s more about the breadth of experiences than the depth. She noted that showing you have had curiosity and solved problems in different contexts is far more compelling than trying to prove you’re an expert in one narrowly defined area. If you’re an English major interested in communications, put together a few strong writing samples. If you’re a history major, showcase an archival research project or a digital map you created. If you’re a philosophy major, write a clear, accessible essay about a complex idea and share it alongside a reflection on how you approached the problem. In interviews, be ready to explain not just what you produced, but how you worked through obstacles, collaborated with others, and reached your conclusions. That process is where your true value lies. Employers aren’t just looking for someone who can do a task; they want someone who can think, adapt, and communicate. Your portfolio is the evidence that you can. The future for humanities graduates isn’t as bleak as the headlines sometimes make it sound. The world needs people who can see the human side of technology, ask big questions, and cut through the noise with clear, compassionate language. But you have to be intentional. Borrow wisely, learn to work with AI, get real experience through internships, add a practical skill, and collect evidence of your abilities. If you do those things, your degree won’t just be a piece of paper—it will be the beginning of a meaningful and satisfying career.
