As a gainfully employed person with a philosophy degree, I’m glad I chose a degree without obvious “career prospects” and wouldn’t exchange it for anything. Education is supposed to be about learning, not getting a return on investment. The desire to financialize every decision is so tiresome. Not everything needs to be about economics, and the co-opting of the university system for job placement is really the root issue here. Job training should be separate from a liberal arts education.
That said, the absurd costs of attending university need to come down. Hopefully as alternatives to university become more viable, the cost of doing an English, philosophy, arts, etc. degree will come down to more reasonable levels.
Historically two things happened in the US to make public colleges affordable. The first the State paid a much larger chunk of the tuition than they do now. The second is they had higher standards for attendance than they do now. Those who were good enough go into college. Those who weren’t paid for the their betters’ education.
That said, the absurd costs of attending university need to come down. Hopefully as alternatives to university become more viable, the cost of doing an English, philosophy, arts, etc. degree will come down to more reasonable levels.