The secondary students sticking with arts and humanities amid program cuts

During the 1990’s, the humanities programs had the highest enrollment rate across Canada. However, throughout the years, the numbers of enrollment in the program have steadily decreased. According to Statistics Canada, humanities dropped 70,000 students in since 2022-2023. Students preparing to enter the humanities may wonder, should I be reconsidering this too? 

Arts and humanities courses are currently jeopardized, both by the technology that is creeping into creative disciplines and by university program cuts. While young secondary students are aware of the drawbacks the program possesses, aspiring art students, humanities students, and a career adviser spoke to 8forty to share their plans and ideas on how to overcome career anxieties and uncertainties to make the program sustainable for their future and the future generations.

The rise of technology and AI are overshadowing arts and humanities programs at present time. STEM programs are currently being prioritized over arts and humanities due to better opportunities in the field compared to other majors. Ever since technology and AI became the new normal, there have been tons of reports of how flexible and alarming this technology can be.  

The creator of ChatGPT, Sam Altman, believes that AI will eliminate many jobs and can change the way current jobs function. This dilemma is already ongoing, with Duolingo planning to replace their contractors with AI and declaring the company “AI-first.” The growing AI situation is constructing career uncertainty to people who are aspiring to become future academics, and people who are aspiring to have a career in general. 

Meanwhile, universities are also planning to cut budgets from their programs; language arts and humanities programs are at risk of elimination. Universities are budget-cutting programs due to the decline in international student enrolment (particularly in Canada), rising costs, and shifts in federal funding, leading to these recurring program closures.  

In December 2024, Simon Fraser University projected a $50-million budget shortfall in British Columbia due to these circumstances. Cambrian College is also suspending 10 programs in Ontario, including general arts, public relations, and indigenous specialization due to low enrolment rates of international students.  

16-year-old Rea who aspires to be an English professor says people teel her to find a career that can give her financial stability in the future “Some people back in my country tell me if you take an English major, you won’t get anywhere, you had to be a doctor or a lawyer.” Rea says. “Your work is limited unless you work fast food or server to support yourself.” 

PJ, another grade 11 student aiming to be a language major also mentioned how people would try to coax her to pursue another career. “I don’t hear much about my degree, but when they are asking what career I want to pursue, it seems like they are discouraging me to take it,” PJ told 8forty.  

“They tell me everyone can write a sentence with a piece of pen and paper, but it’s not that simple at all.” 

Law is one of the humanities programs that remains prestigious, and therefore highly competitive.  “Law could be a pretty challenging and demanding major, but also rewarding,” 16-year-old Nilla says. She plans to become a lawyer but is bracing for challenge. “You have a lot of competitors,” Nilla said.  

“[Law] is very difficult, law is very complicated, you must memorize a lot, and you have to be both street and book smart, or else you get confused on so many things.” said Yani, another future law student. For her, the concept of law advocates the idea that law is a balance of both intellectual and emotional intelligence fighting for the glory of the career. 

Some students see developing their careers after their humanities degree as challenge. “It’s hard to find a high paying job relating to English courses,” Rea said. “You must stand out.” 

PJ also stated; “I can’t find any other job alternatives, other than teaching. That’s why I’m going to be a teacher.” 

For some, being open minded can become a solution to broaden their perspective in the work world. Yani strongly believes, “If a course exists, it just means it’s required in the real world. STEM and Arts and Humanities courses are both needed, but for sure one of them needs to get acknowledged more, not everyone can be a scientist, not everyone can be an artist.” 

“Exploring volunteer [work] and [paid] work helps discover where you [feel] comfortable [working at]. It’s good to be unsure and have many choices so you won’t be anxious.” Rea advised; “I want to be many things, a novelist, a diplomat, a journalist, I could be a librarian too, there are a lot of options… You just need to set goals for the future.”  

While the idea of keeping open-minded is important, professionals believe that it’s important for universities to make changes too. 

A career adviser from the Burnaby School District advises universities to change their marketing strategies to students. “Universities should change the way they market programs… they should know how to narrow down broader programs to give students more choices.” 

The career adviser strongly believes that the arts and humanities courses will continue to remain relevant in today’s world. “Effective communication and critical thinking will continue to be relevant… communicating effectively to other people and being able to process and create connections within that thought, I think is important.” 

Awareness is already being adapted by students who have interest in the field and a professional who’s working within it. What else is there to say that people are fighting for the knowledge of what it means to be human?   

“AI would not be able to replace my job,” the career adviser answered firmly. “Having AI to teach students is different from having a human to teach students, the learning is more in-depth and personal, and AI has no capabilities for empathizing. Only us.”

Cover Image: Khyati Trehan / Pexels