The Classics still matter

When I tell people that I have a Master’s degree in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin) and History, I usually get one of two questions: “so you want to teach?” or “do you regret it yet?”

My answer to both is simple: no.

I wouldn’t trade critical thinking, complex analysis, the body of knowledge, and the ability to express my thoughts for any other study. Languages, mythology, history, culture, and philosophy expand the mind in different directions and deepen your thinking ability. There’s a reason why the original college study was classics until well into the twentieth century and why this education produced some of the world’s greatest thinkers.

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Let’s start with where my Classical journey started. I stepped into college with no clue what I wanted to be, but I thought pre-Law and psychology was a cool track to start out with. I’ve seen every episode of Law & Order, and I’d heard Latin terms used, so I thought of giving Latin a try. Within a week, I was hooked, and that pre-law track became a Classics and History track.

Learning about ancient cultures and practices was interesting. Still, the part that sticks with me is interpreting and putting together the history puzzle. Translating Virgil’s Aeneid and Herodotus’ Histories or writing an essay on the historical representation of society in Homer may just be homework to some. But it’s what gave me a voice. I was able to find the evidence of the world and effectively speak my interpretation. It offers students to exercise their critical thinking and say something about it. They are the ones to find the evidence, translate the primary sources, and interpret its meaning.

It still begs the question: what do you do with a Classics major?

Let’s first dispel the notion of doing something with a college degree. 40% of people who say they regret their major say they don’t directly use their degree, and 28% say they can’t find a job in the field. If you aren’t using the information from your college degree, then tune up the skills like creativity, problem-solving and pattern identification. It’s a constant study of effectively applying knowledge and understanding people, which is imperative in any social setting. The world is not equations and numbers—let’s stop acting like it.

So, what careers can you find with that Classics background?

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My suggestion: focus on what excites you. Focus on your passion and use the reasoning and advanced knowledge from the Classics for a broader perspective. Here’s a list of things you can do:

• Content Creation: The classically trained study poetry and historical texts that are the backbone of human history. They’ve studied the works that catch eyes and know what sticks in people’s minds.

• Aspiring Spies: that’s right. Government agencies seek out classically trained individuals because of their ability to find patterns in languages, making them excellent codebreakers.

• Interpreters: Many languages, like English, Italian, French, and German, stem from Latin and Ancient Greek, although they are dead languages. Even if you chose to master a language that didn’t stem from them, you would still have an excellent grasp on language fundamentals.

• Computer programmers: Software and code update on the daily computer science majors are out of date before many even leave college. What doesn’t go out of date is cognitive ability and picking up language patterns (like code) quickly.

• Government positions: knowing about the beginning of civilization and forms of government gives a historical and philosophical perspective on how things are run.

• Lawyer: Classics majors have the highest success rates in law school. Knowing the basic principles of law, interpretation, and application give a massive edge over others.

As for me, I spent some time in the business world as a competitive analyst. I used my cognitive thinking skills and brought new perspectives to people. However, what I enjoyed most was creative content, and that’s what I’m sticking to. I am a devout believer in the Hero’s Journey and creating stories while modernizing the concepts. The Classics opened my eyes to how powerful it is to connect people with words.

An investor may look back at Midas. A programmer may pick up code easier because of his language. A doctor may understand their diagnosis if they understand the language of the disease. A robust, encompassing training like Classics prepares people for the future by studying and interpreting the past. History repeats itself. Understanding human dynamics, the history and evolution of the world is a strong foundation to transform the future of humanity.