ive heard of companies hiring cross discipline from commerce to science to engineering etc. but never arts. so im just curious as to the value you see in it
Just curious, but which companies have you talked to? Or is this merely hearsay?
If you take a look at GradStats, you'd be surprised to see that arts and science graduates are on an equal footing in the full-time employment market. The percentages below are the number of graduates who have gained full-time employment within four months of graduating:
Arts
Humanities: 64.5% (down from 67.1% in 2002)
Languages: 65.3% (down from 71.3% in 2002)
Social Sciences: 63.7% (down from 71.2% in 2002)
Psychology: 63.7% (down from 65.4% in 2002)
Social Work: 77.3% (up from 77.2% in 2002)
Science
Life Sciences: 61.5% (down from 79.2% in 2002)
Mathematics: 71.9% (down from 72.6% in 2002)
Chemistry: 61.7% (down from 77.0% in 2002)
Physical Sciences: 70.2% (no direct data from 2002)
Sources:
http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gca002770.pdf (2012 data);
http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gca001218.pdf (2002 data)
As you can see, science graduates had the edge in the full-time employment market in 2002, but now they're relatively on par with arts graduates. A science background is nowhere near as attractive to employers as it used to be in 2002, with Chemistry and Life Sciences majors having a particularly tough time.
If you delve into those sources further, you'll see that the number of arts and science graduates in part-time/casual employment, as well as those who are unemployed and seeking work, are also very similar. Now, I have no issue with science students per se, but those studying science (as well as onlookers like yourself) who believe they have a greater chance of landing a full-time job over an arts student are seriously deluding themselves. Look at the data, then judge.
In any case, I studied a Bachelor of Arts. In addition to the various discipline-specific skills and knowledge that I gained through my English and History majors, the BA afforded me various opportunities to engage with the world critically and creatively and helped me become a more effective communicator, which, I feel, has transformed me into a better person. As I am now studying to become a teacher, I have no doubt that the skills, experience and knowledge gained through my BA will be an asset to my students in the future. That, to me, made the BA a worthwhile degree.