Humanities degrees — are they worth it? Jobs and pay

Are humanities degrees worth it in an era dominated by talk of computer science and data? Thousands of high-school graduates ask themselves this every year, torn between a love of literature, history or languages and the fear of hearing, "so, are you going to teach?" The truth is more nuanced — humanities graduates today work in marketing, HR, media, public administration, publishing and even tech companies.

What humanities studies really give you

Philology, history, cultural studies or philosophy rarely train you for one narrow job — and that is a strength, not a weakness. Graduates leave university with skills the job market increasingly values, especially against the backdrop of AI development:

• strong writing and editing ability,
• source analysis and critical thinking,
• argumentation and persuasive communication,
• advanced foreign-language skills,
• understanding of cultural and social context.

These are soft skills, but highly sought after in industries that rarely think of humanities graduates first — such as content marketing, employer branding or digital products.

What university admissions look like

Admission to philology, history or cultural studies programs is usually based on matura results in Polish, a foreign language, and one additional subject (e.g., history, civics, or a second language), depending on the university. Compared to STEM fields, admission thresholds tend to be lower, which some mistakenly read as a sign these degrees are "easier" — in practice it usually just reflects less competition for places, not a less demanding curriculum. It's worth checking the specific admission rules early, as they can differ even between related programs at the same faculty.

Where humanities graduates actually work

According to data from ELA (Economic Fate of Graduates, nauka.gov.pl) and Poland's Occupational Barometer, humanities graduates rarely end up in teaching as their only path. Most commonly they land in:

Industry	Example roles	Approximate pay (gross/month)
Marketing & media	copywriter, content manager, PR specialist	PLN 5,000–9,000
Education	teacher, language instructor, tutor	PLN 4,500–7,500
HR & employer branding	recruitment specialist, HR business partner	PLN 5,500–10,000
Public administration & NGOs	civil servant, project coordinator	PLN 4,500–7,000
Publishing & culture	editor, translator, curator	PLN 4,500–8,000

These are approximate ranges based on market data (wynagrodzenia.pl, Statistics Poland/GUS) — actual pay depends on city, experience and extra skills, such as SEO tools or a second language at C1 level.

When it's worth it — and when to think twice

Humanities degrees make sense when you genuinely care about the field and are willing to build market value through extra skills — a marketing course, a language certificate, a media internship. If you're choosing one only because "I hate maths", it's worth checking degree courses without maths for humanities minds, which may offer a broader career choice than a classic philology.

The market also increasingly rewards combining skills. A humanities graduate who adds analytics, basic coding or UX design usually has far more options — including paths supporting remote work, now increasingly available for "soft" professions too.

Studying abroad and exchanges

One of the less-mentioned advantages of humanities programs is easier access, compared to STEM fields, to student exchanges (Erasmus+) and scholarship programs tied to languages and culture. Foreign experience — a semester or a year at a partner university — can be as valuable to employers as the degree itself, since it shows independence, practical language skills, and the ability to function in a different cultural environment. It's worth factoring this in when choosing a university, checking how many foreign partner institutions a given faculty works with.

Humanities and career security

A common complaint about humanities is "there's no specific job at the end of it." That's only partly true — psychology (formally also a humanities/social field) or applied philology give a fairly clear career path. If working with people and helping them appeals to you, check our article on how much a psychologist earns and how to become one — a good example of a humanities path with a defined career track.

If you're already working but considering a switch toward a more humanities-adjacent role (e.g., from accounting to communications), our piece on career change after 30 can help too.

Making the decision consciously

Instead of picking a humanities degree "on a hunch", check whether your personality and interests genuinely fit it. The free, 10-minute next.movv aptitude test, based on the RIASEC model (Holland Codes), shows which career types suit you best and suggests concrete degrees and jobs with salary and automation-risk data. Take it on the homepage at nextmovv.com.

Remember: no test or article replaces a conversation with a career counsellor or a trial day in the industry — it's a starting point, not a final answer.

Bottom line

Humanities degrees are worth choosing if you combine genuine passion for the field with a readiness to consciously build your career path — adding practical skills, following the Occupational Barometer, and staying open to industries that don't obviously scream "humanities".