Topmost among the numerous benefits of studying Literature is that it helps in the development of analytical skills that can be applied in other areas of academic study and career development. Other important advantages of studying Literature are the building of multi-tasking skills, development of a tolerant attitude and preparation for personally fulfilling jobs in areas you may consider unrelated to Literature.
There are many people out there who have very little regard for the study of Literature. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with that.
The reason is that there are equally a lot of people who would have nothing to do with other subjects such as Mathematics and Music! But that doesn’t make any of these subjects worthless.
Remember that most famous personalities that we admire and worship today had their lives influenced and directed by the study of the subjects they loved most which others might have regarded as being useless. And if you asked some of them, they would tell you one such subject is Literature.
So whatever subject your natural abilities would allow you to love and study, go for them. It can be Literature, Mathematics, Business or Computer Science. Because they all come together to make our lives better.
In this post, I will share with you the amazing benefits of studying Literature as a student. I will tell you what I think studying Literature has done for me personally and what it can do for you.
Then also, I will share with you what others are saying about the importance of studying Literature.
So if you want to know whether studying Literature as a student has any advantages to offer continue reading.
6 Reasons Why Students Hate Literature
How to Study a Subject You Don’t Understand
Analysis of the Lion and the Jewel
How to Get the Points for Writing a Literature Essay
1. It makes you a more versatile learner.
Being able to adapt to a fast-changing job environment is among the benefits of studying Literature. What studying Literature does to the learner is that it develops an ability to learn other subjects with relative ease.
You will only appreciate the full value of this when, at a point in your life, you need to branch off into other careers or switch careers altogether.
I have personally experienced this first-hand.
Today, I can say that studying Literature prepared me to find learning other subjects such as information technology, basic business management, business communication, digital marketing, publishing and persuasive writing quite easy.
Here are some learnt skills that made this possible.
Persistence skills
Exploratory skills
Investigative skills
Analytical skills
Effective reading skills
Effective writing skills
2. It sharpens multi-tasking skills.
Tell me, who wouldn’t want to develop further their ability to tackle more than one work-related task at a time?
Yes, there are those who hold the view that multi-tasking should not be encouraged. But that doesn’t take away the fact that, in our modern world, you simply can’t help but multi-task sometimes.
The skills we learn from studying multiple texts covering different genres make this possible.
Again, learning to compare and contrast characters, themes or ideas and situations comes in handy.
This is even when we somehow find ourselves working in other industries as varied as banking, event management, the armed forces and social media marketing
3. You can become more open-minded.
In the process of studying Literature, we come to learn that there are no absolutes in life. The characters we study are individuals with varying degrees of personal strengths and weaknesses.
The same applies to situations in their lives. We hardly jump to rigid conclusions about characters saying one is completely bad and the other is a complete saint. Because this is not reality.
Even a caricature, is not a completely flat character.
Surely, studying Literature has a role to play in reducing the high levels of bigotry in our world today.
Further, this skill of looking at people, situations, ideas and so on with an objective mind is of great value in many ‘unrelated’ areas of life. Here are a few.
Business management
Scientific research
Coding and Programming
Marketing
Detective work
Policing
Military strategy
Journalism
Photography
Actor
And the list goes on and on.
4. It makes you more tolerant.
Thanks to my study of so many different shades of characters in novels, plays and poetry, I have learnt to look at people whose thoughts, opinions and idiosyncracies are different from mine with a less critical and more tolerant attitude.
I have come to respect other people’s opinions. And I have always refused to impose my views, no matter how strongly I believe in them, on others who hold a different opinion.
In short, studying Literature instils in the learner a sympathetic rather than a judgmental attitude to other people.
Clearly, it is possible to become a more peace-loving human being, ready to help in the promotion of a more tolerant society after studying a couple of topics in Literature.
5. Preparation for Key Jobs
Studying Literature as a student has the potential to better prepare you for any one of the below careers.
This is not to say that one needs to study Literature in order to qualify for any particular job.
The point here is that the prospect of becoming a successful professional gets brighter when you are armed with the insights and skills acquired from the study of Literature.
Detective/Investigator
Journalism
Law
Governance
Information Technology
Digital Technology
Copywriter
Human Resource Manager
Teaching
Public Relations
Diplomacy
Policing
Armed Forces
Public Speaking
50+ General Arts Job Opportunities for Students
60+ English Literature Degree Jobs
6. It facilitates the study of other subjects.
As a student, you will find that the rigorous study of prescribed Literature texts has developed in you the ability to study less demanding subjects with greater ease.
In other words, if you can read and study all those novels, plays and poems, you will have little trouble studying another subject which requires you to read just one or two textbooks, for example.
Other Benefits of Studying Literature
Are the above advantages of studying Literature enough to convince you of the importance of the study of Literature in schools?
If not, then I will urge you to also consider what others with some knowledge of the subject have to say.
Findcourses.co. uk
Studying Literature will allow you to better understand the world we live in.
Kasigaschool.com
As you study Literature, you will also be building your vocabulary.
Alpha Omega Publications (aop.com)
Literature will teach you about yourself. It, therefore, enhances self-awareness.
The Asian School.net
You will learn to understand and appreciate other cultures better.
Conclusion
Are you a student who is faced with the decision to choose between Literature and another subject? Maybe you are a parent whose child has expressed interest in the subject but you have serious doubts.
It might also be that you once studied Literature but can’t see how to make your experience relevant to your life.
Well, I hope that the benefits of studying Literature I have outlined above will make a positive contribution to whatever direction you will choose for yourself or your loved one.
Type here..
Well, thank you, Gabriel.