Imagine my surprise recently when I checked ¡Ask a Mexican! and read Gustavo Arellano’s response to a question about the usefulness of earning a BA in Chicana/o Studies. He ends up offering this challenge:

All right, Chicano Studies cabrones: This is your chance to show America your degree isn’t just a capitulation to whiny minorities. Tell the Mexican how Chicano Studies helps your career, and he’ll publish the best testimonials in the coming weeks!

I guess I’m one of those cabrones, ’cause as you might know, I graduated from college five years ago (!) with a BA in Sociology and Chicana/o Studies. I also had a minor in Spanish.

Did I ever regret my decision when trying to get a job or curse the supposed lack of skills of a major focusing on the Chicana/o experience?

Hell no.

First off, I really loved my classes in Chicana/o Studies. Since UCLA’s program was interdisciplinary, I took classes focused on the topics that interested me like literature, music, and history. I learned about the history of Los Angeles, health disparities, landmark legal decisions impacting civil rights of Mexicans (and other minorities), the role Chicanas/os played in the development of popular music, and about the “cannon” of Chicana/o literature. Not only did I enjoy what I was learning about (you know, sometimes you can just study something for learning’s sake), but it also made me feel more connected to the campus. I was more engaged in my Chicana/o Studies classes than in most of my Sociology classes. So yeah, I’m a bit biased. No one wants to think they spent four years doing something that has little relevance to their life.

Second, I don’t have a set career at the moment. I’m kinda in training, so I’m not sure I can really answer the question. However, I have worked a few jobs since I graduated. I was the director of counseling and mentorship program for current college students. I was a research assistant at a research center focused on students in postsecondary institutions.

Now I’m a research assistant with a project examining college access for African American students. In addition, I’m also a program coordinator with a program that supports first and second year math and science students. All those students come from populations underrepresented in these fields. They’re underrepresented minorities (Latino, black, Native Americans), first generation or low income.

Did I (do I) use my Chicana/o Studies training and knowledge in those positions?

Yup.

As the director of the counseling/mentorship program, I also counseled students. Many of them were Chicana/o Studies majors/minors. Since I was a recent graduate and still very familiar with the requirements, it was easy to advise students about requirements and recommend classes. I also was living proof to skeptical students that you could get a job after graduating with a Chicana/o Studies degree. Since almost all of the students we served at the program were Latinos, it was very useful to have a knowledge of community issues. I also needed to include this in our funding proposal to justify the need for the program.

It’s a bit more difficult to say how I’ve used Chicana/o Studies as a researcher or as a program coordinator with a science program. Sure, I didn’t learn about data analysis in Chicana/o Studies — hell, I didn’t even learn much about that in Sociolgy — but I did learn about other key parts of the research process like theory, writing and critical thinking. Since I’m still focused on Latino students as a graduate student, I have a better understanding of community issues than someone who did not study this.

I’m not the best cheerleader for Chicana/o Studies’ usefulness in one’s career since I’m still trying to get there. However, I can definitely attest to it’s usefulness in my short job history.