Classics departments give this kind of attitude short shrift. Vocational training is so narrow . This is not just because classics is perceived as one of the more difficult subjects. Our students come out of university with an ability to deal with all sorts of information analytically. The range of career options is enormous but there's no obvious path.
Graduates go into law, teaching, accountancy, public relations, and many more.
Last year, one even became a stonemason. A graduate of Royal Holloway is story editor on Coronation Street, and the Birmingham department's most famous graduate is Ann Widdecombe, shadow home secretary. The department is quick to point out that she studied Combined Honours rather than full Classics. The versatility of a classics degree may not be a good reason for choosing it in the first place, but if you have a genuine interest in the subject it's an excellent reason for ignoring the advice of any teachers or parents who warn against it. Twenty years ago, typical final year coursework included translating a leader column from The Times into flawless Latin in the style of Cicero.