I place great value in the humanities, but from a practical jobs perspective they don't do a lot more than check the box marked "degree required" on a job application.

I'm all for people focussing on the humanities in their college career, but most should also be looking at a minor that gives them more concrete job prospects. Or reverse it, and minor in the humanity subject of choice.

This was the advice I gave my sister: one major for passion, one for future employment. I graduated during 2010 with a humanities degree, and while I loved the things I learned and did really well academically, I was auto-rejected from a lot of interesting job opportunities during a really shitty economy because I simply didn't have a resume that distinguished me from anyone else and said "this guy could be valuable." My sister studied something she loved but also tried accounting, realized she hated it, and switched to something else practical, which got her a great job right out of school and put her way ahead of me financially and career-wise. I would give the same advice to any young person. You may not love every single class you take, but the investment will pay off immensely in terms of overall lifetime happiness, financial security, and career growth. You might also discover some passion in an unexpected place. On the flip side, don't study only for practicality. College is one of the few times in life you will have total intellectual freedom to follow your curiosity without restriction. Don't squander it only learning a trade. Find some subject that piques your curiosity, practicality be damned.

It may not have returned to its previous high, but it definitely bounced back. I know people who were hired into positions that were frozen unfilled during the recession and subsequently reopened.