Yes, Indeed. You Miss the Mark on College Education

The recent Indeed commercial featuring a hotel manager who majored in dance is supposed to be clever. A job applicant without a degree is told a college degree is required for the role. In a moment of pushback, the applicant asks the manager what he studied. When the manager replies, “Dance” (with jazz hands, no less), the message is clear: See? Degrees are pointless.

But are they?

The Problem with the Punchline

What the commercial sets up as irony is actually a subtle form of academic shaming. The implication is that the manager’s degree is irrelevant, maybe even laughable, and that requiring a college degree at all is outdated or elitist. That’s a deeply unfair portrayal of the value of higher education, and it ignores the hard work, discipline, and transferable skills that even (and especially) a dance degree can offer.

What a Dance Major Really Teaches

I wasn’t a dance major in college. But I was just a few credits shy of a minor. Part of my background was in theater: musicals, comedies, dramas, from middle school into college. During my junior year, I was asked to help in a ballet performance because they needed men as “lifters.” I said yes. That led to modern dance classes, ballet training, and even a bit of choreography and improvisation during my senior year.

What I learned from studying dance extended far beyond the studio. My coursework combined technique, theory, and performance. I studied ballet, modern, and jazz. I explored dance history, gained a basic understanding of kinesiology, and worked collaboratively with peers and instructors. I developed discipline, time management, creative problem-solving, and communication skills. And I built lasting friendships across disciplines. All of this was preparation, not just for a stage, but for life.

Dance is more than choreography and recitals. It demands physical stamina, mental focus, and emotional resilience. Dancers rehearse for hours, often while juggling academic coursework, jobs, and other commitments. They must accept criticism, adapt quickly to feedback, and stay poised under pressure.

Sound like the kind of person you’d want managing a hotel? Me too.

Live performance teaches grace under pressure. Rehearsal teaches the importance of preparation. Creative collaboration fosters leadership. And if you’ve ever worked on a modern dance piece, you know how fast things can change. Choreography gets revised in real-time when inspiration strikes. That flexibility and adaptability are essential in fast-paced, customer-facing environments like hospitality.

College Isn’t Just About What You Study—It’s About Who You Become

College isn’t just about the content of a major. It’s about four years of personal, emotional, and intellectual growth. Whether you major in dance, English, biology, or business, what you’re really doing is learning how to be a fully functioning, adaptable, thoughtful adult.

Students learn how to manage their time, juggle competing priorities, and meet high-stakes deadlines. They navigate conflict: roommate disagreements, group project challenges, and tough professors. And they grow emotionally by learning how to listen, compromise, and stand their ground when needed. They live independently for the first time, managing finances, cooking, cleaning, and making daily decisions without a safety net.

Most importantly, college teaches students to think. Deeply. Critically. They’re exposed to new ideas and perspectives. They read, write, debate, and reflect. They wrestle with ambiguity and develop intellectual curiosity. These are qualities every employer values.

A Degree Isn’t Everything—But It’s Not Nothing

Indeed's broader point—that employers shouldn’t blindly require degrees for every job—is well taken. There are talented, capable people who succeed without college. But belittling higher education or mocking someone’s field of study doesn’t make a strong case for equity. It just reinforces stereotypes and undervalues the tremendous growth college can foster.

So yes, a person with a degree in dance can absolutely manage a hotel very well. That doesn’t mean their education was irrelevant. It means it was transformative.

Don’t Laugh

Instead of laughing at a dance major, maybe we should recognize how well it prepares someone to lead. The attention to detail, poise, collaboration, discipline, and creativity developed in a dance program are exactly the skills that define excellence in service industries like hospitality.

So, Indeed, maybe it’s time to stop pretending otherwise.