The Liberal Arts Advantage
We’ve heard it too. The myth about the “useless” liberal arts degree.
We’re here to prove it wrong.
Let’s break it down.
The Myth: You won’t get a job.
The Facts:
“In 2013, the American Association of Colleges and Universities published a survey showing that 74 percent of employers would recommend a good liberal education to students as the best way to prepare for today’s global economy.” - In Defense of a Liberal Education
The Myth: You won’t make any money.
The Facts:
A recent article from the New York Times detailed exactly how – and when – liberal arts majors start making more than our STEM counterparts:
“The conventional wisdom is that computer science and engineering majors have better employment prospects and higher earnings than their peers who choose liberal arts.
This is true for the first job, but the long-term story is more complicated.
The advantage for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors fades steadily after their first jobs, and by age 40 the earnings of people who majored in fields like social science or history have caught up.”
The Myth: The liberal arts are outdated.
The Facts:
“Nearly all growth since 1980 has been in occupations that are relatively social-skill intensive, while jobs that require high levels of analytical and mathematical reasoning, but low levels of social interaction, jobs that are comparatively easy to automate, have fared comparatively poor.” - The Art of Employment
“Whatever job you take, the specific subjects you studied in college will probably prove somewhat irrelevant to the day-to-day work you will do soon after you graduate. And even if they are relevant, that will change. People who learned to write code for computers just ten years ago now confront a new world of apps and mobile devices. What remain constant are the skills you acquire and the methods you learn to approach problems. Given how quickly industries and professions are evolving these days, you will need to apply these skills to new challenges all the time.” - In Defense of a Liberal Education