Location: United States Posts: 1860 Joined: 2008-11-14
One of the biggest fears that I've seen expressed on this forum is in regards to choosing a major in college, and whether or not that degree will be "useful" in the future. A lot of us are naturally more gifted in the liberal arts than in hard sciences, and I've seen many people say that they are afraid that their degree won't get them a "good job" and they won't be able to support themselves.
After discussing this with a professor of mine, as well as on another thread here, I decided to write this post about the perks of a liberal arts degree. You can do a lot more with a degree in the liberal arts than you'd initially think!
What is a Liberal Arts Degree?
Degrees in the liberal arts come in many different forms. Some liberal arts degrees that come off the top of my head could include the following: anthropology, psychology, sociology, English, other languages (Spanish, German, etc.), global studies (Jewish Studies, for example), history, art history, religion, so on and so forth.
The "liberal arts" is a pretty broad term that encompasses primarily degrees that don't fall under any other department on campus. For example, degrees such as business and management would typically fall under the purview of the College of Business. Engineering degrees, the College of Engineering. Nursing degrees, the College of Nursing. You get the idea.
You can even sometimes find degrees in the hard sciences within the liberal arts college, just because they don't fit into any other college. Some schools offer a B.S. in Psychology, for example, or a B.S. in Biology, and both are available within the same department.
But for our intents and purposes, we will consider the "liberal arts" the arena of degrees that one can receive with little math involved, like those I listed earlier. These degrees are very science and math light, and are typically conferred to students as a B.A., Bachelor of Arts.
My B.A. is in anthropology. When people ask what my degree is in and I tell them, I get a split response. Some people respond with, "What's that?" and the other half respond with, "Uh huh... so what are you gonna do with that?" There seems to be a general sentiment that the liberal arts are "soft" degrees and that you can't do much in the real world with them. I disagree!
The Perks of a Liberal Arts Degree
There are a lot of under-rated perks to having a liberal arts degree. It is true that the job market is saturated with liberal arts degree recipients, and that many jobs out there are not "in" the liberal arts. With a B.A. in anthropology, for example, I can't work in the field of anthropology as a professor or field worker. I would need to pursue a Ph.D. if I wanted to actually work in the field.
But that doesn't mean that these degrees are useless just because you can't use them in that exact field of study. Having a degree in the liberal arts teaches you skills that are broad and far-reaching, skills that are applicable to all kinds of fields of work.
Here are a couple of different degrees, and some examples of the skill sets that you learn from those fields of study that can be applied broadly to various types of jobs.
Anthropology:
- Cultural sensitivity
- How to relate to and facilitate interactions between people from different backgrounds
- Integrating information from various sources holistically to take in a fuller scope of a problem, and thus better manage it
- How to effectively understand and motivate people in ways that are relevant to them
- Critical thinking skills
- Writing/analysis skills
English:
- Excellent written communication with others
- Writing/analysis skills
- Superior copy editing skills
- Critical comprehension and analysis of written text
- Exposure to a wide variety of literature and ideas
Religion:
- Wide knowledge of world religion systems
- Understanding of religious motivations of individuals from varying cultures across the globe
- Critical thinking skills
- Writing/analysis skills
- Sensitivity to the beliefs of others, strong ability to interact with others of differing value/belief systems
Supplementing Your Liberal Arts Degree
Like I said before, one thing lots of people seem to be concerned about is not being able to find work "in their field." The trick with liberal arts degrees is that you have to find a way to utilize the skills you learned through attaining your degree in a way that may not be directly related to the actual field of study.
One of the big things that can help make or break your career after finishing up a liberal arts degree is what you did in college IN ADDITION TO obtaining a degree. Of the people I've known in college so far who has graduated with liberal arts degrees and gone on to get jobs or be accepted to grad school, every single one of them was involved in things outside of the classroom that bolstered their resume and made them more competitive applicants.
You may want to look into things like internships, volunteer positions, part-time jobs, and other means of getting "real world" experience in the kinds of careers you are interested in. For example, if you're interested in teaching, volunteer as a teacher's aid in a public school in your area so you can get classroom experience. If you're interested in working for a publishing company, try to get a summer internship with a publisher, or a local news paper.
I can't emphasize enough how important internships have been to people I've known when it came to giving them the real-world experience that ended up getting them a job out of college. I completed an internship with a national non-profit, and I am sure that it made my grad school application much more competitive than it would have been without that experience. My friend who did two internships during her college career landed a great entry-level job at a PR firm in South Florida. The more you do outside of just getting a degree, the more competitive you are.
Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors
Good news - there are tons of options! There are many other threads on here in regards to the types of jobs people with math-light liberal arts degrees can get, so I won't go into massive detail here (since this post is already massive enough). But you can consider degrees in a variety of fields, including and definitely not limited to the following:
- Counseling
- Teaching (English, Social Studies, Art, Foreign Language, etc.)
- Law
- Public Relations
- Journalism
- Management
- Non-profits
- Social Work
- Copy writing
- Editing
- Graduate studies in your chosen field
- A zillion other things!
So in short, do not be dismayed by the prospect of having to find a job with a liberal arts degree. Instead, celebrate it! You're gaining a broad scope of skills that are far-reaching and applicable to virtually any work setting. You just have to make it work in your favor. "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." - Eric Hoffer
You clearly put a great deal of thought into this post. Well written with excellent information included. Thank you for posting.
My heart's desire is to get a BA with an English major. I've already researched and found a uni that does not require math for entrance and there are no math requirements to get my degree--only "science" requirements and I can substitute psychology for that.
Unfortunately, life has taken another curve and right now I'm taking a program in the field I'm currently working in to upgrade my skills. I found out my superior is retiring next May 1 and if I don't have this certification soon, especially in the midst of this recession, the odds of me getting another job after he retires will be probably close to zero. I already suffered through two years of unemployment following the market crash and this job is actually only part-time. I had to bite the bullet though and take the course or I will definitely not even get an interview after this job ends without more qualifications. Nowadays employers in my field are demanding the latest updated skills and they have so many candidates to choose from.
I had hoped to begin the process of obtaining my degree while working for this person and I knew he was close to retirement age, but with people working later in life, I didn't think he would choose to retire right at age 65. So, rather than pursuing my dream of higher education, I slave away at this course, upgrading my skills so that I can at least stay employed.
Anyway, your post has inspired me to not give up on my dream--this is only a pit stop along the way. Again, thank you for posting and I wish you all the best in your future career.
Ladyhawke Algebra? When I learn decimals and fractions, you're welcome to try teaching me, but unless you have the patience of a saint and are very long-lived, good luck with that...
Location: Texas USA Posts: 6103 Joined: 2008-05-25
5/7/12
Trying to get registered into my classes right now, Kat. But I could tell that you did a spectacular job on that post. I'll be back later to ponder the details. Thanks for posting it. - jus'
Thank you for this lovely post Kat! It really inspired me, it gave me hope, and you just can't imagine in what perfect timing you wrote it for me
I always tried to get into a science related degree because of my interests but, stupid me, it's impossible bcs of the requirements. Now I finally understood to seperate my interests from my passions which I didn't follow because I thought they'd never bring me anywhere. Why wasting time and money as an adult to study lib. arts? Everyone would judge you crazy. But, as you say, it's what you make out of it, and it's still better than being without any degree.
Thanks so much and good luck!
Location: United States Posts: 1860 Joined: 2008-11-14
Ladyhawke - Thank you! I hope that you never give up on that dream. It may take longer than you'd like or expect, but like you said, life throws you curve balls and things happen. Work on getting the certification you need now, and then later you can work towards the dream of an English degree.
Marthinika - You're welcome! I am glad that the post was able to give you some hope about the future, that was my goal. Isn't it funny how serendipitous things can be sometimes? Good luck in your pursuits, I hope sincerely that you follow your passion and are able to make something great out of it.
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." - Eric Hoffer
