Liberal arts students learn a wide range of skills to prepare for their jobs, from advertising to network development. Some colleges and universities have withdrawn from the liberal arts field by cutting such programs. However, although the support of some schools is getting less and less, advocates of liberal arts have also joined in.
Emily Griffen, director of Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning at Amherst College in Massachusetts, wrote in an email: "In an increasingly uncertain and turbulent world, a liberal arts degree is the most practical degree one can pursue. It can improve your adaptability, which is essential to control the rapidly changing environment in your decades-long career. This is more worthwhile than ever. "
She added: "This is especially true with the emergence of new jobs and the obsolescence of some occupations."
Is a liberal arts degree worth it?
Literary critics abound. Recently, Tucker Carlson, the talk show host of Fox News Channel, called a communication degree from a liberal arts college "worthless". 20 14 former president barack obama questioned the value of a degree in art history. However, liberal arts advocates say that these remarks reflect the public's belief that education is purely a tool to find a job, not a means to acquire knowledge, which challenges people's preconceptions and open minds about the world.
Lynn Pasqui, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, said: "I think there is a popular saying that questions the value of higher education, especially humanities education, because they regard the humanities and art in the ivory tower as deliberately divorced from the actual affairs in daily life, and now the sole purpose of higher education is regarded as employability."
Pasclara believes that Gallup poll shows that public confidence in American higher education "has dropped significantly since 20 15". According to data from the Pew Research Center, * * * and the party and the Democratic Party all said that American higher education is "going in the wrong direction", which is a rare sign of bipartisan cooperation, despite their differences on the reasons.
Even so, liberal arts advocates have not wavered. A recent study by the Education and Labor Center of Georgetown University shows that although people have doubts about the long-term value of liberal arts, it can be richly rewarded. This study examines the return on investment of 4,500 colleges and universities in the United States and finds that the median return on investment of liberal arts colleges is "nearly $200,000 higher than all colleges" 40 years later. It is worth noting that compared with other types of schools, the College of Arts and Sciences has trained a disproportionate number of high-tech graduates.
Similarly, research shows that the professional income of graduates from liberal arts colleges is slightly higher than that of graduates from engineering and technology colleges, as well as graduates from four-year business schools and management schools.
What do liberal arts majors study?
Annie, director of the National Arts and Science Program of Phi Beta Kappa Society? Anne Wise said that the word "liberal arts" has changed over time. The Association is an academic honorary association dedicated to the arts and sciences. Wise also said: "It does cover what some people call traditional education."
Pasquerella listed some majors, such as history, philosophy, music, religious studies and social sciences. However, students in the College of Arts and Sciences can also study biology, chemistry and other subjects. Griffin said: "liberal arts just means studying various subjects, aiming at encouraging flexible thinking." The word "liberal" refers to the freedom or liberation of ideas, rather than the term that is often associated with political direction at present. The word "art" actually comes from Latin, which means art or skill (ars), so it is actually a word of "skill", not just "art". We usually associate "art" with painting or music. "
As the Bureau of Labor Statistics said: "Generally speaking, (liberal arts) is to prepare students for various career choices, not for a specific career."
What a liberal arts degree can do.
But what kind of jobs can a bachelor of arts degree provide? The road is not always clear. Griffen, for example, said that a philosophy major can't play the role of philosopher after graduation because this position doesn't exist.
Griffin said: "In fact, every subject provides a specific framework for your creativity, problem-solving ability, communication ability and other skills, which will be applied in many professional fields and jobs."
The following are potential jobs for liberal arts graduates. There are many examples from university websites and job search websites in this list, which provide some job opportunities to choose from:
(1) advertising representative
(2) File Manager
(3) Artists
(4) the person in charge of the activity
(5) Financial analysts
(6) Graphic designer
(7) Human resource experts
(8) reporter
(9) Marketing experts
(10) PR expert
(1 1) Project Manager
(12) research analyst
(13) social workers
(14) statistician
(15) Teacher
(16) technical writer
(17)Web developer
Adam, CEO of Veloz Group, an e-commerce and technology solutions company? Mendler said that liberal arts graduates are usually good job seekers. Mendler wrote in an email: "I began to understand that most learning takes place in the real world and at work. With this in mind, I am more concerned about a person's ability and the possibility that he/she will perform well in our environment than the hard skills that a college graduate can bring. Liberal arts graduates are often interesting, interested, experienced and thoughtful. Conversely, they are also very suitable for growing up in various roles. "
In addition, Mendler believes that critical thinking and problem-solving ability are the key characteristics of liberal arts graduates.
The key to the success of liberal arts students
Wise encourages students to establish contact with professors early in their college career, who may be good mentors. Other suggestions include conducting undergraduate research and finding high-quality internship opportunities to help students develop their skills at school. Students who are worried about employment opportunities should contact vocational service organizations as soon as possible and make good plans.
Griffin said that the income of liberal arts graduates is often lower than that of their peers engaged in technical or vocational training, but the accelerated growth of these incomes comes later, especially when liberal arts graduates hold leadership positions. According to the analysis of liberal arts graduates in various fields in BLS 20 17, the average annual salary of full-time employees under 35 is between 35,750 and 52,450.
She also believes that liberal arts students are better prepared for the upcoming automation change. Griffen said: "Students majoring in arts and sciences are ahead because they are fully prepared to meet complex and multifaceted challenges, such as leadership, cross-functional management or drastic changes in job market demand. Due to automation, their employment prospects are less threatened because the skills they bring to the workplace cannot be replaced by robots. "