The power of a liberal arts degree in the workforce
October 29th, 2019In today’s workforce there is a lot of emphasis on STEM degrees, which can be intimidating and discouraging for liberal arts college students. While tech skills are increasingly important as more jobs are created by escalating advances in technology, the foundational skills provided by a liberal arts degree are a major asset in the workplace.
Critical thinking, problem-solving and the ability to collaborate with different viewpoints are key skills that create strong employees and leaders. These “soft skills” learned through a liberal arts education prepare students to work in a wide variety of settings. In the article referenced below from The New York Times, statistics are given to show that liberal arts degrees are often winning the “salary race” in the long run due to the broad intellectual training this degree provides.
Article referenced below from The New York Times, published September 20, 2019 written by David Deming
In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure
For students chasing lasting wealth, the best choice of a college major is less obvious than you might think.
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.
To read more go to New York Times>>
Tagged: College, Critical thinking, Liberal arts, Soft skills
