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I participated in not one, but three new business startups. Sold the third one to my employees and am semi-retired at age 50. Now I work with the clients I like, guiding them in their own businesses. I tell MBAs how to do their jobs and, because my advice is awfully good, they've profited from it. Why just last week, I called on a large furniture company who, after following my recommendations, have seen a huge boost in sales because I guided them through rejiggering their collections, cleaning up their distribution channels, and generally giving them a more aggressive posture. Next week, I meet with a $100 million computing company to juice their long-term business strategy. And the list goes on.
I earned my degree in English. And as I was earning my degree in English 30 years ago, there were all kinds of half-witted and snide remarks about starving to death, not earning a decent living, etc. Guess what? I'm the guy who no longer has to slave away all day at a job I don't like for someone I don't like in my middle management position. I don't, at age 50, worry about the axe falling because someone up in corporate feels that 'new blood' is needed.
Because what guys like you don't get, and never will get, is that a good liberal arts education teaches you to absorb abstract information from a host of different sources and synthesize it into workable ideas. It teaches you to slice through a bull**** argument and get to the core problem. It teaches you to think beyond the limitations of whatever industry you call home. It teaches you to clearly express ideas, whereas the average business major seems to be severely handicapped in that regard.
Hell, Steve Jobs, the greatest CEO of the past fifty years, found that typography and calligraphy was the most influential college course he took. I'm sure that, when he did, some guy like you snorted and said, "Typography? What the hell are you going to do with that?"
So well said! Some people will never understand liberal arts. I am not surprised that a "what the hell are you going to do with that?" class was one of Jobs most memorable and influential.
Most schools confer a mathematics degree in their liberal arts school.
Yes liberal arts is a rather vague term that actually encompasses a large quantity of majors. Mathematics falls under liberal arts typically as does economics.
OP is also making the assumption that each person in a liberal arts degree is stopping at the BA/BS level.
Many poly-sci people are set on law school (despite how poor of a decision that is in this economy), etc.
I chose psychology, which falls under liberal arts, and went on to get a PhD in I/O.
The Science Graduate asks "How does it work?"
The Economics Graduate asks "How much does it cost?"
The Engineering Graduate asks "How can we make it?"
The Liberal Arts Graduate asks "Do you want fries with that?"
This is credited to Jesse Schell, a quote which I have posted in my science classroom. Thought I'd share it with you. No offence intended.
Maybe because not everyone wants to be or has the aptitude to be an engineer. I had a brother in law making hundreds of thousands of dollas a year with a bach degree in liberal arts. My degrees are in liberal arts and I make a decent middle class living. I found my academic course work to be very enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. If I had it to do all over again, I would do it all over again.
I participated in not one, but three new business startups. Sold the third one to my employees and am semi-retired at age 50. Now I work with the clients I like, guiding them in their own businesses. I tell MBAs how to do their jobs and, because my advice is awfully good, they've profited from it. Why just last week, I called on a large furniture company who, after following my recommendations, have seen a huge boost in sales because I guided them through rejiggering their collections, cleaning up their distribution channels, and generally giving them a more aggressive posture. Next week, I meet with a $100 million computing company to juice their long-term business strategy. And the list goes on.
I earned my degree in English. And as I was earning my degree in English 30 years ago, there were all kinds of half-witted and snide remarks about starving to death, not earning a decent living, etc. Guess what? I'm the guy who no longer has to slave away all day at a job I don't like for someone I don't like in my middle management position. I don't, at age 50, worry about the axe falling because someone up in corporate feels that 'new blood' is needed.
Because what guys like you don't get, and never will get, is that a good liberal arts education teaches you to absorb abstract information from a host of different sources and synthesize it into workable ideas. It teaches you to slice through a bull**** argument and get to the core problem. It teaches you to think beyond the limitations of whatever industry you call home. It teaches you to clearly express ideas, whereas the average business major seems to be severely handicapped in that regard.
Hell, Steve Jobs, the greatest CEO of the past fifty years, found that typography and calligraphy was the most influential college course he took. I'm sure that, when he did, some guy like you snorted and said, "Typography? What the hell are you going to do with that?"
This is one of the best posts that I've read on the City-Data forums. At Age 27, this is the type of professional position that I hope to achieve by Age 50.
I, too, come from a Liberal Arts background and although I don't remember squat from certain classes like Philosophy or Spanish, I was walked away with a much stronger analytical thought pattern. This skillset is very transportable and applicable in most industries or jobs (even in specialized fields that require extra certifications/degrees, such as Healthcare or Engineering).
Another trend that I've noticed is that more employers are viewing your Bachelor's Degree as proof that the candidate can accomplish a long-term project without quitting. Employers are always concerned about employees leaving after a year or two, so the Bachelor's Degree is an indicator of potential longevity. Similarly, it will help employers identify whether or not the candidate can finish long-term projects that may take years to accomplish.
Furthermore, the Bachelor's Degree does not mandate that you can only work in certain fields or industries. It's up to you, as the candidate, on how you can "sell yourself" in the job marketplace.
Example 1: My best friend's Dad is the Chief ER Surgeon at a local hospital. His top ER co-surgeon majored in French (with no minor) but went on to obviously become a Doctor.
Example 2: I know many folks (including my own girlfriend) who majored in Drama/Theater. At first glance, this degree may sound useless in the working world (unless you strike gold by becoming a successful actor/actress). However, many people are using their stage confidence with business presentations, public speaking, sales, etc. My girlfriend is pursuing an M.B.A. in Healthcare to supplement her career working for various Insurance (for-profit and not-for-profit) organizations.
Example 3: Myself. I didn't major in a specific field like Engineering. I chose "Communication" where I received many criticizing comments. Comments ranged from, "it's a major that only sports players choose" to "it's a dumb degree for dumb people." However, my open-ended degree allowed me the opportunity to begin a career in Insurance, and as a Consultant now, I am living a comfortable and happy lifestyle at Age 27. I am also halfway done with my M.B.A. program, which is another generalized degree (though aimed for business professionals) that will help my marketability for future jobs - even if they are outside of Insurance.
My point is that the Bachelor's degree is only a starting point to help you build credibility. There are also many lesser-motivated folks with degrees that are collecting dust. Once you get the Bachelor's Degree, it is up to you on how well you can sell yourself to land that first job. That's when you begin to carve your own career, and the Bachelor's Degree becomes less important as you grow older and continue to develop your career.
The Science Graduate asks "How does it work?"
The Economics Graduate asks "How much does it cost?"
The Engineering Graduate asks "How can we make it?"
The Liberal Arts Graduate asks "Do you want fries with that?"
This is credited to Jesse Schell, a quote which I have posted in my science classroom. Thought I'd share it with you. No offence intended.
i just wanna say, i hope you are not teaching high school kids because that is really wrong.
Furthermore, the Bachelor's Degree does not mandate that you can only work in certain fields or industries. It's up to you, as the candidate, on how you can "sell yourself" in the job marketplace.
My point is that the Bachelor's degree is only a starting point to help you build credibility. There are also many lesser-motivated folks with degrees that are collecting dust. Once you get the Bachelor's Degree, it is up to you on how well you can sell yourself to land that first job. That's when you begin to carve your own career, and the Bachelor's Degree becomes less important as you grow older and continue to develop your career.
To build on what you just wrote, the thing I've noticed at the mid-point of my career is that most of the career-driven majors started out with a higher salary and better immediate career prospects, but tend to stall upon reaching a certain point, particularly when moving up into managerial positions. Meanwhile, of the seven or eight English majors I graduated with, three of them are executives at very large companies, while I've had a very successful entrepreneurial career, one that has gotten me a couple of mentions in the Wall Street Journal and some guest lectureships at three MBA programs around my region.
I consult for a very successful manufacturer. And while I walk past the engineers to the conference room, I notice that, of the people in the conference room, only one or two are engineers. In fact, I notice that's the case with the corporate leadership of most of my clients.
Now, to reach that point, the liberal arts major does indeed have to cultivate skills, such as selling oneself and really understanding the business environment. But the first one just takes determination, while the second one doesn't take much at all. In fact, I would argue that three months of hard work in just about any business, done while coming to grips with the profit and loss involved, is the equivalent of just about any business degree.
you are screwed with liberal arts if you do not have any internship, expereince to back it up-that can be said of any major (for example the accounting grad with a internship will be better off than the accounting grad with no internship) but for liberal arts it really hits home.
If you graduate with just your liberal arts degree and nothing else you will have a very hard time of it. However lets say you majored in philosphy but had a variety of internships over the course of your undergrad you will be just as competitve as the "real majors". A poster earlier said something to the effect of "companies don't want to train you, they want you to hit the ground running"- That is very true, why should i take time training a liberal arts grad when I can just hire an accounting, a business, a finance etc... who already has the skill set? That is the mindset-remeber that
Liberal arts students you will be competing against those with specialzed degrees, you need to stand out, you got to have the internships, part time jobs etc... to back up your degree
The liberal arts are not useless if you do some planning, if you have some foresight.
Even within the field of a "hard science" discipline like chemistry, the individuals that tend to be the most successful are those that master the non-scientific portion of their jobs. The people that simply learn the skills and technical expertise end up as replaceable lab techs.
The idea that skills=jobs=money so the more direct training you get the more money you will make falls apart under even the most basic scrutiny.
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