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Yes, the liberal arts degrees do pay well. About 1/3 of the Fortune 100 CEO's were liberal arts majors. The other 2/3 were split between business and technology. So about the same shot at CEO among the three. I've seen quite a few studies that show that 10 years post-graduation, engineering and finance and some of the technology degrees pay best, but a plethora of liberal arts degrees (philosphy, English, History, Psychology, etc) all pay +/- $0-5k of management, accounting, and marketing degrees.
Liberal arts degrees teach you to think critically and write and speak persuasively. It also appeals to naturally intellectual/ curious learners. Whereas a typical business degree teaches you to "do" - steps to balance an accounting journal, etc.
But the executives of today went to school and hit a job market in times that were very different than those of 2011.
The very idea that a college degree should lead to a specific occupation is very recent - 20th century. The first universities were liberal arts by definition - it wasn't until late in the 19th century that the professions were added (accountancy, law, medicine) then later in the mid 20th c other practical courses then degrees were added.
The idea of a liberal education is that it is valuable in it's own right.
Become an educated person, THEN you go out into the big wide world and find work.
I graduated from college with a general liberal arts degree in 1981, when, as economists will tell you, the job market was just as dismal as it is now. I travelled around America working a variety of short term jobs for two years, then figured out what I wanted to do for a living, went to professional school, then easily found employment in my profession. I've changed professions twice since then, through a combination of further education and job experience.
I should say here that I don't think a college degree is necessary to get a liberal education - America's public libraries are her free universities. Just read extensively and travel as much as you can, and the effect will be the same.
So if it would be better for you to train in a trade then pursue an education on your own as an adult, that's absolutely great!
But if you pursued a liberal arts degree and never understood that this wasn't the means to a specific job after college than I don't think you could possibly have learned very much in college!
I had a degree in Geography, started out as a flight attendant, then moved onto teaching school, and did unemployment insurance, food stamps, and medicaid. Now, work at a hospital, in charge of managing a program.
But the executives of today went to school and hit a job market in times that were very different than those of 2011.
Not true. The unemployment rate in the early 80's was OVER 10%. My uncle tells horrible stories of how difficult it was to get an accounting job when he graduated from a top 20 BBA program back then.
I graduated in the .com bust recession in the early 2000's. A ton of classmates were having trouble getting jobs and campus recruiting at my top 25 public university was slashed my senior year.
Yes, it's bad out there now, but it's hardly the first time in our history and it won't be the last either. Unemployment rates for college graduates still stand at 4% vs over 9% overall. I recognize it's been hard for the last several classes who graduated, but as someone who helps recruit recent graduates for a $20 B company's training program, it is actually difficult to fill the 120 slots each year based on the quality of candidates (recent graduates) out there. Many just don't have the caliber of analytical and critical thinking skills and peer leadership experience we NEED in our trainees.
Not true. The unemployment rate in the early 80's was OVER 10%. My uncle tells horrible stories of how difficult it was to get an accounting job when he graduated from a top 20 BBA program back then.
I graduated in the .com bust recession in the early 2000's. A ton of classmates were having trouble getting jobs and campus recruiting at my top 25 public university was slashed my senior year.
Yes, it's bad out there now, but it's hardly the first time in our history and it won't be the last either. Unemployment rates for college graduates still stand at 4% vs over 9% overall. I recognize it's been hard for the last several classes who graduated, but as someone who helps recruit recent graduates for a $20 B company's training program, it is actually difficult to fill the 120 slots each year based on the quality of candidates (recent graduates) out there. Many just don't have the caliber of analytical and critical thinking skills and peer leadership experience we NEED in our trainees.
So what company do you work for and do you have places located in the Texas area?
Honestly, if you have good people skills, computer skills, are motivated, you can get a job. No matter what your degree. Even when times were good, there were always people with college degrees, who could not find work, or maintain employment. Even now, there are people with degrees in computer science who can't get work...because they don't have people skills. Most jobs you learn, on the job...it is the trick to get in there, to prove you can do it. That takes a college degree, and people skills during the interview process.
Not true. The unemployment rate in the early 80's was OVER 10%. My uncle tells horrible stories of how difficult it was to get an accounting job when he graduated from a top 20 BBA program back then.
I graduated in the .com bust recession in the early 2000's. A ton of classmates were having trouble getting jobs and campus recruiting at my top 25 public university was slashed my senior year.
Yes, it's bad out there now, but it's hardly the first time in our history and it won't be the last either. Unemployment rates for college graduates still stand at 4% vs over 9% overall. I recognize it's been hard for the last several classes who graduated, but as someone who helps recruit recent graduates for a $20 B company's training program, it is actually difficult to fill the 120 slots each year based on the quality of candidates (recent graduates) out there. Many just don't have the caliber of analytical and critical thinking skills and peer leadership experience we NEED in our trainees.
That's not even what I was referring to as the business and larger world have changed. The people hiring then are different than the people hiring now as is what they seek. The relevant question is whether or not employers now are latitudinarian or preferring specific "practical"/business degrees versus the past employers. If unemployment was at 1 percent or 40%, the question is still how do employers view fresh graduates with liberal arts degrees. Was it better to have a liberal arts degree back then, now or about the same? I think considering the overall increase in competition, it was better back then. That is not to say a liberal arts education does not expand your mind and brings cross-pollinating skills to the table, but, pragmatically, it is less helpful than in the past.
As for the unemployment rate, the way they measure it now is different than in the past, and it deflates the real rate.
In era of Net, google, Kindle, etc easier than ever for any kid to self-learn critical business English/math/stats/programming/finance/acctg, etc on own from any age, no matter where one lives...don't need a silly college to "teach" those skills...much of the "lib arts" stuff like literature, fgn langs, ancient hx, biology, etc etc, which many are forced to endure as part of distribution reqmts even at an engineering school, has near zero value in real world or as part of one's ability to develop superior analytic/creative skills (negative value when one considers opportunity costs of one's time during those young, formative, intellectually creative yrs)....these lib arts "studies" are effectively wkend/vaca hobbies perhaps interesting to some later in life after they've made their money, are bored and have time to kill
Sure, lots of high-powered guys today were top of their class in CS at Stanford, etc and did well in their careers....but don't know of any who viewed their HS/college "education" as more than a union card to get a first job at an elite employer and a chance to compete vs other smart kids; stuff "taught" in CS (or finance) rapidly obsoletes and/or is overly theoretic vs real world of industry and markets
Most of one's greatest learning occurs not in college but rather in competing vs other really smart guys at a high-powered co. in an intensely competitive industry full of smart guys, like tech or finance....and ironically, many of the wealthiest and smartest guys, ranging from today's kid billionaires to 66yo guys like Ellison or 55yo Gates or Jobs are often brilliant, self-taught engineers who dropped out of college and learned on-the-job in real world...and are still learning as tech industry and global economy continually evolves and stuff/knowledge continually obsoletes...
I wonder how many got jobs by having connections. It seems to be the mode these days, along with networking, to getting a job.
Doesn't matter what degree, where you went, etc., unless you know someone.
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