A liberal arts degree is not just about learning how to read, write, and do math well, it’s also about educating you as a person. You’ll get out of these college courses insights into yourself and the world around you.
Liberal arts degrees focus more on the study of humanities (the subjects like literature, psychology, history) as opposed to STEM (science, technology, engineering). But that doesn’t mean they are less important than STEM careers!
In fact, according to research conducted by Georgetown University, people with an undergraduate degree in the humanities are three times more likely to be employed full time than those with only a bachelor’s degree in science, technology or mathematics.
And while some argue that education in the sciences and technical fields will always have higher employment rates than other areas, this isn’t necessarily true. After all, we need teachers, engineers, and healthcare professionals too!
Furthermore, several studies suggest that education in the humanities actually increase your happiness.
Six to eight years
After graduating with an undergraduate degree in liberal arts, you can usually pick from just about any career path. Jobs that do not exist yet require advanced computer skills or technology, so most people have training in those.
Clothing stores need fashion expertise, restaurants must know how to run a kitchen, and marketing professionals understand advertising strategies and principles. With enough education and experience, you could even become involved in politics!
It is important to be educated beyond your major field because you will always be learning. You will constantly be studying concepts and materials related to what area of business you are trying to enter. This way, you are ahead of the game if something new comes up.
Education is very valuable to keep learning and developing yourself every day. Even though it may feel like there is no end to how many courses you have to take, you will eventually reach the point where you can relax and focus only on your career.
Nine to 12 years
After graduating with a liberal arts degree, most students are given an amount of time to find their career path. This is typically referred to as being in education or training for your career. Schools heavily promote this perception that you will always be teaching or educating someone else about something.
This may not be the case forever but it is very common to have a job search after college where you read, teach, and/or coach others on how to learn. It’s also great if you happen to enjoy working with people so having a job that involves helping other people grow is definitely a valuable skill.
However, this view is mostly influenced by popular media. In fact, many professionals never get to work directly teaching or advising anyone else due to a lack of educational qualifications!
Education should be considered more than just learning how to put pens into paper and push buttons onto answer sheets, it is developing reasoning skills, understanding concepts, and practicing analytical thinking.
Four to seven years
A degree in liberal arts is not only about learning how to read, write, and do math- it’s also about educating you as a person. You will learn about different cultures, philosophies, and ways of looking at the world.
By studying humanities (or social science classes), students are developing understanding and appreciation for other people, their societies, and nature. This is an important skill since we live in a culture that encourages individuals with this quality to succeed greatly.
Liberal arts degrees typically take four to seven years to complete depending on which area of study you choose. Students are usually required to be enrolled full time while completing these studies, so employment options are available once they graduate.
Overall, education in the humanistic areas should be considered more valuable than education in other fields due to its enriching potential.
Seven to 10 years
After college, most liberal arts majors work in fields that require either an advanced degree or lots of professional experience- teaching, medicine, law, business, etc. This is because they are trained in the humanities (literature, history, sociology, etc.) as well as socialization and leadership skills.
Liberal arts degrees focus not only on educating students about important subjects, but also teach them how to think more critically about issues and how to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom setting. These include studying psychology, philosophy, political science, and economics!
Outside of the workplace, many people with liberal arts degrees go into careers such as journalism, writing, public speaking, and advertising. Others become entrepreneurs or creative professionals like artists, writers, or musicians.
A liberal arts education can be valuable for any career, no matter what field you end up choosing. It will give you a strong foundation in things like reasoning, logic, communication, and academic study.
Eleven to fourteen years
After an undergraduate degree in liberal arts, most students can pursue either graduate school or career directly related to their field of study. These include things like business administration, education, human services, medicine, nursing, and more.
Liberal arts degrees focus not only on teaching you how to think about important topics, but they also teach you how to approach these subjects- whether it’s literature, psychology, politics, or math.
A bachelor’s degree is usually enough if you want to work in your chosen area. But for those who want to go further, there are some great options available to them!
Graduate schools often require at least a master’s degree so many people feel that it isn’t worth going back for additional training because they can get professional jobs without one. However, advanced studies emphasize critical thinking which is always helpful.
Furthermore, employers sometimes look more favorably on candidates with higher levels of education. Therefore, even if you don’t plan on working in your current field, this is still an excellent choice.
Fifteen to twenty years
After graduating with an arts degree, you can expect to spend between fifteen and twenty years in the workforce depending on your career path. This is due not only to the degree itself, but also how many positions require this degree.
Artists are limited in careers they can pursue so most find employment soon after graduation. Creative professionals such as photographers, graphic designers, and animators typically have very close relationships with their colleagues in the field, which helps them gain employment more quickly.
A liberal arts education prepares students for life by fostering communication, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. These are valuable qualities in any profession.
Furthermore, these studies focus heavily on literature, philosophy, and other topics that apply directly to all areas of life. Students learn about success and failure, motivation, time management, leadership, self-confidence, and personal growth through application of lessons learned from each subject area.
These are things every person needs to be able to access effectively if they want to succeed in life.
Twenty-one to twenty-four years
A liberal arts degree is not only about learning how to read, write, and do math, it is also about educating you as a person. You will learn about different cultures and philosophies, which play an important role in shaping who you are today.
Many people refer to this education as being “about more than just the academic” but that doesn’t make the studies any less valuable. On the contrary, it gives you tools to assess things from another culture or philosophy so that you can see past what someone has indoctrinated you with and find truth for yourself.
This is why a liberal arts degree is such an invaluable asset. It teaches you how to think, analyse and evaluate information, concepts and arguments, and helps you apply these skills outside of the classroom.
Generalizations
It sounds good when they say students don’t know anything beyond their major, but we do! We often go unrecognized for our talent and knowledge in other areas. For example, there are many graduates with bachelor degrees in psychology, sociology, anthropology and/or business management who have advanced training in leadership, communication and organizational theory.
These additional courses of study show that students don’t stop developing once they receive their diploma, and most employers acknowledge this. In fact, several surveys indicate that job applicants with BA degrees are at least as likely to be hired as those with MA or professional degrees.
Twenty-five to thirty years
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, you can expect to spend around two to three decades of your life actively engaged in learning. You will be reading, studying, and practicing philosophy or humanities courses for at least twenty-five years after college.
This is not to say that professional careers are only open to those with an advanced liberal arts background — it just makes achieving them more difficult (if not impossible) without one first.
Liberal arts degrees focus heavily on educating students through the study of literature, language, art, music, history, and other areas. These studies look beyond what kind of person you want to be to help you shape yourself, and they provide insight into how to develop as a human being.
In fact, many experts believe that developing strong self-awareness and empathy comes from engaging in these types of studies.
A liberal arts education cultivates this by exploring different ideas in context, and about how power works in society, for example. In addition, it teaches us about tradition versus change, and why some things have become common practices.
These are all tools you can apply to your own life to improve it. Some people may find work related to their field directly due to their training in the area, but most likely, it shapes who they are as individuals.
