Recent debates about whether or not college students should prioritize liberal arts over professional training have sparked much discussion. Some argue that developing your creative, verbal, and analytical skills is what makes up the core of being an educated person, and thus, it is unnecessary to devote time to studying literature, philosophy, and history.
Others counter this assertion by pointing out that these non-technical skills are what will help you succeed in life beyond education. By acquiring knowledge from various disciplines, you’ll develop understanding and appreciation for other areas of study, as well as hone your ability to analyze things logically.
Furthermore, they say, studies show that graduates with higher levels of literacy and educational attainment earn better salaries than those who do not. Therefore, investing in the academic foundations at least until you’re financially stable is a worthy investment.
I agree with the second argument! While it’s true that reading, writing, and mathematics (the major skill sets of most professionals) can be learned later in life, there are many ways to go about doing so.
Helps students learn to be lifelong learners
One of the biggest reasons why people say that they “lost” their love for reading is because they stopped learning how to read.
When you study something, anything really, you grow in knowledge. You gain new skills as you go through different stages of studying what you are looking at.
By this, I mean things like studying biology, where you have to look at diagrams and understand concepts about cells and organs and genetics.
You would probably also learn algebra or calculus by understanding concepts and formulas. When you lose your passion for books, then it can sometimes seem like you lost the ability to learn.
Helps students gain a broad base of knowledge
One of the biggest reasons why people say that “college is too expensive” is because they believe education should be free. After all, we are investing in our children by giving them an excellent education.
But what most people don’t realize is that educating young adults is very costly! And it costs more than just tuition at the school you choose to attend.
Facilities like dorms and classrooms need to be rented or leased. Teachers have to be hired and paid. Computers and technology needed for teaching must be purchased or obtained. All of these things add up quickly.
Fortunately, society as a whole does not expect everyone to get a college degree. So there are ways to obtain higher education without spending a large amount of money. Some examples include earning a bachelor’s degree online, receiving scholarship aid, or studying abroad.
However, even if you cannot afford to go to college entirely, it is important to emphasize the value of getting an undergraduate degree. Many employers will reward you for attending either financially or via career opportunities.
Helps students gain transferable skills
One of the most important things that an education system can do for its community is to help people learn how to apply their knowledge in other areas. This is called developing “transferable learning” or “life learning”.
By teaching students how to think analytically, they are able to take what they have learned here and now and apply it to new situations. Students who attend college today will likely work as engineers, teachers, librarians, accountants, administrators, etc.
They will be educated professionals who know how to use reasoning to solve problems. This applies even more to liberal arts colleges where many students hone their verbal communication skills while also studying subjects like literature, history, and music.
These types of learners are well-rounded individuals who can interact with anyone about any topic. They are comfortable within complex systems and understand the value of knowledge gathered from different sources.
Liberal arts educations emphasize this concept by educating students across the board so that every student leaves school with these general skills. Read more at HowToImproveYourWriting.net – General Writing Tips. _________________
That said, let’s look at some examples of ways that liberal arts majors develop transferable skills.
One major area that many liberal arts students are trained in is reading. Most college graduates cannot read quickly enough to save lives (no matter what kind of job they go into).
Helps students gain confidence
In our increasingly complex world, there is little that seems clear and certain. One thing that is clear though is that young people are growing more and more uncertain about what kind of life they should be living.
They are not sure if this career is for them, or this lifestyle choice will work long-term. They feel anxious and stressed out about finding their place in the world.
A liberal arts education can help students find some degree of certainty by giving them knowledge and skills in many different areas. This helps them identify which area of study feels right to them and gives them someone who has gone through similar experiences as themselves.
It also teaches them how to evaluate information and beliefs, an important skill when you are looking at something new.
Liberal arts courses do not have a specific field like business or science so they may not always be directly applicable to other areas. But they often focus on studying literature, art, music, history and philosophy so these subjects’ concepts can give you inspiration and guidance for other areas.
These types of course studies how to build strong foundations and use logic to understand ideas so it is a good basis for anyone.
Helps students become more adaptable
One of the biggest things that liberal arts can do is help you develop your ability to assimilate information, learn new concepts, and evolve as a person.
This is important because we live in an ever-evolving society. Technology changes rapidly, societal norms are constantly shifting, and there’s always something new to learn.
Liberal arts courses may focus less on giving you specific knowledge about any one field and more on helping you recognize how connected all fields are. You will also have opportunities to explore different ideas and philosophies — not just like ones that come from a pre-existing group or school.
By educating yourself through the study of several disciplines, you will expose yourself to many perspectives and ways of thinking. This will make it easier to absorb other points of view and apply them to your life.
You will also find that this general education gives you a wide range of skills that you can use to perform various tasks. These include speaking (for example, by learning a language), writing, reading, listening, reasoning, organizing, working with people, and self-regulation… all valuable assets in our increasingly technology-driven culture.
General education teaches us about themselves as individuals while also emphasizing teamwork and communication as fundamental building blocks for success.
Helps students gain marketable skills
Beyond educating children in a specific field, what liberal arts can do for you is help you hone your other important skills. These include reading, writing, listening, reasoning, studying concepts, using math tools effectively, and gathering information from sources that are solid and reliable.
All of these things contribute to helping you be successful in the workplace or in life. You will learn how to apply them when you enter the workforce, and it will not just make you more productive now, but long term as well.
Liberal arts courses tend to focus on topics such as literature, history, psychology, and sociology, just to name a few. Some even combine all four into one topic!
These studies cover lots of areas and levels, making them rich resources for learning about yourself and the world around you.
Your parents probably did some teaching of you during childhood, and good teachers always emphasize knowledge and understanding as an integral part of their job. The better our knowledge, the better we understand ourselves and others around us.
That’s true whether they’re people at work or outside our own personal circle. So why not strive to add to this storehouse of knowledge? It makes sense to try to become a knowledgeable person.
Helps students become more creative
One of the biggest criticisms of higher education today is that it teaches you how to consume information, but what people really want to learn are how to create things. Educators have increasingly focused on integrating the liberal arts into their curriculums in order to inspire creativity in their students.
The way that most universities go about doing this is by offering courses like art history, literature, or music theory. These classes help students understand the fundamental concepts behind creating art, writing stories, and composing songs and melodies.
Another area where the importance of the liberal arts comes into play is communication skills. Being able to analyze different arguments and discourse strategies can only improve your own personal effectiveness. This applies both in professional settings and in everyday life.
Liberal arts degrees also teach important leadership qualities. Students who study organizational psychology, for example, will be trained in the ways individual members of a team should be treated and motivated.
These types of lessons not only apply in the workplace, they can carry over into other areas such as academic studies. When learning how to use argumentative tools, for instance, there’s a method to motivate yourself out of a slump when you’re struggling with something.
Helps students gain leadership skills
One of the biggest reasons why people choose to go into business is because they want to lead something, or at least feel that they can make a difference by doing so. As leaders, we have our own little departments under us, and we oversee those teams that work for us.
In other words, we give orders to others who work for us, and then we watch them follow them. This is what makes it possible for us to think that everything will run smoothly without any problems.
A degree in liberal arts helps you develop your leadership qualities. You will learn about different disciplines and how concepts connect with each other. You will also hone your communication skills as you discuss ideas from various angles.
Liberal arts degrees focus more on studying literature, art, music, and philosophy. These are called the humanities because they all refer to understanding how things relate to one another and how intelligent thinking is involved in this process.
