Q: I keep hearing about the value of a liberal arts education. But I attended a small technical college, and I've enjoyed a fairly successful career. My daughter is really sold on liberal arts colleges. But I keep hearing about liberal arts graduates who aren't able to find jobs in their fields. I'm afraid my daughter will be a starving liberal artist! How do students from liberal arts colleges do in the "real world"?
A: Perhaps you've seen the t-shirt which boldly states: "Liberal Arts Graduate: Will Think for Food!" It is true that liberal arts graduates aren't always able to find jobs in their fields. For some it's because they don't want a job in their field and they change directions entirely. Some just don't have the persistence required to actively seek and find a job "in field." And some bide their time, still hoping and trying to get into the career they went to school for. The realities of our economy right now are that technical college grads are not all employed either.
However, there are many advantages to a liberal arts background, beyond the benefit of a professional degree in the job market. For example, graduates who have a liberal arts background are more resilient during economic downturns because they are more broadly trained and educated.
The liberal arts provide an excellent foundation for learning and life. Employers frequently look for good communicators, good writers and good thinkers, and liberal arts colleges seek to develop those skills in students.
Analysts project that members of your daughter's generation will likely change career directions several times or have many jobs over their lifetimes. A liberal arts education prepares students to be lifelong learners and to have a knowledge and experience base that allows them to understand themselves and the world.
I hope you will consider a Christian liberal arts college where students are challenged to learn about and see all of life through the lens of their faith in Jesus Christ. It provides a strong foundation for living life fully and faithfully.
Written by Judy Moseman
