A Liberal Arts Degree? Think again.

What got me thinking about this topic is a comment, and a frustrated tear or two, left on a career related blog by a Liberal Arts professor. You know, one of those people that work five to six hours per day a few times each week for $120k. C'mon, you know it's true. Sorry If I am too low on the pay by the way, but that is the average for UNLV near me. Okay, I need to be fair and mention the critical research they do. I have always been curious about that part. Unless my UNLV professor neighbor is home most days studying horticulture in his front yard, I am not real sure about the whole research rationalization. This is the same guy who was oh so highly perturbed about having to teach two classes last semester because "it's cutting into my research / book time". I am tempted to say what his research is, actually within Liberal Arts, but you probably have enough things irritating you right now. Mind you, these are often the same people protesting out in front of the university library with a dozen misguided students screaming against budget cuts, so they can get all of their classes in to someday write for an activist blog spewing anti-capitalism nonsense.

So here is my non-scientific take on the subject. I may not be winning any rocket engineering awards, but I have quite a few years of objective observation working in the search / recruiting industry and Human Resources. I have seen an endless number of resumes from people with degrees in Liberal Arts including History, Literature, Philosophy, English, and others. What seems to be the common theme with them is that there was no clear career path. I see many people working in retail, customer service, and hospitality. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those fields, but I bet if you poled the person sitting there with a Liberal Arts degree and $20,000 in student loans working at Hollister, this was not their original vision when they were making the degree decision. What exactly was your rationale?

Is anyone saying you cannot be successful if you have a Liberal Arts degree? Obviously not. There are people with no degrees doing quite well. I am just saying that I do not believe it is the best decision. Take the very large recruiting industry for example. Have you ever heard of a recruiter, or recruiting company, who specializes in locating and placing professionals with a background in European History, English Literature, or Philosophy? Why is that? Because those areas are not in demand at companies. What is in demand, and what will always be in demand, are functional areas such as Computer Science, Engineering, Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing, etc. Have you ever heard of a successful company that has an English or History department? Have you heard of a CHO, Chief History Officer? How many job postings have you seen lately that say... Seeking a Literature Technologist or Philosophy Technician?

The only argument I here for a Liberal Arts degree, usually from professors protecting their baby, is that companies want Liberal Arts people because they have greater breadth of knowledge and they are more well rounded due to their exposure to other non-business areas. Horse pucky, Radar. Companies want focused degrees and career paths, and they want depth of experience or education in a functional business area. Of the thousands of hiring managers I have consulted with, I have yet to hear one ask for a well rounded English buff or an entry level candidate versed in Eastern European culture and its impact on pre-industrial revolution market economies.

A degree should be about developing a trade or a skill in a business function such as accounting, engineering, computer science, etc. Let's just say if you are considering a degree in an area that is not part of a normal business structure, you may want to re-evaluate. You need to specialize and develop expertise in a discipline that employers deem important. You need to always be thinking about how you can increase your value in the marketplace. The more value you create for yourself, the more supply and demand takes over and the more options and choices you will have. I am sorry, but most Liberal Arts degrees do not fit this. Sure, if the goal is be a professor, lawyer, or a museum curator, it could be helpful, but wouldn't it make sense long-term to be in an area that always has demand? If you decide to follow your "heart's desire", as you accumulate 10's of thousands in debt paying professors and bloated administration staff, don't say you weren't warned.