Selecting an undergraduate degree is a big decision. The program you choose must provide many career paths and cater to your personality, passions, and personal goals. If you view yourself as a creative but don’t want to restrict yourself to a specific path, a liberal arts degree might be an ideal choice.
If you’re unfamiliar with liberal arts, it’s a course designed for studying general areas, such as literature, math, philosophy, languages, history, and more, but in a creative, introspective manner. If you’re unsure if it’s the right course, here are five reasons to study liberal arts.
- Stand Out to Employers
An online liberal arts degree will set you up for professional success, as you will gain in-demand skills most employers want from their employees. As a sharp critical thinker and problem solver, you can help organizations in various industries overcome challenges, identify issues, and pinpoint opportunities.
The right degree program will provide hands-on research, internships, and teaching experience, which will help you stand out from a crowd of candidates during the recruitment process. Also, you can take advantage of opportunities to join a voluntary event, student organizations, or capstone projects to create an impressive resume before you’ve even graduated.
- Become a Critical Thinker and Great Communicator
Excellent communication and critical thinking skills are desirable skills across every industry, which is exactly what you’ll develop when completing a liberal arts degree. To prove it, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states employers rank these skills above technical ability when hiring new employees. As a liberal arts student, you will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills by exploring new ideas and attempting to find meaning in the midst of chaos.
- Learn Long-Lasting Skills
Technical abilities, such as engineering or accounting, are sought-after by employers, but a graduate’s knowledge could become outdated after a few years. However, the soft skills you gain during a liberal arts degree will last many decades. Rest assured, the knowledge, communication skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities will remain with you throughout your career, ensuring you continue to be indispensable to an organization.
- Follow in the Footsteps of Famous Liberal Arts Alumni
If you’re unsure if a liberal arts degree is the right path for you, it might provide comfort to know that many of the world’s biggest and best entrepreneurs and business professionals attribute their success to a liberal arts education.
If you choose this path, you will follow in the footsteps of:
- Steve Jobs
- The CEOs of American Express and Whole Foods
- Oprah Winfrey
- Anne Mulcahy (former CEO of Xerox)
- Ted Turner (Media tycoon)
- S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
- Michael Eisner (former CEO of Disney)
- Work in Countless Industries
Once you have graduated with a liberal arts degree, you can seek employment in many industries, such as marketing, public relations, human resources, advertising, social work, education, and publishing. For instance, you could become a fundraiser, writer, advertising manager, and publicist, to name a few possible professions.
There you have it, five fantastic reasons to study liberal arts.
