Best Things to Do With a Liberal Arts Degree

A liberal arts caste includes the written report of history, literature, writing, philosophy, sociology, psychology, creative arts and more than. Liberal arts programs are designed to aid you lot formulate compelling arguments, communicate well and solve problems.

Studying liberal arts can equip you "with a myriad of colors to pigment with to create a vibrant career picture," said Torian Parker, a career advisor at Southern New Hampshire Academy (SNHU). That's because the degree programs are designed to develop soft skills such equally:

• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Constructive advice

"With these skills, liberal arts (majors) have a unique opportunity to enter varying career paths through a holistic approach," Parker said. Earning a liberal arts degree tin can be an effective manner to prove employers y'all have the skills necessary to be an asset in a range of fields.

What Exactly Does Liberal Arts Mean?

Liberal arts is a broad term that can exist cover everything from theater arts to economics.

Every bit a bailiwick, these subjects are intended to give you full general knowledge and the ability to think critically and acquire whatever subject – instead of specific skills needed for a technical profession. Instead, liberal arts sharpen your research, writing and critical thinking skills.

As to what yous tin practise with a caste in liberal arts, the benefits arrive across the specific subject knowledge from a particular degree. When information technology's time to enter the job market, liberal arts majors have a huge array of possibilities available to them, including many in science, engineering, engineering and mathematics (Stalk) and business.

What is a Liberal Arts Degree Good For?

With further training, nearly all liberal arts degrees can lead to careers in education, allowing graduates –  with the correct qualifications – to share their passion with others. These degrees too lend themselves well to farther studies and research. Many liberal arts majors are likewise interested in giving back and connecting with people, which leads them to careers in politics, public service and other helping professions.

These are some of the more traditional paths for liberal arts majors, simply graduates can be found in nearly all industries and professions. Their power to think critically, adapt quickly and solve problems is in demand in STEM and business fields where liberal arts graduates may observe their niche in areas such as marketing, sales, strategy or relationship-driven work such as customer relations and account management.

Their skills in reading, research and making circuitous information digestible can help them get up to speed quickly on technical subjects, even when they may non have a formal technical background.

Liberal arts majors oftentimes know how to connect with others and tin excel at adding the "human touch" to whichever field they enter. "Liberal arts (majors) approach problems in the workplace and the earth from a unique vantage point by tapping into the humanistic qualities and dynamics at times overlooked due to a narrowed and unmarried arroyo to problem-solving," Parker said.

What Jobs Can Yous Go with a Liberal Arts Degree?

Yous tin can look forrard to entering a number of careers in business organisation, government, education and healthcare thanks to the transferable skills a liberal arts education provides. Below are some pop majors and career paths you tin consider.

Communication

With a advice caste, you can learn key skills to work in industries such equally journalism, public relations, advertising and more. Coursework in public speaking and graphic design helps y'all come to piece of work prepared to deliver presentations, create publications and reports, and convey messages through digital media.

Some jobs in the communications field include:

• Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Manager: Boost interest in various products and services across industries as an ad, promotions or marketing managing director. Professionals in these roles programme paid advertising campaigns across radio, tv, web and other media; develop corporate or production-based websites and create promotional campaigns. The median annual salary for advertising, promotions and marketing managers was $141,490 in 2020, according to the U.Due south. Agency of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Graphic Designer: Are you able to tell a compelling story through infographics and photography? Graphic designers draw upon their inventiveness and artistic skills to create visual concepts for corporate websites, media outlets and impress publications. They earned a median annual bacon of $53,380 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Public Relations Specialist: Are you lot interested in shaping the public perception of a visitor, organization or product? Drawing upon their strong speaking and writing skills, public relations professionals craft media releases and develop social media programs to increase awareness and measure engagement. They earned a median annual salary of $62,810 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS.

Notice what else you tin exercise with a communications degree.

English

English language degree majors specializing in English and literature take courses in history, social science and literary theory and are prepared for jobs as writers, historians or museum curators. With related paths such as a bachelor's in creative writing or journalism, y'all can focus on storytelling in nonfiction, news, fiction, screenwriting or poetry genres.

The curriculum is besides designed to gear up you for jobs in public relations, motion picture, theater and advertising, to name a few.

Some jobs in the field include:

• Editor: Do you lot exhibit strong writing skills and attention to item? Editors work in a variety of industries and support both impress and online publications. They earned a median salary of $63,400 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Technical Writer: Technical writers create instruction manuals, web content and other supporting documents for products and services. They earned a median salary of $74,650 in 2020, according to BLS.

Discover what else yous can do with an English degree.

History

Understanding the past is central to helping organizations interpret pregnant historical events and prepare for the future. Drawing upon your potent research and analytical skills, you may be able to work as a curator, historical interpreter or policy advisor with the help of a history degree.

Although history majors oftentimes work in politics, they are besides qualified to work in other roles in business, journalism, law or education. A major in history tin fix yous for law schoolhouse, every bit well.

Some jobs in the history field include:

• Archivist, Curator and Museum Worker: Archivists review, procedure, catalog and preserve historically valuable records. Curators oversee fine art collections and historical artifacts and may present their enquiry on behalf of an establishment. Museum technicians and conservators restore objects and documents and prepare museum collections and exhibits, according to BLS. They earned a median salary of $52,140 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Historian: Historians research, clarify, translate and write about the past by studying historical documents and sources, according to BLS. You can notice piece of work in museums, archives, historical societies and research organizations. Historians earned a median salary of $63,100 in 2020, according to BLS.

Discover what else you lot tin practise with a history degree.

Psychology

The study of the homo mind, a psychology degree focuses on human being beliefs and how to apply concepts to social and organizational issues that affect usa globally. You tin look frontward to pursuing roles in human resources, market research and social services. Some jobs in the field include:

• Human Resources Specialist: If yous are interested in resolving employee conflicts, interviewing, hiring and retaining employees, yous might savour working equally a man resource specialist. To be successful, you need strong interpersonal and communication skills. Human resource specialists earned a median salary of $63,490 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS.
  Market Enquiry Analyst: Stiff belittling and critical thinking skills help market place research analysts decide what products people want, who will buy them and what price they are willing to pay. They earned a median salary of $65,810 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselor: In this role, y'all can aid individuals recover from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, mental health bug or other mental or behavioral problems. They earned a median bacon of $47,660 in 2020, according to BLS. Additional didactics and licensure is usually required for these roles.

Discover what else y'all tin can practice with a psychology caste.

Sociology

Focused on social behavior and how people conduct in groups, sociology coursework includes history, religion, geography and social science enquiry, to name a few. In this field, y'all tin can gain an empathise of club's historical, economic and political issues and how people tin work together to solve problems. Roles open up to sociology majors include jobs in social services, criminal justice or public health. Some positions in the field include:

• Health Educators and Community Health Worker: To be successful in 1 of these roles, y'all need strong interpersonal and communications skills to develop and evaluate health programs and create materials on various health topics. Health educators and community health workers piece of work in hospitals, regime and non-turn a profit organizations. They earned a median annual bacon of $48,140 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Social and Community Service Manager: Working in one of the "helping professions" requires you to place and evaluate programs that meet the needs of special populations such as veterans, the elderly or children. You may also focus on serving people afflicted past substance corruption or poverty. They earned a median almanac salary of $69,600 in 2020, according to BLS.

Discover what else you can practice with a sociology caste.

What are the Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education?

Pursuing a degree in the liberal arts helps yous succeed in a fast-paced globe that requires individuals to develop creative solutions today to solve the complex challenges of the futurity.

It'due south no surprise, then, that business leaders are speaking out in defense of these foundational subjects. Harvard Business Review looked at 3 books about how the humanities fix students. Humanities, the books' authors contended, are about the power to larn, enquire the right questions, identify the real problem and never lose sight of existent man needs.

An Associate of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) survey plant that the learning outcomes of contemporary liberal education, including the liberal arts, are valued as "somewhat" or "very important" to 9 out of 10 employers.

"Learners need a strong foundation in the liberal arts, which provides a foundation for enhancing their verbal and written communications, critical thinking and ethics for career success," said Tom Patria, a career advisor at SNHU.

Soft skills are essential to being a good leader, communicator and disquisitional thinker and are often adult in full general education courses. The implications of a liberal arts groundwork extend far beyond that, though.

Foreign languages teach another manner to view linguistic communication itself. This translates into an employee who can move seamlessly between computers, employers and customers, improve agreement each perspective, limitations and needs. Philosophy encourages logic and inquiry, which translates into an employee who effectively assesses unexpected situations.

Does Liberal Arts Include Science?

Basic math and science are also part of the traditional arts. The problem solving, analysis and ascertainment skills established in those subjects are essential for a lasting career when artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies are causing time to come changes in the workplace.

The Futurity of Liberal Arts in the Workforce

Consider this – the job market changes quickly, and the nearly in-need skills in the future may very well exist the humanities. Automation and AI are affecting more and more industries. But skills like disquisitional thinking, relationship-building and storytelling resist automation and volition continue to be needed in the workforce.

The Humanities Indicators study from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences shows that the number of humanities degrees conferred in 2018 was 2% below the previous year and 14.1% below the highest number of degrees conferred in a single yr – back in 2012. And yet, competencies adult through foundational subjects, such as getting a liberal arts degree, matter more than than ever.

Automation and AI have limits considering of unanticipated nuances to a task or its human and emotional elements. AI needs capable humans to manage and pull the best from it.

Today'southward highly digitized, AI-supported environments have a heightened need for employees with interpersonal skills, nimble minds and the ability to piece of work alongside machine learning.

AI is beingness used to a remarkable upshot in nearly every sector. For example, companies in the healthcare and insurance industries tin can assemble data to determine customers' rates via the Net of Things (IoT) sensors that capture one's driving and lifestyle habits. A virtual claims adjuster can even minimize fraud equally information technology handles settlement and payment post-obit an blow.

And yet, a frightened driver calling their car insurance visitor from a ditch on the side of the highway wants to speak to a human. That client service representative must be able to listen sympathetically, gather the relevant information and conspicuously instruct the commuter on immediate adjacent steps. At that moment, the insurance company needs employees with trouble-solving and communication skills.

In a dr.'s part or hospital, AI can collect and process more comprehensive and accurate data than a man could ever hope to. But rather than replace the nurses and office administrators, this automated capability frees them to focus on what they do best — educating patients and providing unique back up and advice.

Pressure to compete for STEM careers continues to grow in a world increasingly supported by and reliant on technology. Liberal arts studies emphasize enduring skills in an era when technology and automation will increasingly replace workers, according to Dr. Ruth Lahti, associate vice president of liberal arts and social sciences at SNHU.

Soft skills are even so relevant in the workplace, and students who tin demonstrate their creativity in areas such as writing, communication, critical thinking and collaboration, will continue to exist attractive to employers. In that location is a growing trend for experts in the "digital humanities," who tin can bring digital resource into their research, teaching and publishing to make scholarship more accessible to others, Lahti said.

Preparing for the Workforce

Although they're well-equipped for many different roles, liberal arts majors may have a less clear-cut road to the perfect job than some graduates. Hither are some suggestions for liberal arts majors entering the chore market.

• Build Your Personal Brand: Liberal arts students are skilful at storytelling and communicating complex ideas. When information technology's time to enter the chore marketplace they need to harness tho
  se skills to tell their ain story, and they tin exercise that through establishing a personal brand.
• Diversify Your Skill Prepare: Since liberal arts majors can be helpful in many fields, one way to stand out from other applicants is to learn new topics and skills transferrable to your industry or organization of involvement. For example, if you lot're a communication major looking to work for a engineering company, you lot might consider building on your vocabulary and understanding of the subject with an Information technology elective. You could also subscribe to technology journals to stay up-to-engagement on industry news.
• Think Exterior of the Box: Be willing to explore different industries with an open mind and gain new skills and knowledge. Publishing houses are non the only employer of English majors; your background and willingness to learn can be beneficial in other job markets besides. "As a liberal arts major myself, how you use your education to your career growth is entirely upwardly to you," saidRyan Bernier, a benefits specialist at SNHU and former career advisor.

Why Do Employers Similar a Liberal Arts Instruction?

In his book, "You Tin Do Annihilation: The Surprising Power of a 'Useless' Liberal Arts Education," Forbes contributing editor George Anders writes that companies look for 5 fundamental qualities in potential employees:

1. Eagerness to tackle uncharted areas
2. Ability to solve murky bug
3. Well-honed analytic methods
4. Dandy awareness of group dynamics
5. Power to inspire and persuade others

"It just seemed as if there was this tremendous disconnect betwixt public rhetoric that said 'you've got to become the STEM route and there is no route but STEM,' and then all of these interesting new job openings that were coming upward for people with liberal arts degrees," Anders said in a United states of america TODAY Higher story. "It was this hidden force of the economy that nobody wanted to write about or talk about."

A degree can change your life. Find the SNHU liberal arts program that can best assistance you come across your goals.

Rebecca LeBoeuf '18 is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-a-liberal-arts-degree

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