“History degree???? What the HELL would they be good for in the workplace?? NOTHING but be Mr. KnowitAll.”
The value of a liberal arts education is rarely preparation for a specific job classification. Instead its value should be in improving communications skills (reading, writing, speaking), honing critical thinking skills (reason, deduction), and providing a broad perspective of history, philosophy, math, science, which provide a framework for life. Most of the founding fathers, even though most were self taught or tutored, had what today would be considered liberal arts educations. Many spoke multiple languages, were extremely well read in history, philosophy and law. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were conceived, developed, argued, and written by men with strong liberal arts backgrounds.
Liberal arts graduates can find jobs even in this economy. Many retail executives are liberal arts graduates who started on the floor as a sales associate in a store. Tellers and administrative staff members in banks often rise to senior management roles in retail banking, they all don’t have MBA’s from Harvard. Large companies in many industries have sales training programs hiring thousands of recent graduates to pitch products to customers. It is hard work and performance is measured everyday numerically. Many junior military officers and policemen are recent liberal arts graduates. Low paying jobs with temp agencies result in assignments at companies that then turn into full time employment.
The job market is tough out there for college grads without technical degrees but there are jobs out there for people who don’t mind working and who can suppress their egos. Someone who is bright, energetic, and a high performer can work their way into a management position within 2-3 years, even starting at the very bottom. What most recent grads don’t realize is how many people in organizations do only what is required to get by. Particularly at the lower levels, the stars really shine and get pulled up in the organization. The key is getting into the organization even if it means sweeping the floor or carrying boxes in the warehouse.
If I were a college grad today with an English, history, or political science degree who couldn’t get into the management training program of the corporation, I’d go to work in a really good McDonalds or Chick fil A store. A quick learner and high productive worker could reasonably expect to be a unit manager within 5 years and owner of at least one unit within 10 years. i know a guy who started cooking hamburgers in a McDonalds who today is 42 years old and a multimillionaire owning 5 restaurants as well as being involved in other business interests. Like the new CEO of McDonalds he is also an African American but that isn’t his identity. He’s an American who still believe in the dream and has worked to earn it and live it. Perhaps a history degree in some small way contributed to his success. It certainly didn’t hurt.
I’d go to work in a really good McDonalds or Chick fil A store”
Chick fil A is not a bad route at all....learn the ropes, save the money, open up your own.
Thanks for that post #59. It was a nice attempt to outline what a liberal arts education is, but I’m sure it fell on deaf ears.
You, of course, know that what you’re dealing with on threads of this kind are: 1) the know-it-alls who have no advanced education but somehow know everything about life and 2) the engineering-is-god types who were basically trained, no educated in the true sense of the word.
They know The Way and you don’t, and that’s all there is to it. It’s a waste of time to argue with such closed minds.
The problem is that most of the current crop of graduates are looking for jobs not “work”. As a matter of fact, many feel the degree means they don’t have to work.
Also, due to the entitlement mentality of the US nowadays, most feel entitled to a well-paying job just for graduating. The real world can be a kick in the pants though.
The way education is funded now is a killer also, as most leave college with large loan owed on their college years which puts even more pressure on them to find that high-paying job to get out from under.
All the current crop should have seen this coming, but probably felt that the economy would be back on track by now or they believe the MSM bullshit that “everything is improving” foisted on us covering for the Kenyan. I’d feel worse for them, but since most of them voted for that nitwit, they are getting the payback they earned.
Yes indeed, the real world can be a bitch.
That was true when getting admitted to a college meant something but now with everybody going to college and the people who can't handle STEM getting a BA the value of a liberal arts degree has been severly diminished. Also, with the cost of tuition skyrocketing is it worth going six figures into debt for a BA degree.