Engineering is one of the few majors that qualifies you for a job right after graduation. Preparation for a specific job is not the main purpose of a college education.
I guess not. I always looked at college as being that way. Of course I never considered majoring in anything except mechanical engineering. People that I knew that were in the field before me got jobs right after graduation, so I always assumed that's what college is for.
Not for a liberal arts degree. The classical Greeks and Romans originated the concept, meaning an education to prepare someone to be a free man, able to think for themselves. 'Liberal' coming from Latin 'liber' for 'free'.