What do liberal arts majors do?

[Anonymous]

just chiming in that I'm a hiring manager and would love to see Training On the Job (what a concept!) come back. I'm not hiring entry level right now but would do this if I were. I would sooo much rather have a bright person who can learn than these people who are churned out of school, took a software class but only know how to "do the thing based on specific instructions that I learned in the class" - there's a cohort who cannot THINK.

(can you tell I'm frustrated today )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, your personal connections and network matter far more than your major (or you school) in getting a 1st job out of college.

I've heard several people with humanities majors getting positions at companies by parents of friends they went to middle school or a good K-8. These jobs are in many types of companies (advertising, tech, consulting, business) and many with humanities backgrounds go into sales, marketing entry roles where good writing and professional persuasion and ability to learn help.

This is key. If I was a first gen college student without any connections, I would hedge and get something practical. That is why elite colleges help lower income students so much more. Whether my DC go to Dartmouth or Dayton, they still have connections through family and friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

Good luck with that on your resume.

Like you said, colleges don't teach specific skills, it's for building foundations.
I agree with that.

However if your area of foundation is an useless area, then you'll have tough time especially if you go to a mediocre school.
That's the reality.

See, I disagree with your reasoning. You can't look at the majors people chose and conclude their futures--because the people who chose English or art history or whatever on average are more likely to be people who want something different out of life than $$ than the people who chose accounting or engineering. Some may plan on being a SAHP, some may want to be a teacher because that's what people in their family do, some may want to be a struggling artist and take a chance and don't mind working at a coffee shop for that chance. Some may want to understand and change the world and are happy just having enough to live. Some may be just kind of flighty and don't really think about the practical matters of life until they are facing them. Some may have enough family resources not to care all that much.

But if you--as a an individual not a generic pattern of data-- want $$ and also want to major in English or Sociology or Studio Art or History or Philosophy or whatever there are paths to do it. You major in English and then do a bootcamp in some marketable skill, you seek out internships that use a marketable skill. You prep hard for the LSAT and go to a top law school. You take your pre-med reqs and go to med school. You network and start your own business. Being a top notch English major with your mind focused on how to get a career will likely serve you better than being a half-a**ed business major thinking your 'marketable' major is going to do it for you. I think it's likely more about mindset than major--it's just that when you look at the data there are going to be more of those with a career-oriented mindset who chose pre-professional majors.

people who want something different

LOL look at the irony.
Look all the posts by the humanities people saying that 'oh I have a humanities degree and, and I work in consulting making $300k

DP. LOL nothing, variance is key. People intuitively know this even though it's seldom illustrated in cute infographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

Good luck with that on your resume.

Like you said, colleges don't teach specific skills, it's for building foundations.
I agree with that.

However if your area of foundation is an useless area, then you'll have tough time especially if you go to a mediocre school.
That's the reality.

See, I disagree with your reasoning. You can't look at the majors people chose and conclude their futures--because the people who chose English or art history or whatever on average are more likely to be people who want something different out of life than $$ than the people who chose accounting or engineering. Some may plan on being a SAHP, some may want to be a teacher because that's what people in their family do, some may want to be a struggling artist and take a chance and don't mind working at a coffee shop for that chance. Some may want to understand and change the world and are happy just having enough to live. Some may be just kind of flighty and don't really think about the practical matters of life until they are facing them. Some may have enough family resources not to care all that much.

But if you--as a an individual not a generic pattern of data-- want $$ and also want to major in English or Sociology or Studio Art or History or Philosophy or whatever there are paths to do it. You major in English and then do a bootcamp in some marketable skill, you seek out internships that use a marketable skill. You prep hard for the LSAT and go to a top law school. You take your pre-med reqs and go to med school. You network and start your own business. Being a top notch English major with your mind focused on how to get a career will likely serve you better than being a half-a**ed business major thinking your 'marketable' major is going to do it for you. I think it's likely more about mindset than major--it's just that when you look at the data there are going to be more of those with a career-oriented mindset who chose pre-professional majors.

people who want something different

LOL look at the irony.
Look all the posts by the humanities people saying that 'oh I have a humanities degree and, and I work in consulting making $300k

You kind of missed the whole point. On average these majors are more likely to attract people who have a range of motives other than careers whereas pre-professional majors are going to be highly concentrated with career-oriented people. But a career-oriented person who also wants to major in the humanities can easily find the path. So all those posters actually reinforce my point.

Once more...what is unspoken is that you must attend a top school.

Or have connections or both.

Or be willing to be resourceful--I know a few GMU kids studying various humanities/social sciences who are really enterprising and seem to find good career opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, your personal connections and network matter far more than your major (or you school) in getting a 1st job out of college.

I've heard several people with humanities majors getting positions at companies by parents of friends they went to middle school or a good K-8. These jobs are in many types of companies (advertising, tech, consulting, business) and many with humanities backgrounds go into sales, marketing entry roles where good writing and professional persuasion and ability to learn help.

^^^This.

My DD attended NCS in DC and played on the varsity team there and is friends with many of her teammates. She went to VATech for Business Information Technology. She had internships after her freshman, sophomore and junior year due to her connections with her NCS teammates whose parents are decision makers. She recently graduated from VATech and received a job offer as an cybersecurity analyst with a Fortune 100 company because the CIO at the company is the father of one of her teammates at NCS. Her VATech friends in BIT major, those without connections, are still looking for jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

Good luck with that on your resume.

Like you said, colleges don't teach specific skills, it's for building foundations.
I agree with that.

However if your area of foundation is an useless area, then you'll have tough time especially if you go to a mediocre school.
That's the reality.

See, I disagree with your reasoning. You can't look at the majors people chose and conclude their futures--because the people who chose English or art history or whatever on average are more likely to be people who want something different out of life than $$ than the people who chose accounting or engineering. Some may plan on being a SAHP, some may want to be a teacher because that's what people in their family do, some may want to be a struggling artist and take a chance and don't mind working at a coffee shop for that chance. Some may want to understand and change the world and are happy just having enough to live. Some may be just kind of flighty and don't really think about the practical matters of life until they are facing them. Some may have enough family resources not to care all that much.

But if you--as a an individual not a generic pattern of data-- want $$ and also want to major in English or Sociology or Studio Art or History or Philosophy or whatever there are paths to do it. You major in English and then do a bootcamp in some marketable skill, you seek out internships that use a marketable skill. You prep hard for the LSAT and go to a top law school. You take your pre-med reqs and go to med school. You network and start your own business. Being a top notch English major with your mind focused on how to get a career will likely serve you better than being a half-a**ed business major thinking your 'marketable' major is going to do it for you. I think it's likely more about mindset than major--it's just that when you look at the data there are going to be more of those with a career-oriented mindset who chose pre-professional majors.

All of this gobblygook, yet a Business major IS better than all of the fluffy LA majors mentioned. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Business Operations.

Duh.

Not if you don't want that and therefore aren't likely to do good in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double history/psych major and got into all of the T5 law schools

yep, need grad school

But isn't that OK if you accept that fact going in? I was a history major and knew that a BA would not be my terminal degree. My degree in history helped hone my research skills and then for my PhD I added quantitative analytic skills in a social science. All good!

of course, if that's what you want.

But that's not the question. OP's question was "What do liberal arts majors do?" The answer, once again, is, for most LA majors, you either get a lower paying job or go to grad school.

[Anonymous]

They become expert learners and have access to alumni networks that will help them become high-earners. DH and I attended elite slacs and have reaped the benefits. Our kids are doing the same. We are full pay at 2 schools that cost over 85k/year and we can easily afford it because our parents did the same for us. IYKYK

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love all the responses talking about the value of humanities. Of course people that can think, read, write and are actually educated would be valuable in organizations that interact with the actual real world.

Sure, but they usually tend to need graduate degrees to get a good paying job.

OP is asking, "What do liberal arts majors do"? They either get lower paying jobs or go to grad school.

Here's a list of % unemployed/undereployed by majors in 2023:



https://www.visualcapitalist.com/major-worst-finding-a-job/

This is the federal reserve data used for the infographic. It's from the Census' American Community Survey - note that the average wages at early and mid-career are for those with a BA only.

https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:outcomes-by-major

Who gets to decide what is an insufficient position for their training?

People who study history don't necessarily do it to become a historian. Likewise for sociology and philosophy, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

Good luck with that on your resume.

Like you said, colleges don't teach specific skills, it's for building foundations.
I agree with that.

However if your area of foundation is an useless area, then you'll have tough time especially if you go to a mediocre school.
That's the reality.

See, I disagree with your reasoning. You can't look at the majors people chose and conclude their futures--because the people who chose English or art history or whatever on average are more likely to be people who want something different out of life than $$ than the people who chose accounting or engineering. Some may plan on being a SAHP, some may want to be a teacher because that's what people in their family do, some may want to be a struggling artist and take a chance and don't mind working at a coffee shop for that chance. Some may want to understand and change the world and are happy just having enough to live. Some may be just kind of flighty and don't really think about the practical matters of life until they are facing them. Some may have enough family resources not to care all that much.

But if you--as a an individual not a generic pattern of data-- want $$ and also want to major in English or Sociology or Studio Art or History or Philosophy or whatever there are paths to do it. You major in English and then do a bootcamp in some marketable skill, you seek out internships that use a marketable skill. You prep hard for the LSAT and go to a top law school. You take your pre-med reqs and go to med school. You network and start your own business. Being a top notch English major with your mind focused on how to get a career will likely serve you better than being a half-a**ed business major thinking your 'marketable' major is going to do it for you. I think it's likely more about mindset than major--it's just that when you look at the data there are going to be more of those with a career-oriented mindset who chose pre-professional majors.

All of this gobblygook, yet a Business major IS better than all of the fluffy LA majors mentioned. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Business Operations.

Duh.

Not if you don't want that and therefore aren't likely to do good in it.

And you get a whole team of people who know business operations but didn't get the critical thinking skills that English and Philosophy majors got. They try do do business with countries, people and societies they don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They become expert learners and have access to alumni networks that will help them become high-earners. DH and I attended elite slacs and have reaped the benefits. Our kids are doing the same. We are full pay at 2 schools that cost over 85k/year and we can easily afford it because our parents did the same for us. IYKYK

Everyone is conflating the school/reputation with OP's question. I gather even you would be concerned if your kid was going to a school ranked 200+ and was majoring in say history.

Also, every elite SLAC offers STEM degrees, so attending an elite SLAC does not mean you majored in liberal arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

If I could do it over I would want logic and ethics courses, etc. from the philosophy dept., literature to understand human nature and develop writing skills, psychology to learn how people think, history for research and understanding how we got here, communications, so many things that would serve me throughout my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every recruiting/management conversation I have ever had in every job has boiled down to "we just need someone who can think without being told what to do."

Honestly, studying a specific skill in college always seemed like a bad idea to me because its going to be out of date as soon as you leave. Learning how to think and how to learn and how to communicate seem like better things to work on for four years.

If I could do it over I would want logic and ethics courses, etc. from the philosophy dept., literature to understand human nature and develop writing skills, psychology to learn how people think, history for research and understanding how we got here, communications, so many things that would serve me throughout my life.

? STEM majors take those types of classes, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They become expert learners and have access to alumni networks that will help them become high-earners. DH and I attended elite slacs and have reaped the benefits. Our kids are doing the same. We are full pay at 2 schools that cost over 85k/year and we can easily afford it because our parents did the same for us. IYKYK

So.. you have family money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They become expert learners and have access to alumni networks that will help them become high-earners. DH and I attended elite slacs and have reaped the benefits. Our kids are doing the same. We are full pay at 2 schools that cost over 85k/year and we can easily afford it because our parents did the same for us. IYKYK

Just a news flash...guess what is becoming one of the most popular majors at elite SLACS...yes, you guessed it...computer science.

I believe Claremont McKenna had to start limiting kids taking CS classes because they didn't have enough professors to satisfy the number of kids trying to take them. Caused a big outrage with students and parents.