Would you let your child study liberal arts?

[Anonymous]

Just so you know, biology and chemistry and math are also taught at liberal arts schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I make more with my English degree than my friends do with their business degrees.

Liberal arts degrees don't date as much in the long term, and are much more flexible-it's just harder to get your first job. my business major friend now makes $15 an hour as a customer service rep, in her 50s, after being laid off multiple times.

Oh, and I make 90k a year with my English degree now, which is not a lot by DCUM standards but is a lot in comparison with my friends who majored in business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smart kids get hired OP, even art history majors. Just make sure he lands some good internships

Totally agree.

- hiring mgr.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am unsure if I want to finance a college education if he will come out with only a B.A. in some liberal arts discipline. I'd hate the thought of him suffering with unemployment and a low paid career.

What do you think?

I think you are not well educated, or you are a recent immigrant who is unfamiliar with the U.S. system of elite education.

I will pay for my child to study whatever my child loves. I will not force my child to study CS or nursing or EE or something lucrative just because I think it's more valuable.

Education is valuable. The ability to think is valuable.

Most Wall Street firms love to hire Ivy League grads with degress in philosophy, history, politics, etc., because they are able to think really really well, see issues from many sides, are flexible and knowledgeable and nimble of mind.

Kids who studied EE from the get go seem to be very inflexible by comparison, only able to see things in black and white, and to have trouble thinking on their feet and thinking out of the box.

But, you be you, OP. I hope your kid wants to study something practical that you approve of. Else your kid will have a miserable life working at something he or she doesn't care about.

You really didn’t have to go there. Nothing wrong with your kid deciding s/he wants to study EE. Not all or most EE majors are black and white thinkers. What nonsense.

I agree that a kid who wants to study liberal arts should be encouraged and will likely find their way. But why not say that without denigrating EE majors. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

None of those are liberal arts, however, all could lead to law school just as easily as history

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

None of those are liberal arts, however, all could lead to law school just as easily as history

I'm sorry what do you think "liberal arts" subjects are??

As far as I'm aware they are "Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities, and Arts."

which includes History, Ceramics, Dance, Psychology, Biology, Politics, Literature.... the list is HUGE

[Anonymous]

My undergrad degree is in a STEM degree and I worked as a lab scientist and then pivoted and am now not using my degree at all. Honestly I bought into the "liberal arts = no job" thing and it was a huge mistake. I was miserable in lab all the time whereas in my liberal arts minor I was happier. I graduated just fine and got a well paying job but I was just unhappy. I gambled and went to law school and I am so much happier. Writing legal memos on obscure regs genuinely makes me happy.

Point is: no point smashing a square peg into a round hole.

[Anonymous]

I have a Eastern European studies liberal arts BA and no further education. I make 160k/yr and was hired shortly after graduating. I work in the fed govt in international relations. Diplomacy will never be automated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

None of those are liberal arts, however, all could lead to law school just as easily as history

I'm sorry what do you think "liberal arts" subjects are??

As far as I'm aware they are "Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities, and Arts."

which includes History, Ceramics, Dance, Psychology, Biology, Politics, Literature.... the list is HUGE

I think things like Art History would be part of liberal arts--they're aiming for general knowledge about a broad range of subjects, an ultimate goal being to learn how to think, to write, to argue, to consider contexts, to make connections, etc. Whereas studying ceramics or dance would be more in-depth learning about a specific artistic technique.

[Anonymous]

My DS double majored in Poli Sci and History at Grinnell. He was employed right out of school making 80K a year doing predictive data modeling in value based purchasing for a large healthcare system. Guess what, the same data analysis that helps one understand motivation and trends in politics translates well to other data driven fields. He graduated 2 years ago and is not making just over 100K. He works 100% remote.

His GF graduated same year same college, with a degree in Biology and a concentration in Neuroscience. She is working in a lab making $15 per hour. She plans to obtain a Ph.D. and build a career in research.

Both have the outcomes they wanted. Both are happy and employed. But to think that only a STEM degree is marketable is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

None of those are liberal arts, however, all could lead to law school just as easily as history

I'm sorry what do you think "liberal arts" subjects are??

As far as I'm aware they are "Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities, and Arts."

which includes History, Ceramics, Dance, Psychology, Biology, Politics, Literature.... the list is HUGE

I think things like Art History would be part of liberal arts--they're aiming for general knowledge about a broad range of subjects, an ultimate goal being to learn how to think, to write, to argue, to consider contexts, to make connections, etc. Whereas studying ceramics or dance would be more in-depth learning about a specific artistic technique.

You can get a BA in art or dance at a LAC. You would still need to take core classes in science, language, social studies, etc. Most LAC (all?) have additional requirements with a senior project or upper level el classes in an area outside your major or something. You can major in art or dance, but still have a well-rounded education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What major is he thinking about? And yes you should encourage your children to follow what they are passionate about.

Middle eastern studies at Emory University

Lots of practical applications with this degree, OP. Strange that wouldn’t occur to you.

Like what?

NP
State Department / CIA

+1
Not to mention, the many government contractors that do intelligence work. So odd that some people can’t see beyond STEM degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would let either of my kids study something like History if they went on to study Law in grad school.

I would not let either of them study dance, ceramics or other impoverished professions because they do not have trust funds to support those life style choices.

None of those are liberal arts, however, all could lead to law school just as easily as history

I'm sorry what do you think "liberal arts" subjects are??

As far as I'm aware they are "Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities, and Arts."

which includes History, Ceramics, Dance, Psychology, Biology, Politics, Literature.... the list is HUGE

I think things like Art History would be part of liberal arts--they're aiming for general knowledge about a broad range of subjects, an ultimate goal being to learn how to think, to write, to argue, to consider contexts, to make connections, etc. Whereas studying ceramics or dance would be more in-depth learning about a specific artistic technique.

You mean a "General Studies" degree incorporating many subjects and not really committing to any one major, not a "Liberal Arts" degree because these are not the same thing at all.

[Anonymous]

Per Encyclopedia Britannica (emphasis mine):

Liberal arts, college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum. In the medieval European university the seven liberal arts were grammar, rhetoric, and logic (the trivium) and geometry, arithmetic, music, and astronomy (the quadrivium). In modern colleges and universities the liberal arts include the study of literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, and science as the basis of a general, or liberal, education. Sometimes the liberal-arts curriculum is described as comprehending study of three main branches of knowledge: the humanities (literature, language, philosophy, the fine arts, and history), the physical and biological sciences and mathematics, and the social sciences.