USA Today article: "How to Turn a Liberal Arts Degree into a Paycheck"

[mshan]

"College students earning a liberal arts degree can nearly double their job prospects — and boost their starting salaries to boot — by picking up a few technical skills before they graduate, a study suggests.

The analysis, based on a review of millions of entry-level job postings, offers hope for new graduates majoring in fields such as English, anthropology and philosophy, which have posted some of the highest unemployment rates for recent grads.

All they have to do is couple their liberal arts education with "a relatively small dose" of field-specific skills, the study says. Those skills fall into eight categories: marketing, sales, business, social media, graphic design, data analysis and management, computer programming, and information technology networking and support. Most can be acquired through internships, an academic minor or similar experiences, the study finds.

"With just a little bit greater awareness of what employers need, (students can) unlock a huge array of jobs that might not otherwise have been open to them," says Matthew Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass, a Boston-based labor market analytics company that works with colleges, employers and recruiters."

"The study complements other research showing that employers first and foremost hire people who can communicate clearly, think critically and solve problems — all hallmarks of a traditional liberal arts education."

"Burning Glass' analysis of about 4 million entry-level job openings listed from July 2012 through June 2013 finds that a new graduate with a liberal arts degree qualified for about 955,000 jobs, about 25% of those available. Liberal arts graduates with complementary technical skills in one or more of those eight categories could compete for an additional 862,000 jobs, most of them in fast-growing fields.

Average starting salaries were higher, too: $49,000 for liberal arts graduates with the extra training vs. $43,000 for those without.

The report also identified metro areas that are most promising for liberal arts grads just out of college. For example:


• Portland, Ore., is a particularly strong market for job seekers with sales, marketing and jobs involving social-media savvy.

• Dallas topped the list for employers seeking proficiency in data management.

• Boston and New York boasted the most job openings but also the stiffest competition.

• Atlanta, more than any other metro area, offered promising job prospects across the widest array of skills."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/27/more-hope-for-liberal-arts-majors/2703707/

 

[Kadarin]

I would just like to know why there's no such thing as a Conservative Arts degree.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I would just like to know why there's no such thing as a Conservative Arts degree.

Conservatives are not free thinkers, logic and solid foundations must apply.

 

[yllus]

I shudder at the mention of social media as either a skill or a field.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I shudder at the mention of social media as either a skill or a field.

Buzzwords come and go.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Buzzwords come and go.

my consultants advise me your trending big time. let's synergize and monetize! cast a bigger net, with laser-beam focus!

 

[Howard]

I shudder at the mention of social media as either a skill or a field.

But it is. If you can make money doing it, it is a field in which you are valued by your skill.

 

[reallyscrued]

my consultants advise me your trending big time. let's synergize and monetize! cast a bigger net, with laser-beam focus!

That was beautiful.

 

[Gibsons]

I would just like to know why there's no such thing as a Conservative Arts degree.

Probably because a wealthy donor hasn't funded it.

 

[Bateluer]

"The study complements other research showing that employers first and foremost hire people who can communicate clearly, think critically and solve problems — all hallmarks of a traditional liberal arts education."

Those really aren't mutually exclusive to liberal arts degrees at all.

 

[MetalMat]

Why not just major in one of those eight categories and skip the liberal arts?

 

[drinkmorejava]

Those really aren't mutually exclusive to liberal arts degrees at all.

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't even say problem solving and critical thinking skills are liberal art hallmarks. Maybe they have better imagination, but you'd have a hard time explaining to me how engineering does not dominate those skills.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Those really aren't mutually exclusive to liberal arts degrees at all.

I don't understand the use of the word mutually in this sentence. One of us isn't good at communication obviously.

It would have made sense without the word mutually, which I think is what you meant anyway.

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't even say problem solving and critical thinking skills are liberal art hallmarks. Maybe they have better imagination, but you'd have a hard time explaining to me how engineering does not dominate those skills.

The problem is engineers have actual problems to solve. Because no engineers would take a 'job' like this, they have to find another group of people.

 

[Fox5]

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't even say problem solving and critical thinking skills are liberal art hallmarks. Maybe they have better imagination, but you'd have a hard time explaining to me how engineering does not dominate those skills.

Physics. Physics is the degree you're thinking of. And it is technically a liberal arts (& sciences) degree at many schools.
Engineering is probably a close second.

I remember when I took the GRE, the statistics I saw put the engineering and science majors as the highest on both the math and verbal sections. English majors scored close on verbal, and everyone else was way behind on both.

There was a major exception for biology majors though. They scored closer to the overall average.

 

[arkcom]

Physics. Physics is the degree you're thinking of. And it is technically a liberal arts (& sciences) degree at many schools.
Engineering is probably a close second.

I remember when I took the GRE, the statistics I saw put the engineering and science majors as the highest on both the math and verbal sections. English majors scored close on verbal, and everyone else was way behind on both.

There was a major exception for biology majors though. They scored closer to the overall average.

I'm having a hard time turning my Physics degree into a paycheck. 😳

 

[Veliko]

I don't understand the use of the word mutually in this sentence. One of us isn't good at communication obviously.

It would have made sense without the word mutually, which I think is what you meant anyway.

One of you isn't good at comprehension obviously.

'Mutually exclusive' fits perfectly with what he was saying.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't even say problem solving and critical thinking skills are liberal art hallmarks. Maybe they have better imagination, but you'd have a hard time explaining to me how engineering does not dominate those skills.

Exactly. I laugh when I hear about the "critical thinking" skills of liberal arts majors. Most of their "critical thinking" seems to be regurgitating what their nutty professors told them. 😀 At any rate, engineers dominate problem solving and critical thinking skills and it isn't even close.