Running head: LIBERAL ARTSTHE VALUE OF A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION IN TODAY’S WORLDAtai ArpachievAmerican University of Central AsiaLIBERAL ARTSAbstractThe paper explores six publications about the value of the liberal arts education, such as job opportunities after graduating from liberal arts, what skills you can improve. This paper will help people to make the right decision when they are doing their choice, when they don’t know what they want from the life, when they are afraid to regret.
Keywords: liberal arts, skills, job opportunitiesLIBERAL ARTSTHE VALUE OF A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATIONIndividuals in the liberal arts education are the creative spark that influences business across all around the world, powering everything from giant computer and technology corporations to small design studios and clothing boutiques. The liberal arts degree offers students key skills that can be applied to just about any career or industry, such as problem-solving skills, critical thinking, communication, integration of knowledge. This paper provides details about career pathways in the arts, skills to help graduates find the right career. But where can people work in the future? How can they improve themselves? We will not leave this topic aside.LIBERAL ARTSLiterature ReviewJob OpportunitiesFirstly, graduates of journalism degree programs take their places among the 57,000 reporters, correspondents, and news analysts working in print, digital or broadcast organizations throughout the USA.
The wide career field prepares students to take on everything from reporting local news on television to working at the foreign desk for a weekly news magazine. The growth in online journalism has fueled the careers of bloggers, photographers, arts and music critics, and freelance writers who make their own hours. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most employers prefer job applicants holding at least a bachelor’s degree in journalism or digital communications.
However, many journalists can enter the field with a related degree in political science or English along with a portfolio demonstrating their abilities.Second, communication professions work across a wide range of specializations in corporate communications, advertising and promotions, news media, and journalistic organizations. Graduates or undergraduates are armed with a fundamental understanding of the communications field and relevant skills along with niche training. They get jobs as announcers, print and digital editors, technical writers, photographers, reporters, bloggers, public relations managers or marketing writers. The common entry level requirement in communications is the bachelor’s degree. In some instances, job applicants are required to present a portfolio (print, audio, video, multimedia reel) demonstrating their experience and skills. For those going into management, earning a master’s degree is advisable (BLS, 2018).LIBERAL ARTSThird, the “world is your oyster” when you earn a degree in history, according to the American Historical Association.
History graduates are well-suited to traditional careers as historical research scholars or history teachers, however, many pursue professions as legal analysts, foreign-service officers, foundation staffers, consultants, lobbyists, or information managers. History grads also find employment with think tanks, law firms, non-profit organizations, historic sites, secondary and post-secondary schools, and museum. Graduates of bachelor’s degree programs in history can gain entrance to the field with jobs in historical organizations and museums, according to the BLS, however the four-year degree can help them land jobs in legal, educational, and business organizations.
To work as research or college historians, applicants are typically required to hold at least a master’s degree or doctorate (BLS, 2018).Fourth, the undergraduate study of film is a broad professional area that includes training for roles in writing, production, animation, multimedia, mass communications, cinematography, broadcast, and gaming. Film and video editors work in the entertainment, broadcast, news, education and corporate communications fields. Directors work across film and digital media used in entertainment, marketing, advertising and broadcast productions. Writers work in pre-production, creating scripts used for entertainment, broadcasting, marketing, film and stage projects. Producers are the financial managers of the creative and technological support teams in pre- and post-production. Film schools also offer training in lighting, sound, electrical, set production, sound and music specialties.
A bachelor’s degree is the common general requirement for entry level into many specialties within the film occupations. Production personnel may have specialties or degrees in finance. Animators and editors have technology-related specializations, while technical support staff (grips, lighting technicians, etc.
) may earn certifications or training at career schools (BLS, 2018).LIBERAL ARTSFifth, there’s a career for every type of musician and music lover. Graduates of undergraduate and graduate music degree programs work as film scorers, advertising jingle and game theme writers, classical or jazz composers, rock and rollers, music recorders and managers, music educators, performers, songwriters, and music therapists. The career outlook for college music teachers deserves special attention: job openings will increase by 19 percent from 2012 to 2022 (BLS), with the largest amount of openings at the two-year college level.
Common job titles include copyist, transcriber, private instructor, sound designer, personal manager, vocalist, music publisher, film conductor or session musician. Many performing musicians and composers are self-taught, but those working as classical performers, directors and vocalists are typically required to hold at least a bachelor’s degree with a music-history and performance concentration. Those who pursue teaching careers will need at least an undergraduate degree in music and a teaching credential, while college-level music educators will need to complete a master’s degree or doctorate (BLS, 2018).Sixth, Fashion designers work in the fields of apparel, shoes and accessories, creating new products for major retailers, fashion boutiques, and direct-to-customer companies. They use a combination of professional skills to design the product and select the necessary fabrics and components for production. The BLS reports that America’s 22,300 designers are self-employed professionals or work for clothing companies, wholesalers, garment manufacturers, fashion design firms, online retailers and catalog companies.
Some 300 postsecondary schools and colleges in the USA offer degree programs in fashion design. Most working designers hold bachelor’s degrees in either fashion design or fashion merchandising. Degree programs offer detailed studies in computer-aided design technology, fabrics, templates, materials, design history and trends. Formal postsecondary programs allow students to build a portfolio of work to showcase to prospective employers.LIBERAL ARTSAccording to Jonathan Becker, liberal arts education does not sentence graduates to a lifetime of unemployment. The opposite is true: many employers, including those in areas of business and finance, seek to hire LAS graduates, and many are LAS graduates themselves.LAS education prepares graduates for new economic conditions that emphasize flexibility and adaptability instead of single-company or single industry lifetime employment.
By focusing on the development of the person and endowing students with the capacity to think critically, problem solve, and communicate effectively, LAS education fosters in students the capacity to respond to changing circumstances. That is an essential part of the LAS wager. LAS graduates might start with as much content knowledge as non-LAS students, but they come with a training in research, skills in knowledge acquisition, and the ability to problem-solve that in the long run are likely to make them greater contributors to their places of employment than their more narrowly trained colleagues.SkillsSuccess in the workforce requires the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, integrate knowledge, and relate to our global economy. These are the core skills taught through a liberal arts education – and they’re necessary for each and every company to have.Critical thinking is essential to efficiently solve problems on both a personal and professional level. Analyzing data and predicting outcomes are keys to success in business, marketing, and public relations.Effective communication in management and client relationships is vital.
If employees or clients misunderstand expectations or promises of service, credibility and reliability can quickly plummet.Integration of knowledge allows focusing on all perspectives of an issue and arriving at a sound solution. Global awareness is critical in our world economy. Relations with the international business community depend on an understanding of differences in cultures, customs, languages, and tradition. It is no longer a possibility to be an isolationist in an interconnected world. (Under30CEO, 2012)According to studies from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers often rank skills such as critical thinking and communication—hallmarks of liberal arts training—above technical aptitude as essential for career readiness. “Liberal arts study helps students develop strong foundational competencies,” says Paul Timmins, director of career services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “It gives them tools to succeed beyond their first job.
” “Regardless of the industry, we need people who can solve problems, write well, speak well, bring multiple perspectives to decision-making; we need people who are good managers, who are cross-culturally competent,” Robert Vega, director of liberal arts career services at the University of Texas at Austin says. “All of that is liberal arts.” (Domingo Angeles and Brian Roberts, 2017).
LIBERAL ARTSDiscussionThe findings of this study clearly show that liberal arts matter nowadays, and what job opportunities, skills people can have. It can be journalism, communications, history, film, music, fashion design. What about skills? Human will have critical thinking, excellent communication, and integration of knowledge.
We can contrast liberal arts education and professional. There are many differences between them, and the most notable is the style of study. Professional education educates in one direction, and it is improving the skills to succeed in the field that people choose while liberal arts education educates in various directions and improves critical thinking, problem-solving, oral communication, teamwork, and critical analysis. If we consider our First Year Seminar and math, the former we think, solve problems, communicate, whereas the latter we just use formulas to do the exercises. Hence, liberal arts graduates become marketing and sales managers, judges, teachers, clergy and so on. Unlike liberal arts, professional graduates become engineers, doctors, chemists, scientists, accountants. It doesn’t mean that people who study professionally don’t need critical thinking, problem-solving skills.
They need them, but it is not important because they need skills in the direction that they have. For example, we have an engineer, he/she studies special formulas, things to become professional, but sales managers need oral skills, knowledge of how to work with customers. (Atai Arpachiev, 2018)These findings suggest that everyone must be educated, to have a well-paid job, and liberal arts education leads to examined life. We can improve our thoughts, imagination, communication, it helps to appreciate and respect everything that we have. According to Martha C. Nussbaum, a further problem with people who lead the unexamined life is that they often treat one another disrespectfully.
When people think that political debate is something like an athletic contest, where the aim is to score points for their own side, they are likely to see the “other side” as the enemy and to wish its defeat, or even humiliation. It would not occur to them to seek compromise or to find common ground, any more than in a hockey match the Chicago Blackhawks would seek “common ground” with their adversaries. Socrates’ attitude toward his interlocutors, by contrast, is exactly the same as his attitude toward himself. Everyone needs examination, and all are equal in the face of the argument.
This critical attitude uncovers the structure of each person’s position, in the process uncovering shared assumptions, points of intersection that can help fellow citizens progress to a shared conclusion. (Martha Nussbaum, 2010).LIBERAL ARTSConclusion and Future StudyIn order to gain a complete understanding of the value of liberal arts, such as career, skills, it is necessary to conduct one more study about the salaries, the future of liberal arts education. Finally, we talked about the important skills that we can improve with the help of the liberal arts education. Liberal arts expose the world to new ideas, attitudes, and ways of understanding our surroundings. It is vital to require into consideration however we have a tendency to relate to every different and our surroundings in order that we will still progress and advance in a very positive direction.
The world is formed a far better place solely by those willing to place forth the hassle. By striving to better inform ourselves, humanity has already taken a step in the right directionLIBERAL ARTSReferencesBureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). Liberal Arts degrees and Arts and Humanities careers. Retrieved from https://www.learnhowtobecome.
org/arts-humanities-careers/Under30CEO. (2012). The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Today’s Job Market. Retrieved from http://under30ceo.
com/the-value-of-a-liberal-arts-education-in-todays-job-market/Domingo Angeles and Brian Roberts. (2017). Putting your liberal arts degree to work. Retrieved from https://www.
bls.gov/careeroutlook/2017/article/liberal-arts.htmJonathan Becker. (2014). What a Liberal Arts and Sciences Education is…and is Not. Retrieved from http://www.bard.edu/internationalnetwork/liberalarts/Atai Arpachiev.
(2018). Which type of educational system do you prefer: liberal arts education or professional? Retrieved from http://rgho.st/6zCck7QzWMartha C. Nussbaum. (2010). Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, 4, 51.
