Are liberal arts dead? Far from it. In fact, liberal arts grads are in high demand in the corporate world - Selecting A School

Careers and Colleges, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Jamienne Studley

Making a Living

The corporate world's appreciation of liberal arts graduates continues to grow. Perhaps it is no surprise that 38 percent of CEOs majored in liberal arts, as Fortune magazine reported a few years ago. Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett Packard, attributed her studies in medieval philosophy for sharpening her analytical skills--not her studies in economics.

Business executives appreciate long-term outcomes of a college education, the preparation not simply for a job but for a long and varied career. According to a study commissioned by Hobart & William Smith Colleges, business leaders value liberal arts grads for their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, strong writing and speaking skills, self-discipline, exposure to diverse ideas, and global perspective. And they hire them because it makes good sense in a global business environment marked by constant change. Rather than developing a trade good for one particular job, liberal arts graduates develop a broad base of knowledge and skills that prepare them for evolving challenges over the long haul.

"A liberal arts education provides an opportunity for students to explore a wide range of cultures and social issues, as well to develop specialized knowledge," says Bernard Kastory, a former senior vice president at Best Foods and a professor of business at Skidmore.

"The breadth of the curriculum fosters broad thinking and creativity. I've also found that students from liberal arts colleges bring well-developed communication skills to their jobs."

And, of course, many liberal arts graduates find tremendous success in jobs that seem far afield from their majors. Skidmore graduate Jeff Treuhaft was an arts major who went on to launch and develop Netscape Communications and is now the vice president of an Internet services company. Diana Gilson was a sociology major who wound up as a neonatal physician. "I always wanted to be a physician but I chose sociology [as an undergrad] because I thought it would help me relate to my patients," she says. Peter Wan, a 1995 Skidmore graduate with a double major in biology and music, is now making his mark in the financial sector as an equities trader. "A solid liberal arts education provided me a foundation of skills, thought processes, and disciplines that I have adapted to my present occupation," says Wan. "My education will help me appreciate and tackle opportunities throughout life."

Making a Life

As important as it is to make a living, what ultimately matters is to make yourself a meaningful life. The liberal arts have practical and marketable merits, and serve as first-rate preparation for graduate or professional school and careers in academia, medicine, or law.

But more important, a liberal arts education also shapes the way you live. The exploration of life's questions and opportunities is rewarding in and of itself. It helps you define a place for yourself in the world. It incites your curiosity and passion and enriches the many hours of your life outside the workplace--reading a newspaper or novel, viewing of creating art, traveling the globe or your own city, volunteering in a homeless shelter or tutoring immigrant children.