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What Can I Do With a Liberal Arts
Degree? |
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Traditionally, a
liberal arts degree has been associated
with careers in education, the clergy, and law. Today it is
readily accepted in the business world. A recent Spencer
Stuart survey revealed that roughly 20 percent of the top
CEOs in the country hold an undergraduate liberal
arts-related degree . Only engineering and business
administration were more common undergraduate degrees for
S&P 500 CEOs.
The top brass at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Liz Claiborne, Coach,
Molson Coors Brewing, FedEx, Knight-Ridder, Sara Lee, M&T
Bank, Nike and Time Warner all hold Liberal Arts degrees.
It pays to study what interests you. A bachelor’s degree in
Medieval History and Philosophy wouldn’t generally seem to
forecast success. But Carly Fiorina went on to head
Hewlett-Packard for six years, a company of 150,000
employees with $86 billion in revenue. Former Disney head,
Michael Eisner, studied Literature and Theater.
While the sky is the limit, salary-wise, for seasoned
executives with a track record, recent grads can expect
down-to-earth compensation--at least at first. US News &
World Report placed the average starting salary for a
liberal arts graduate at around $30,300, up 4.2 percent from
last year. Initially these grads may have fewer job-related
skills than their more vocational degree counterparts in,
say, accounting.
But employers do value the basics of a solid education.
“Good verbal and written communication skills are a must,”
says Sheri Ditzel, Client Service Manager for Kelly
Services. Its clients seek candidates for temporary and
permanent positions in various fields including IT, legal,
and engineering, in addition to office support. She adds,
“project management skills are also key.”
A liberal arts or humanities program nurtures all of those
skills, and that is why employers are willing to invest. As
new-hires take advantage of work-related training and gain
experience, the link between their skills and their salaries
will become stronger. Years down the line, there is plenty
of opportunity for parity to be achieved. |
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Tips for Job Hunters
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- Before graduation: visit your university’s career
center or take advantage of resources online.
- On your resume: highlight transferable skills on
your resume
- At the interview: illustrate how those skills make
you a particular asset
- Use the table below to give your confidence a boost!
| Undergraduate Liberal Arts
Area Coursework |
Transferable Skill |
Occupations open to Liberal
Arts Grads (B.A.) |
Top Brass/
Notables
|
| Comparative Literature, Drama, Advanced Writing |
Written/
Verbal Communication |
Reporter, editor, technical writer, broadcaster |
Michael Eisner, former Disney head; bachelor’s
in literature and drama |
| Philosophy, Sociology, Mathematics |
Critical Thinking/
Analysis |
Top- and mid-level manager, executive,
demographer, criminologist |
Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard head; B.A.
medieval history and philosophy |
|
Psychology, History,
Anthropology |
Intellectual Curiosity/
Organizational Skills |
Elementary or secondary school
teacher, project manager, counselor, HR associate |
Andrew Schindler, ret. CEO Reynolds Tobacco;
B.A. History |
| Economics |
Problem-solving |
Marketing/sales, law
enforcement |
Sandra Day O’Connor, ret. Supreme Court Justice;
bachelor’s Economics |
|
Sociology, Argumentation and
Debate |
Leadership |
US military officer, business executive, clergy |
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader; B.S.
Sociology |
|
French, Spanish, Chinese,
Japanese, Arabic languages, etc.; History |
Foreign Language Proficiency |
congressional aide, foreign
service officer, linguist, translator |
Brooke Shields, actor, author; B.A. French
Literature |
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Online Education |
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The thought of going back to school conjures up
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What Can I Do With a Liberal Arts Degree?
