Yes, jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are important these days. But it’s also important to remember the liberal arts are still part of that equation.
Employers say they want workers who have critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.1 Those are skills imparted by a broad, liberal-arts education.
First, when we talk about liberal education, we’re not talking about teaching students to be liberals.
We’re talking about liberal education in the classical sense – what the Association of American Colleges and Universities defines as “an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change.
“It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.”2
At Winston-Salem State University, Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson emphasizes that a liberal education is vital for students.
“Liberal education – that is the underpinning of just about every profession that you can think about,” Robinson says in the accompanying video.
“If you talk to lawyers, for example, they will tell you that they were best prepared through taking English and writing and speaking – those kinds of things are important, and they’re the underpinning for so many careers today.”
At the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, Chancellor Lindsay Bierman talks about arts and entertainment as an industry in itself, generating $26 billion in revenue in North Carolina alone in 2015.
Bierman also talks about pairing artists with engineers and computer scientists in teams. At its School of Filmmaking, UNCSA is developing one of the nation’s leading programs in virtual and augmented reality technology – not just for movies and video games, but to transform fields like retail and education.3
And despite its name, the NC School of Science and Mathematics in Durham offers robust programs in the arts. NCSSM instructors are well aware of the correlations between music and mathematics.
“It’s a vital part of our school,” says NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts. “It’s kind of the combination of when you have strong science and math, you have the humanities, and you want to allow students to bring out their creativity, because… that’s what innovation’s all about.”4
The Institute for the Future and Dell Technologies projected in 2017 that 85 percent of jobs that today’s learners will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.5
Workers will need to be able to adapt to an ever-changing workplace. Jobs may change in ways we can’t predict. But critical thinking, problem-solving and clear communications will never go out of style.
And even those who question the 85 percent projection point to skills generated by the liberal arts as critical to the jobs of tomorrow.
“To the extent that any future jobs are in transition or under development, schools and students alike are wise to invest in foundations of a good education, the soft skills of the liberal arts such as critical reading, communication, creativity and collaboration,” Derek Newton wrote in Forbes in December.
“Actual research does show that those skills are essentially future-proof, even in tech jobs.”6
1https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/05/ziprecruiter-tech-employers-are-looking-for-hires-with-soft-skills.html; https://www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/2019/04/22/employers-are-seeking-more-than-just-students-with-degrees/.
2https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education.
3https://hew.aveltsagency.com/2018/02/uncsa-immersive-technology/.
4https://hew.aveltsagency.com/2017/03/ncssm-arts/.
5http://www.iftf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/th/SR1940_IFTFforDellTechnologies_Human-Machine_070717_readerhigh-res.pdf, p. 14.
6https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2018/12/28/the-myth-of-jobs-that-dont-exist-yet/#4cad1f7c70ec.
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