Can You Get A Job With A Liberal Arts Degree?

Liberal Arts graduates earn annually about $41k.

According to the BLS, there were 186,503 recipients of a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts in 2015, who had a median annual wage of about $40,940 for full-time workers under age 35.

Valuable in any field

We all know that a college degree is a primary tool we have to show our prospective employer the path we have chosen for our lives. It is our proof to present the skills we have in a specific field. 

A liberal arts degree is usually associated with soft skills, which are very important for any job because they put a particular emphasis on the development of communication, critical observation, and analytical abilities. Liberal arts studies include mathematics, basic sciences, and economics in a broad sense, and humanities and social sciences more specifically. Having a college degree does not guarantee to get a job, so it is essential to focus on your goals, reflect your liberal arts skills on your resume, and be flexible and patient. 

Liberal arts graduates may not have career choices as apparent as those for students of nursing or engineering. And that is because liberal arts studies are designed to prepare students for a wide range of career opportunities that will be useful throughout their work life. That is why, for a liberal arts graduate, there are probably more options beyond the obvious ones than one may realize. For example, a major in theater studies focus on self-expression.  So, it could help you develop the speaking ability and creativity that are important in public relations. Liberal arts graduates work in a variety of industries, from education to retail trade and graphic arts.

Also, today, employers not only look for candidates with specific technical aptitude but also those with initiative and the ability to communicate effectively articulating ideas with confidence -verbally and in writing-, and solve problems creatively –characteristics of liberal arts training.

The technological advancement also benefits liberal arts graduates. It facilitates the creation of a new nontechnical labor market in a variety of fields, such as sales, design, marketing, consulting, product and communication managing, real state, and so on. At this point is where liberal arts graduates contribute with their human-centered knowledge to complement the hard skills of engineers, software developers, and such. Everyday life is becoming more dependable on technology, automating processes with apps and tools that maximize efficiency and productivity in our daily life. Old jobs are disappearing, and automated ones are replacing them. However, behind such automation, human beings are working quietly, for example connecting with users, editing, cleaning up the web, etc. For example, students with a major in Commercial art and graphic designlearn how to apply artistic and computer techniques to communicate ideas through illustrations and other forms of media. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were 186,503 recipients of a bachelor’s degree in this field in 2015, with a median annual wage of about $40,940 for full-time workers under age 35.

We are currently focusing on the accelerated development of digital technologies. What we should not forget is that behind them, there is always the human eye that designs the road map to follow.

A college degree is not guarantee to get a job. And liberal arts graduates will probably have to be especially persistent. So, what to do?

• Focus on your career goals and gain the necessary skills to meet them. Advance in your studies in fields that require more technical and specific knowledge. For example, acquiring technological skills and applied learning techniques will open doors in the digital market.
• When applying for a job, market your unique liberal arts skills to make them fit the posted opening.
• Be flexible and open-minded when considering positions. Each of your academic and extracurricular interests could take you in a different direction. For example, if you like writing, you may be willing to explore a position as a reporter or technical writer.

Just remember that a liberal arts background provides a solid foundation on which to build.