English Majors Need Not Apply?

There was an article in yesterday's Boston Globe  about the plans at  a small NH college (Colby-Sawyer) to discontinue two major concentrations which were once thought to be the cornerstones of a Liberal Arts education:  English and Philosophy.  

I suppose this is a reflection of the relative level of interest in these fields.  The college reports that currently there are only 18 students majoring in English, and no Philosophy majors.  I guess it makes logical sense that parents who are looking at annual tuition costs of $54,000 per academic year, are urging their kids to choose more practical degrees that will translate into career opportunities later on. 

I am disappointed by the general assumption that Liberal Arts degrees are inferior to Science and Technology sheepskins -- largely because of the higher salary levels that engineers enjoy upon graduation.  

On the other hand,  I am pleased to report that there is a sparse but growing body of information that disputes the knee-jerk assumption that STEM graduates will outperform Liberal Arts majors in some critical jobs.  

One CEO admits: "Looking back at the tech teams that I’ve built at my companies, it’s evident that individuals with liberal arts degrees are by far the sharpest, best­-performing software developers and technology leaders. Often these modern techies have degrees in philosophy, history, and music – even political science..."

In another Wall Street Journal piece entitled: "Good News Liberal Arts Majors, Your Peers Probably Won't Outearn You Forever" 
Points to numerous examples of Liberal Arts majors whose salaries tend to close the gap and their careers mature.   Click on the article and take a look at the lifetime earning chart.  You might be surprised.

I should admit here that I graduated Northeastern University as an English Major.  Despite my inability to spell or punctuate correctly, I managed to come away from NU with one great asset - my wife of 49 years.  We met in Creative Writing class.  

Even in 1968, (unless you could write like Papa Hemingway)  there were few career paths for graduating English Majors.  You could go on for a degree in fine arts (MFA) and go into the publishing industry as an editor or proofreader. Or go to grad school for an MED so you could teach.  Or you could go out into the scary world of commerce as an administrative flunky.

Following a short stint in academic administration for my alma mater, I chose the latter road.  I worked for eight different companies in my career.  When applying for a job I always fibbed a bit on my resume/application.  Instead of English as my major, I would write English-Journalism because I thought it would make me seem more practical.  After all, I had taken a course in Investigative Reporting.   I guess it worked, because most of my working life I've been a Systems Analyst, Project Manager, Managed a Product Admin group, and was a even Program Manager for New Products Manufacturing, for goodness sake!  

You may ask how my degree in Liberal Arts/English prepared me for a career in High Tech companies.  Beats me!   I like to think that my Liberal Arts courses helped me to hone my analytical skills and communications abilities.  Luck plays a huge role in anyone's life.   (As a side note, I wish more people who present themselves as journalists on TV and in print could take a few courses in investigative journalism.  I often find myself reading a so-called News item and thinking "This sounds like an editorial."  But I digress.)    My wife also found gainful employment in Sales (Mfg Rep, Payroll Software, Insurance) and retired as Training Manager at a Bank.  Not bad for a couple of English Majors with BA's.

So I am one who still believes in a Liberal Arts education, as a foundation for developing critical thinking skills and understanding the cultural richness of our civilization.  

The Job is only one facet of life, after all.  Most of the joys in life are experienced in leisure time.   Far and away the most important characteristic of successful people is the ability to relate to others. Science and Math do not teach you that.