Is a liberal arts degree a waste of time ?

Question

What's the best way to market yourself to employers if you have a liberal arts degree ?

Answer 1

There's some disagreement among experts and pollsters about the importance of one's major to employers, but the prevailing opinion is that -- with the exception of some highly specialized and technical fields -- the degree is much more important to employer than what you majored in. That's great news for liberal-arts grads.

The best way to market yourself and your degree would be to apply for internships in several areas. Above all, make sure your communication skills are as good as they can be.  

Answer 2

Unfortunately it is.  I graduated with a liberal arts degree (psychology) from the University of Michigan.  The U of M is one of the prestigious schools in the nation and the psychology program was ranked #2 among public universities.  Despite this, not only could I not find a job, but I could not even get any interviews.  Without interviews marketing yourself to employers is a non-factor.  

I really wish I had chosen something else.  I always joke that I should have gone into nursing.  I had wanted to go into business, but the U of M's business program is practically impossible to get into.  It would have been better, though, if I had just gone into a business program at a less prestigious school.  Right now I'm spending 25 grand to get my MBA.

There are some decent L.A. majors, such as economics, but ones like psychology, philosophy, and history are worthless.  As soon as you graduate with a philosophy degree, you'll be off to your McJob.

If you do decide to get a L.A. degree, make sure you do very well academically (high GPA), network (this is the absolute best way to get a job!!), make sure you do an internship before you graduate (I can't stress this enough.  You need experience), and figure out a way to market yourself.  As a psych major, I stress how it has helped improve my communication skills.  This is highly relevant considering communication skills are the number one things employers look for in a potential candidate.  Be sure to have specific examples of how it has helped.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

There is two schools of thought on this topic. One school of thought says a liberal arts degree (BA) will make you more marketable once you graduate. The other says it can hamper your chances of promotion due to the fact your have too broad of an educational background and as you move 'up the ladder' the more specialized knowledge from a BSc degree is helpful. With that said a liberal arts degree with a foreign language component can be quite helpful if you are looking to do graduate work in the sciences.

So for you the question is what is you final goal? If you goal is to further your education with a masters or doctorate degree than a BA degree will be helpful. However if you do not plan to further your education than a BA degree may not be as beneficial as a BSc.