It is like any other day as you stroll to class on a brisk Monday morning. You stop at your usual cafAc for a morning caffeine jolt and receive a sudden jolt of a different kind. You overhear two students discussing their postgraduation plans when it hits—the self-doubt and paralyzing fear accompanied by thoughts of the future.
This fear can and will strike any student, but it is particularly menacing to liberal arts majors. Unlike degrees in business, education or engineering, liberal arts majors do not always correlate directly with careers.
""So many students come in really freaking out about that,"" said Sheila Jensen, a Letters and Science Career Services adviser.
The irony is, students feel alone in these moments of stunting self-doubt. In reality, there are thousands of frazzled students wallowing in similar moments of uncertainty. Sometimes these moments are fleeting, while other episodes linger like the prolonged note of a violin.
An outdated notion of college adds to the problem. Students are taught to view college as a means to a finite end. The tendency is for students to liken college to a kind of educational machinery, similar to a tour of the Crayola factory many students recall fondly from earlier times, but instead of red, yellow and green crayons, the assembly line cranks out the likes of doctors, architects and engineers.
This one-dimensional view of college is stifling. The college experience should be viewed as an opportunity to explore career options while acquiring core skills and values.
Many employers today enthusiastically hire liberal arts students. According to a 2006 survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the top three qualities employers seek in potential employees are verbal and written communication skills; honesty and integrity; and teamwork, with communication skills coming in first for eight consecutive years.
According to Jensen, students acquire these superior communication skills while pursuing a liberal arts education. Students gain experience communicating messages clearly and concisely through papers, presentations and group projects, which also prepare students to work effectively with others.
A specific major is far from vital when qualifying for many jobs. It is more important to demonstrate sincere interest in your chosen career, as well as to exhibit skills relevant to an employer's needs and the ability to learn additional skills.
""Above all, many employers are looking for people who are confident, interested and enthusiastic,"" adviser Matthew Nelson said. ""They can teach you the rest.""
Though students are informed of these facts, the message often does not saturate. ""Even if they get it intellectually, students don't really see what it means for them,"" Jensen said. ""They wonder, ‘What does my path look like?'""
A liberal arts degree lays a foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful career in any number of fields. Nelson suggests students figure out what interests them and pursue it—get experience, network and try things out.
The path to your future career may not be as straight as you would prefer, but navigating through the twists and turns can be half the fun.
