Fear Not, Liberal Arts Major. There Are Jobs In Your Future Too.

When you have to select your major, and you will have to eventually, too many students think of what they can’t do with a major compared to what they can do. You’ve undoubtedly heard the question, “What are you going to do with that?” when referring to your chosen degree. Fear not. Even if there’s no super clear answer to that immediately, you can do a lot more than you think, which is the beauty of a liberal arts degree.

If nothing else, a college degree will prove that you have the diligence and work ethic to complete a task that’s long and involves a lot of work! No matter what your degree may say, you'll at least have that part proven, which counts for more than you might think. As many times as you’ve heard the question of what you plan to do with your degree, you’ve also heard it said that all jobs require on-the-job training, and that it really doesn’t matter what you studied, as your at-work training will take precedence. This is also true, to an extent of course.

Even if many liberal arts degrees don’t offer work directly in your field of study, there are more fields of work than there are college majors, and guess what? Those skills such as diligence, hard work, and ability to think critically are important in every field, meaning you’ve graduated with more work-related skills and knowledge than you might have thought. Even if graduation is a long way’s away right now, it’s never too early to start thinking about post-college life.

In fact, you’re likely more restricted (which also isn’t necessarily a bad thing) by studying a more narrow field such as nursing or computer science. Most students who go to pharmacy school, for example, become pharmacists. But those students who are English majors, as another example, go on to work in a variety of fields and learn varying specialties. This career freedom can actually be very refreshing. Hopefully you’ll like the job you do after college, but if not and if you were a liberal arts major, you can try pursing another career path quite easily, which is a beneficial freedom.

If anything, the liberal arts degree can cause some anxiety because you’ll be less certain of the path you’ll take. Again, this isn’t a bad thing. At first, you can feel a bit lost graduating with a liberal arts degree. But once you begin working, you might find it an even greater asset later on. Many students study a specialized field and will likely end up working in that field for their entire careers! That’s a big commitment. Not knowing just what the future holds can be exciting if you take the right outlook. So the next time someone asks what you plan to do with your major, tell them you’ll do exactly what you want to do and enjoy the freedom you’ve been given.