Preview

Career Oriented Major Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
815 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Career Oriented Major Research Paper
Liberal Arts Supplement Career-Oriented Majors
Over the past years, liberal art majors have decreased, while career oriented majors have skyrocketed. Budget conscientious families and hard economic times have limited the scope of a student's study plan. Liberal art students prepare by gaining exposure, so they may remain flexible in their career pathway. On the other hand, career-oriented majors prepare students for employment in a specific field of study. Students should have a career oriented major supplemented by a liberal art minor.
Students and parents are not paying for an education, but rather investing in employable skills. The global economy is becoming increasingly more competitive, and in order to give people the best chance for a well-paying job is by having a career oriented major. A prospective college student might be tempted to look at data on earnings of college graduates and believe that
…show more content…
It is important to remember the significant amount of opportunity available for college students to learn various topics. The “number of academic programs at colleges and universities has grown by 21 percent” (Selingo par. 4). University by definition means a large and diverse institution of higher learning created to educate for life. Having only a career oriented major limits this idea.
Liberal arts majors provide a solid foundation for long-term employment and career success. According to Ari Pinkus, “student pursuing college majors with a broad liberal art education, increase their likelihood of attaining long term professions” (Pinkus par. 1). Employers hiring based on a degree also look for things that are more marketable. “They like workers who are creative, are adaptable, and have the ability to communicate and think critically”, which according to Selingo are “all telltale signs of a classic liberal education” (Selingo par. 10).
People who insist on only pursuing a liberal

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Several authors, like Bill Coplin and Marshal Gregory have very strong views about liberal education. Coplin, believes schools should be more job preparation oriented, while Gregory feels the need of liberal arts isn’t just about getting a job, but about being able to find our purpose in life and live our lives fully. Another article written by Jerry Logan and Janel Curry expresses feelings very similar to those of Gregory’s. The approach taken by Gregory, Logan, and Curry gives a very strong case for why Christians should pursue a liberal education. Christian liberal arts education prepares people for their careers, while also preparing people to be ready to do whatever God may ask of them.…

    • 115 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “The Death of Liberal Arts”, by Nancy Cook, does make a valid point that students should not only know skills that will get them a job, but the skills to analyze and dig deeper into given information. Nancy Cook talks about how Centenary College in Shreveport, La. took out liberal arts classes and added new professional programs that teach about skills that students will need to obtain a job. After understand the article, one can disagree with Centenary College’s decision in cutting the liberal arts classes and how this information relates to Fahrenheit 451. After understanding the article, “The Death of Liberal Arts” one can see that Centenary College’s decision was the wrong choice and how the text relates to Fahrenheit 451. Liberal…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Are you currently stuck and unsure of what major you want to pursue? Do you find yourself stressed over what will happen in the future and what career path you will take? If that is the case, then you’re not alone. Princeton graduate, Ken Saxon addresses this topic to the 2010 freshmen class of the University California, Santa Barbara. He explains that receiving a degree in one particular area does not necessarily mean anything in the real world. Ken Saxon mentions that college is primarily for discovering who you are and what you’re passionate about. Additionally, Saxon uses himself as the perfect example for his argument. In the article, “What Do You Do with a B.A. in History?”, Ken Saxon uses the strategy of logos by presenting well, thought-out examples and logics to prove that having a degree is just the basic outline of one’s success in the future.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nowadays, education is more and more common, most of the people who live in developed or developing country have a chance to go to school. However, the purpose of learning knowledge is changed, a lot of people who go to university because they are told that the degree is a guarantee of making good money. Since the purpose is making more money and due to the fact that liberal art majors are not directly relate to most jobs, a lot of people argue that Liberal art is a useless major, and people should take business or science major. They believe that taking liberal art majors is not beneficial to their career. In Edward Conard’s essay “We don’t need more humanities majors”, he basically mentions that humanities major…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Robert Harris, a renowned writer and experienced professor, published “On the Purpose of a Liberal Art Education” in 1991. He was astounded by how many students he heard mumbling about a generalized education plan; therefore, he felt the compulsive need to explain why a general education not only gives a first-year student a foundation for later learning, but also improves a student’s life. Before Harris could write his paper, he had to investigate the claim; thus, Newman’s The Idea of University shaped Harris's opinion on a liberal education. Newman and Harris both agree that a generalized education helps train the mind to see culture in every situation. Moreover, this article states that a liberal arts education will teach a student how to think, how to learn, how to see the world as a whole, how to become a good teacher, and how to be happier.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. What two (2) important results are liberal arts courses attempting to produce? Liberal arts was expanded to include natural and social sciences such as biology and psychology. Second colleges allowed students to select a particular major or course study.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Owen And Sawhill Analysis

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages

    "We see that just not all college degrees are equal, neither are all high school diplomas" (Owen and Sawhill 216). Meaning getting a degree in one occupation, doesn't mean will result in the same pay as getting a degree in another. I agree with Owen and Sawhill up to this point but if everyone saw this as their number one priority, then it could possibly bring up a major issue. A lot of college students currently choose their majors based off what they feel will give them the most money in the future. This not only results in them stuck with an occupation they highly dislike but a lot of the times they are not good at it. For example, it takes an intense amount of hard work in order to become a doctor however, many students that don't have an interest in the sciences nor have the academic ability to pursue this occupation are still choosing this field. The focus of an college education completely shifts as a result because what used to be an open window for new experiences and learning whatever students want, has become something students only look for because they know it will earn them money. Instead, if these students that may be not academically prepared to choose such an intense occupation chose what they truly desire, then it would make them much more successful in the future. These views of Owen and Sawhill are addressed in Sanford J. Ungar's essay as…

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Career Exploration Paper

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One career that I am interested in is an Account Executive in Advertising. Tasks for such a job include: planning ads for businesses, picking the best way to advertise, meeting with artists to plan ads and show plans to customers. Other qualities are figuring out the costs of ads, working with budgets, layouts, computers, and products being presented. To be a successful Account Executive, one must be good at organizing projects and making decisions along with getting along well with others, being creative, dealing with stress, and speaking and writing well. It is recommended that you have a 4-Year Degree. It is recommended that you sell things, speak in public, write for a newspaper, work on a market research project, or play sports leading up to the job. The salary range for such a job is $66,500 to $102,500 per year. There is occasional travel that accompanies the job. Typically, most work is done in an office. It is a medium size category and is on the decline. Another career that I am interested in is a Financial Manager. He is responsible for keeping records of money a business makes and what it spends in taxes, wages, and benefits. He also looks at how much money a business made previously and estimates what it will make in the future along with telling management about new tax laws and insurance changes and making reports to the government. He gives management advice on how to spend their money, and uses computers, government reports, tax forms, insurance policies, audits, calculators, and financial reports. To be a good Financial Manager you have to understand business and finance and look at and understand detailed information. You also have to think creatively and solve problems and manage staff, along with speaking and writing well. You have to be good with computers and working independently. It is required that you have a 4-year degree for this job but it is highly recommended that you have a graduate degree. To prepare for…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Excellent Sheep Analysis

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A liberal arts education built into a STEM education is often thought of as wasteful. Some students prefer a strict STEM education because that would be cheaper and a more direct path to a career—I…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I want to become a dermatologist when I grow up. What is a dermatologist, you ask? A dermatologist is a medical practitioner qualified to diagnose and treat skin disorders. This career appeals to me because I want people to be confident in their skin and feel good about being acne free.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Liberal Education’s main purpose in not only to train someone for a specific position, but also to create or develop skills that can be utilized in any profession. However, I believe that the liberal arts are under pressure and in danger in today’s society. The threat that is overwhelming Liberal Education is cuts in programs and funding in private and public schools.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Recently, there has been a significant decrease in both employment rates and salaries among new college graduates. Rising college prices, increasing levels of student debt, and a still weak job market all contribute to the skepticism that many face when trying to determine which college degrees are valuable in today’s society, specifically if Liberal Art Degrees are “worth it”. People who earn Liberal Arts Degrees have less job opportunity and security than those who major in skill specific labor such as engineering or the healthcare field. Graduates who major in skill specific labor are more likely to find a job that requires their degree than those who major in Liberal Art Studies.…

    • 929 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Is college worth it? published by The Economist, “Some degrees pay for themselves; others don’t.” Even though some degrees have a lower return compared to the cost of the degree it is still worth it. Enjoying something you love is better than doing something that you have no interest in. However, paying off the student debt will be problematic. Having information that help makes informed choices of the degree will be beneficial in the future and can be better off when students graduate from college because they would know which pathway is open for them and how it will help pay off their debt. As some degree such as engineering are more valuable and useful compared to art and history, having an engineering degree can earn and pay off their debt faster than art and history. At the same time they will also have a better living condition to start off with because of the higher salary comparison stated in an analysis by Economic Policy Institute: “American with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree” (Is college Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say). The statistic shows that with such big pay gap between having a degree and without a degree means that there are still a lot of employment options that require a college degree in the market. Otherwise there will not be such a high demand of college degree graduates compared to non-college degree graduates…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Liberal Arts Education

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In order to fully understand the benefits of going to a liberal arts institution, we need to have a good understanding of what a liberal arts education actually entails. First, a liberal arts education will often require students to develop the skills needed to be able to provide in-depth examination and critical distillation of material. A liberal arts education is defined as being a broadly based education in which students explore many different fields of study in order to gain a better working knowledge of the world, rather than focusing on one specific subject. Liberal arts institutions have a goal of educating the whole person, in order to develop a meaningful community for learning. Another goal of a liberal arts education is to try…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. One’s purpose is arguably the most important factor in their life and one that many individuals spend their entire lives searching for. My purpose is to contribute to the creation of a dialogue about mental illness through the gifts and talents of empathy and relating while educating others on the importance of awareness. Saving lives and education those who haven’t had the access to proper information about mental illness is my personal goal in life. My career goal consists of becoming a therapist after spending a few years in crisis counseling. Ultimately, my education goal is to obtain my Masters in Psychology. However, all of this starts with me achieving…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays