Why a Liberal Arts Degree is for Me!

Lately, I have heard a lot of people talking about Universities and how Technical programs are becoming way more efficient. "Liberal Arts is a thing of the past" Lots of people have said that they don't see why people would spend so much money on a degree that doesn't really teach you how to "do" anything.

I know the economy hasn't been great and people don't always find jobs with liberal arts degree, but people don't always find a great job with any degree and you are more likely to find a job that pays more than minimum wage with either a degree, or experience.

I am going to University of Nebraska for a Bachelor's of Arts Degree. My major is Psychology and I have a quadruple minor. My minors are Child, Youth, and Family Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Conflict and Conflict Resolution (Similar to military history), and LGBTQ Studies (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Queer/Questioning). I have a VERY liberal arts degree.


5 reasons why a Liberal Arts Degree is for me!

1. Liberal Arts broadens your mind.
     I have met a lot of close minded, stuck in their ways people in the past. With more education, comes more open views about the world unless you decide to shut out any existence of truth in the knowledge that you are receiving. There is a lot of information in the world and people tend to only go with what they know. Liberal arts can help you learn more and be more educated about hot button topics. Liberal arts majors are more likely to not be racist, sexist, or judgmental compared to people with little to no education.

2. A Wealth of Knowledge
 In my one year at college, I have learned about women in history, benefits  biking to work, the Trans-Canadian Pipeline, transgender surgery, how plants make food, how to write a poem, statistics, how to code for computers (kind of), Pavlov's Theory, what parts of the body actually cause tolerance with alcohol, the history of South Africa, things that threaten babies lives during pregnancy,   and that is simply one thing per class that I have taken.  You can't say that technical school taught you all of that in great depth.

3. Money
   Mostly, because it is not about the money for me. I love helping people. Liberal arts degrees can earn you a good salary a year, but you better be qualified for that job. I guess work has never been about how much I could make in a year as long as I am making ends meet with my paychecks. Some liberal arts graduates do make a good paycheck every month. It really just depends what part of liberal arts you are going into.

4. I am too stubborn to not find a job using the education I am receiving. 
    We have all heard that one story.. Well, great uncle twice removed got a degree from that university and now he is... Yeah. There are people who don't use their education. Some people don't have the people skills to interview. Some people don't know how to make a resume or write a good cover letter. Some people don't like volunteering, or going out of their way to do things.

5. Last, I don't truly know what I want to do.
   I have a lot of goals. My goals have changed as I have grown up. Freshman year of high school, if you would have asked me what I wanted to do, I would have told you a photographer. Now I would tell you,  I want to help soldiers with PTSD, I want to work with drug and alcohol addicts, I want to work with little kids, I want to work with at risk teens, I want to work in corrections. I want to help people understand Transgenders, as much as I can. There is my point exactly. All I really know is I want to help people. With a psychology degree, I can of course be a psychologist, but I can also go into probation, law, education, or business.

Here is a flow chart to show you all of the potential things: Granted, some of them take continued education, but these are the doors that are opened with my degree.

There you go. That is precisely why I want to be a liberal arts major. I want to help people. The only way to not work a single day in your life is to absolutely love what you are doing. I don't plan to work for the rest of my life. 

Do not get me wrong. Some people know what they want to do. They only have one field that they want to go into. For some people, technical colleges are for them. 18 month programs are for them. Many of those get well paying jobs as well. But I have a love for learning. I am not judging those people or trashing them what-so-ever. I live with one of them!

But A Liberal Arts Degree is Definitely for Me!

The next time someone says "Well, what can you possibly do with a Psychology degree, become a Psychologist." Refer them to this blog post! There is so much you can do with any degree!

What do you think of Liberal Arts Degrees? Do you have one, tell me your reactions?

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