Liberal Arts as a career
Liberal arts majors are sometimes teased about having no direction in school and wasting their time in college without picking up practical, easily marketable skills that will help them find a job. But just because a liberal arts degree doesn’t point to a single career path doesn’t mean it isn’t a highly productive way to spend your time in college. Liberal arts majors do need to work with advisors to create their own career preparation, but the subjects that fall into the liberal arts — English, history, religion, foreign languages, anthropology, political science, music, and more — can provide a basis of education that will leave you even more prepared for the real-world job market than your pre-med or finance friends. Subjects in the liberal arts will train you to become an independent thinker who can develop logical arguments and creative solutions to real-world problems, based on studying history, critiquing literature, and analyzing human nature. You will most likely pick a specialty within the liberal arts major, but even if you decide to major in liberal studies or liberal arts alone, you will have the freedom to pick your own classes that interest you and will prepare you for a career that holds real meaning for you.
Because the liberal arts discipline is so diverse, giving an overview of the career outlook for this field is extremely difficult. But if you’re able to design a cohesive major and apply your education to the real world in a marketable way, you will be eligible for all types of promising careers in business and public relations, the social sciences, media, education, design, the arts, entertainment, and more.
Many students question the career opportunities available to them with a liberal arts background. Some believe their marketability is limited. However, the reality is that liberal arts graduates find employment in business, government, education, and the non-profit sector. General knowledge skills developed through liberal arts studies can have a significant effect on your career development. Although technical skills may be helpful with securing an initial job offer, general knowledge skills may contribute more to long-term employment success.
Liberal Arts puts great emphasis on inter-disciplinary perspectives and helps us understand the fact that life is not divided into majors, though universities offer degrees in a chosen field. Notably, what employers have been increasingly realizing is that it is the graduates with the right skills rather than the right majors who have an edge in the competitive marketplace nowadays.
Also, it is largely dawning among people that a Liberal Arts Education prepares students for real life challenges in a way that vocational schools often cannot promise to deliver. In today’s economy, employers are on a lookout for qualities like desirable skills including written and verbal communication skills, the ability to solve complex problems and adapt well in a changing workplace, which are the hallmark of a Liberal Arts Education.
Thus, it can be understood that a Liberal Arts Education prepares students to assume positions of leadership, while being flexible in the market place. Many Institutions in India are now providing liberal education in India focussed on research and technology, providing a dynamic and unique academic system which includes key features like an innovative evaluation system, freedom to choose your degree and number of credits, and a flexible graduation pace among many other welcome things.
Social Sciences as a career
Social science refers to the academic disciplines concerned with society and human nature. “Social science” is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to subjects like anthropology, archaeology, criminology, economics, education, linguistics, law, communication studies, history, political science, sociology, human geography and psychology.
Social science studies give you the skills to work in a range of jobs across different sectors. It is commonly seen that the majority of social science graduates and post graduates take employment within academia, but many postgraduates find work in other sectors. Although academia is the sector where most graduates find employment, the skills acquired through social science studies can be used in many types of employment – a valuable asset not least in today’s job market. Career options for social science graduates include:
- Central and local government
- Public services (for instance civil and diplomatic services, police and prison services)
- Health and social care
- Banking and finance
- Business management
- Advertising and marketing
- Journalism and broadcasting
Social science studies equip you for a range of jobs – not least important in today’s job market. Among the skills you gain are:
- putting together reasoned arguments and question assumptions
- understanding the processes of change in society and its institutions
- drawing together, analyzing and critically evaluating information
- communicating concisely, clearly and accurately with others
- managing time and taking on responsibility for your own development
- responding positively to critical feedback
- interpreting, using and evaluating data.
In India, Social Sciences are often opted for while students prepare for the Civil Services Examination.