As most of you are probably experiencing right now, choosing a major is no easy feat. Some people have set plan of what they want to do, but many students are still wondering exactly what they want to do with their lives. Even now as I prepare for grad some of my classmates don’t know where they want to go once they complete their degrees. That’s beside the point, though. The point is that it’s hard to choose a major and there are some very loud discussions going on about what sort of major you should be considering in the first place.

The idea behind the debate is that liberal arts degrees are not worth the time and money because they do not directly prepare you for any sort of career. The supporters of this idea cite salaries and employment rates directly out of university while the opponents look at the long term. Either way, it’s hard to say who is really right.

BusinessWeek.com writer and University of Albany-SUNY professor Robert E. Geer believes that liberal arts degrees are no longer worth it. He argues that students need to “create knowledge, innovate and blend multiple disciplines to forge new pathways in science and technology” because the current economy is driven by the high-tech industry. Similarly, Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post states that any college degree that does not include direct career training is not worth the money. She believes that unless a degree or major has a specific job attached to it, that one should not pursue it.

Harvard professor James Engell probably provides the most insightful perspective in support of the liberal arts degree. He points out that for the most part, entry level jobs (the ones you get right out of university) rarely require any sort of specialized undergraduate degree. In other words, it won’t initially matter what degree you have. He also mentions that most professional schools (law schools, medical schools, etc) don’t care what your undergrad degree was in – they just want students “ who can think analytically, look at life as a whole, read with interpretive skill, and write decent, well-constructed sentences.” Law schools in particular are reporting that most of their top students come from math, classics and literary studies while students from political science, economics, “pre-law” and “legal studies” rank lower. He also includes a quote from the former Dean of the Harvard School of Business, who says that the broad perspectives offered by a liberal arts degree offer students the imaginative and critical capacity they need to be leaders, rather than a “prematurely narrow point of view.”

While the first two articles are insightful and make strong points, I must side with Engell. I think the liberal arts degree is awesome. I’m loving every moment of mine and I’m confident in my job prospects. I think it’s important for students to have the perspectives offered by a liberal arts degree, but at the same time I also think the skills and knowledge taught in the sciences, health and business are also important. Engell sums it up well by saying that “no particular concentration or area of study is inherently a better ticket to security, leadership, or personal satisfaction than another. Students should be encouraged to follow their passions and interests, not what they guess (or what others tell them) will lead to a supposedly more marketable set of skills.”

So what now? I say do what you enjoy. If you have a career in mind then great, work towards that career. If not, do a degree that appeals to you and your interests. Just because liberal arts degrees don’t include direct job training doesn’t mean that they won’t prepare you for an awesome job. For more information about programs and degrees, check out our Future Students website.