The Art of Employment: Improve Your Employment Prospects with a Liberal Arts Degree Coupled with Technical Skills

December 15, 2014

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In the current economy, current and prospective students are particularly concerned about maximizing their career prospects after graduation. Burning Glass Technologies addressed this issue with analysis of the level jobs available to liberal arts graduates. They discovered that from July 2012-June 2013 there were 955,000 jobs available to recent grads; however, if those students coupled their degree with a technical skill, another 862,000 jobs are available to them.

Key findings:

  • Employers want employees with skills found in a Liberal Arts degree, such as written and communication skills, adaptability and logic, and problem-solving.

  • By coupling a liberal arts degree with technical skills such as marking, sales, business, social media, graphic design, data analyst, IT networking, or computer programming, graduates will find more job opportunities and increase the likelihood of job offers.

    • In jobs requiring those technical skills, graduates can earn $6,000 more than traditional jobs advertised to liberal arts graduates.
    • Employers desire the skills associated with a liberal arts degree, especially coupled with a minor or internship in a technical skill.  

Burning Glass found over a million job postings that do not require technical skills, but applicants must compete with both skilled and non-skilled candidates. Burning Glass also found that a liberal arts degree with additional complementary coursework such as a electives, minors, active-learning experiences, and  internships.

To find out more information, check out the Burning Glass website:

http://www.burning-glass.com/research/liberal-arts/