The Liberal Arts Graduate in a Specialized World

Jarred and I really don’t intend to focus this blog on career changes any more than the environmental, technological, political and social changes that share this space. But if you’ve been reading lately, you can tell that career and life decisions weigh heavily on the minds of your trusted bloggers as we contemplate the close of our first year in the wild blue yonder.

As a proud graduate of a venerable basketball academic-powerhouse liberal arts school, I’ve heard all the jokes and all the criticism of non-technical or “practical” education: that art history majors make for enlightening bar tenders (and little else); that English majors are destined for grueling lives in middle management; or that the only reason to major in sociology is if you dream of teaching…sociology. Har har, we get it. I’ll admit that there are times when I start to wonder whether what I assume to be my most desirable skills, finely tuned in a liberal arts pressure-cooker (critical thinking and analysis; writing; articulating ideas; synthesizing information; approaching issues with a multi-disciplinary perspective) are not enough for careers or jobs I might enjoy. I, like many people I know, have tried my damnedest to be as well rounded as possible…could it be that I’ve missed the boat on something even more valuable: specialization?

Fortunately, I’m not the only one worrying about this; most fortunately, other bloggers on this theme are smarter and wiser than I am. On her excellent blog Twenty Set, Monica O’Brien feels my pain:

[C]ompanies say they want well-rounded employees, but here’s a secret that might better your career: what companies really want are employees who can bring a broad perspective to one area of expertise.

What’s the difference? Well-rounded employees dip their toes into everything, but don’t ever jump in. They are easy to replace, because they haven’t developed expertise in one area. They are the employees who support top performers rather than become them. They are the employees who get described as “Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Having a broad perspective is much different than being well-rounded. Employees with broad perspectives have one area of expertise, but continue their education in other disciplines to gain new concepts, which get applied in their daily work. These employees are the innovators, the top performers, the “big picture” people who get promoted to high-level positions in their industry. They are the inspired ones who strive for constant improvement of processes; who get paid for their ideas rather than their grunt work.

I think the “well rounded” versus “equipped with a broad perspective and a singular expertise” distinction is important, and it affirms the liberal arts approach. Because I, for one, was attracted to the liberal arts at a time when I was not yet ready to specialize–heck, I don’t think I’m ready now. And that’s the whole point: when we are ready, we’ll still be better prepared to specialize (whether that means graduate/professional school, or a job with a steep learning curve) and better specialists down the road.

Recognizing the need to specialize–eventually–helps those of us with extremely varied interests take the necessary (and fulfilling) time to define our passions and find our area of expertise, all the while continuing to develop as thoughtful and balanced individuals. So take heart, classics, art history, sociology, and even political science majors (I’m one of you): your gifts and informed perspective will make you valuable experts in whatever niche you define for yourself. Your liberal arts background cannot be matched by more technical or specialized pursuits; only augmented and focused.

There now, that feels better, doesn’t it?

Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr user zorilla.