It's not too often you get to end your work week on Hump Day, but that's exactly what I'll be doing after today; we're off tomorrow and Friday for a little vacation down to Madison to see the CWK/TPC concert. And actually, my three day workweek turned into a two day workweek because of a sudden Dr. appointment yesterday, so I'm sure they'll be plenty to catch up on today at the ol' office.
I noticed on Yahoo this morning this article about whether or not a liberal arts degree can help you land a high-paying job. As the article reads,
When Cathy Lauer revealed her decision to major in art history, her family expressed concern. What would she do with a bachelor's degree in such an esoteric subject? What was its value in the real world? Would a liberal arts degree help her get a job?
These are reasonable questions. A college education is an investment, and in today's competitive economic environment, students and their families expect to realize a tangible return on that investment. Some subjects and programs seem more likely to give a good return. A degree in the liberal arts, some might say, is an education undertaken purely for the love of learning. However, the value of a college education goes much further than a strict cost-benefit analysis of your first job out of college.
The Benefits of an Education
For the past several decades, there has been a widespread shift away from the liberal arts and toward career education - an apparently logical trend in light of heightened competition and economic globalization. Colleges and universities across the country have responded by offering a wealth of degree programs in business administration, education, law, nursing, and the allied health professions, among others. Online degree schools in particular have played an important role in making career-oriented degrees available to record numbers of adult students seeking professional advancement.
Yet some experts believe we're due for a liberal arts comeback, fueled by the growing demand for educated people with:
* the theoretical knowledge to analyze information and solve problems in any discipline
* the flexibility to cope with change successfully
* the ability to communicate in today's culturally diverse workplace
* the skills to teach, lead, and serve others via highly developed insight, understanding, and tolerance.
It's clear that a liberal arts education can be both useful and enjoyable. And because online degree schools are bringing educational opportunities to more students than at any time in history, it's easier than ever to learn what you love, love what you learn, and earn an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree in the process...[read more at link above]
I disagree with certain points of this article, and I can speak from knowledge because I do have a master's degree in English from a liberal arts college and so far it hasn't exactly panned out. I believe one of the largest reasons liberal arts majors are jumping ship is because there is little to no professionalization of the degree; you are taught to do a lot of different things, but concurrently, you're not taught to do anything. Sure, you'll come out of school a better writer, communicator, and speaker, but to be able to turn those into tangible skills that a future employer will recognize is a lot harder than it seems. It wasn't surprising then when I didn't see a whole lot of liberal arts jobs in US News and World Report's Best Careers for 2007.
My friend Chris was two years from his PhD in English before he quit to become a train driver. Why? Good paying job with good benefits and tangible results. Before I landed my current job, I was turned away from job after job because I was either "too qualified" or "not qualified at all." It's that broad dichotomy which has made the liberal arts degrees, especially one like English that lacks a professionalization element, a less than desirable degree for anyone not going into journalism or teaching. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of rewarding careers out there for liberal arts majors...they are just not as easy to find in this age of big business.
Jean Baudrillard, 77, Critic and Theorist of Hyperreality, Dies
The French critic and provocateur Jean Baudrillard, whose theories about consumer culture and the manufactured nature of reality were intensely discussed both in rarefied philosophical circles and in blockbuster movies like “The Matrix,” died yesterday in Paris. He was 77. Read the obituary at the New York Times.
Music
Featured Artist: Skeletons and the King of All Cities
A single for "Don't Worry" from this band which has been "building on their reputation for everything-but-the-kitchen-sink instrumentation and uncommon arrangements - while expanding their sound to more organic realms,
with strings, horns, and layer upon layer of percussion."
"Don't Worry"
Featured Artist: Land of Talk
There is more than just “talk” surrounding the Montreal-based, female-fronted guitar rock juggernaut Land of Talk. They have been described as a destructive Stevie Nicks Blonde Redhead mutant, Will Oldham meets Sonic Youth and as a PJ Harvey-meets-Crazy Horse type creature. Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, mixed by Jace Lasek (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Malajube, Besnard Lakes) was released in Canada on Maple, where they toured with the Dears, Fiery Furnaces and the Stills.
Land of Talk - "Speak to me Bones"