5 Needed Skills From A Liberal Arts Degree
With the rising need for graphic designers, it seems there’s still hope if you’ve considered going to school for a liberal arts degree. Though it is still difficult to make it big as a classical musician or theater actor, the skills gained from a degree in the arts are plenty and useful. Based on the experience I’ve gained from pursuing both a degree in music and English and learning about theater arts, here are the five needed skills I believe are gained from a liberal arts degree.
Writing
Many of the first impressions made while job searching and networking are through exchanging emails. While no wants to necessarily read a novel of an introduction, having perfect grammar while make you shine from the crowd. Even better, you will know how to articulate your message to a prospective employer or potential client.
Teamwork
In chamber ensembles, each player from the cellist to the violinist must have their eyes locked into each other’s to play on time and in precise harmony. Each player could only know the smallest details about one another but work together as if they had the closest of bonds. Take the focus and aim of each player and apply towards a group project and see the mass improvement.
Leadership
Acting is a tough gig, as playing another character drains emotionally and physically. But it takes the same self-control and dedication found in excellent leaders. No doubt actors are the ones to go out boldly when asked to complete a task, as it could their chance to show what they got. And since it can be nearly impossible to land a lead role, they need to have solid dedication and grit to achieve their goal.
Flexibility
Coming up with solutions in seconds notices are the superhero moments sought in any company and business. It could be a quickly assembled notice about a company-wide outage, to covering for a manager’s absence and leading the team, or finishing up one project and immediately starting on another one at a whim.
Determination
Grit, perseverance, dedication, and faith are all needed to take bigger risks and achieve better results. It is what every musician, actor, and writer must have before they can truly work on their craft. Sports teach the same concepts but still, rely on the creativity rooted in the arts.
Hidden Fruit
What I’ve stated is from experience, but as Robert Stacy reports in his article “Liberal arts degree delivers liberal earnings and job satisfaction” there is hope for a Liberal arts degree. He told of Janelle Lena White from University Washington who was hired on spot at Google because how well she could “could write and speak well, think critically and creatively, assess problems from a multitude of vantage points, and analyze trends and data.” Janelle graduated with a double major in history and American ethnic studies. There’s still hope, and no, that Liberal Arts Degree is NOT useless.