Worthless college degree?

My college roommate, who was a pre-med major, frequently said, “what liberal arts teach is the value of everything and the price of nothing.”

I never agreed with his assessment -- I was an English major -- and still believe an undergraduate degree in the humanities is more important nowadays than before.

The de facto argument

The main argument for a liberal arts education is that it teaches intangible skills such as an appreciation for life-long learning, a broad knowledge base, critical thinking skills, communication skills, and research skills.

A degree in the humanities revolves around a diversity of study, which ranges from the fine arts such as drawing to the social sciences such as psychology and to the hard sciences such as chemistry and biology. The diversity of courses puts students in ever-changing learning environments, where the capacity to draw parallels between different disciplines and understand their relationships is required.

Although abstract, the core skills developed from an a degree in the arts and letters provides a foundation for many career paths and an adaptability that can't be had, for instance, in a technical field where students learn a specific skill-set.

Although that specific skill-set from a technical position will prepare students for an exact job, what happens when that job becomes a bore? And it will.

The average number of jobs held by younger baby boomers -- those from 18-44 years old -- numbered 11, according to a September 2010 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a down-turned economy, job boredom may not be an issue: Downsizing may be a problem, especially in the technical realm.

Rather than start an education with a technical career, completing a course of liberal study will provide the foundation to further education, and then success in a technical career or graduate school is more probable.

This is a common technique among law school applicants; notably, law schools want students who have the core foundational skills of a liberal arts degree. But this technique is common for librarians, too, who need a technical skill-set that is acquired while studying for a master's in library science.

Although the two examples listed fit in the social science realm, the idea of gaining an undergrad degree in the arts, then going into a technical medical career is viable.

The medical sciences are always changing, which requires a life-long appreciation for learning and researching skills.

Dealing with people requires a broad base of knowledge and communication skills, along with managing diversity – from patients to families to co-workers to doctors.

Developing said skills in a liberal course of study will provide an upper hand when studying to become, for instance, a nurse. Sure, the technical information will be required, but dealing with people requires interpersonal skills, which can be trained and modeled from learning the humanities.

High school, more often than not, doesn't provide students with the required skills to succeed in a technical career or a course of study in the liberal arts right away.

Many high school students struggle with writing complete sentences, reading at a 12^th grade level, or completing basic math problems – all of which are essential skills in the working world.

Before these students can enter a technical career or liberal arts degree, they will need remedial courses, which will correct some of the problem. But the students will only have the minimum educational requirements met and be a long way from their true potential.