July 20, 2005 3:04 PM

Hey, liberal arts majors: it's not as bleak as you think
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 3:04 PM

OK, you can accuse me of a huge bais on this one. I am, admittedly, an English major, so I have a vested interest in any good news for folks of my ilk - ie, liberal arts majors.

Every May and June, it seems, engineers and science majors, along with those toting newly minted business and accounting degrees, grab all the headlines on starting salaries, career paths, and all the rest (check out my earlier blog on this).

But from our friends at career site Bridges.com comes some welcome news about careers for liberal arts majors who, like the proverbial tortoise, may start slowly but seem to do alright in the end:

"Liberal arts grads often have lower starting salaries than those with more technical education. But they go further faster because of their communication and critical thinking skills," says [dean of the liberal arts college at Penn State University Susan] Welch.

"Liberal arts doesn't just prepare students for their first job, but for a lifetime of confronting change in the workplace and in life. Liberal arts grads can adapt to that change with their thinking and communication skills and their understanding of people, organizations and the larger community."

The article includes helpful tips for liberal arts majors preparing for the workplace as well as a set of links to more resources, including an article on "Ten Ways to Market Your Liberal Arts Degree."