12B: The Other Side

This week we focused on the value and benefits of a Liberal Arts Education. Is there a downside? Explain.

The several reading assignments we observed this week all emphasized the greatness of a Liberal Arts Education but none touched upon the negative side of this issue. In fact in one article they slashed North Carolina governor Pat McCrory for having a different view on the subject going as far as to label him as not knowing anything or being on the “ 'Know-Nothing' Bandwagon”. When in reality this isn’t always the case sometimes it isn’t that a person is uninformed on the benefit of a concept but instead that they have reason to believe that such an idea doesn’t render the intended result which it claims.

I am not suggesting that McCrory was completely correct on his views but he did bring up some interesting thoughts such as mentioning that several majors are very unlikely of producing jobs. This brought me back to Ken Robinson and how he mentioned that many people are graduating with degrees that are useless and they end up at home playing videogames. Although people focus on explaining the potential positive effects of a Liberal Arts Education they don’t acknowledge that there are tons of people in the world who besides getting such an education find themselves jobless. For instance there is this girl that works with my sister at UNO Chicago Grill, coincidentally she went to Southern and she graduated with a degree in Psychology. She feels like she learned a lot and she loved her education however she was not able to find a job in that field and now she works as a waitress. I think it all depends on the person and that everyone should be open to their own options and opinions.

I understand the value of a Liberal Arts Education and I believe that it can possibly have many benefits. However, I don’t think it should be forced on the way it is here at Southern. The only thing that I agree should be mandatory is Inquiry and Critical thinking because they truly focus on being “Innovation Ready” and give skills that are transferable to several areas of work and life. I think the other subjects should be the student’s choice because by making them mandatory not only does it cause the student to lose interest but it also can get in the way of what that student already knows they truly want to study. This relates to me because due to all the Liberal Arts Program requirements I won’t be able to complete all my Pre-Nursing requirements in time unless I take classes in the Winter and Summer Sessions which Financial aid doesn’t cover the cost of. This leaves the 5 year option which I also can’t afford. I wouldn’t mind taking a couple of classes but the never ending list they gave us just seems unnecessary and like a waste of time. I see where our education professionals are coming from I just wish they would give us more control.