Liberal Arts Majors Getting Into Technology
LIBERAL ARTS MAJORS GETTING INTO TECHNOLOGY
By Stuart Esrock, Ph.D.
Think you have to be a computer or math major to get involved in the technology field? Wrong! Increasingly, students with degrees in areas ranging from Art to Communication, Pan African Studies to Sociology, are finding opportunities in technology.
While some observers of the job market argue that getting a tech-oriented degree is the best way to thrive in the technology-driven economy, an increasing chorus of voices are suggesting that not everyone has to become a coder or software engineer. Author Dan Schawbel, writing on LinkedIn, each year forecasts a list of workplace trends. He foresees increasing demand for liberal arts students from majors like literature, philosophy and history to work in the technology fields.
Schawbel said, “AI will automate technical skills and drive the demand for soft skills like creativity, communication and empathy. While there's been such a focus on recruiting STEM over the past several years, those majors will continue to lose relevance, while liberal arts majors will become more valuable to companies moving forward.”
But this trend is not just a prognostication; it is already reality. Indeed, many tech-company CEOs today earned these types of degrees, relying on the critical thinking and communication skills they learned in liberal arts.
UofL students will have the chance soon to learn more about this trend and the technology opportunities that exist in the job market for liberal arts majors. Hear from professionals that work in technology and have degrees in such majors as Biology, Art Education, History, English, Communication, Pan African Studies, Sociology and Anthropology. Learn about their professional journey, how they utilize skills from their undergraduate degree and advice on how to start a career in technology and startups.
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