Why Your Liberal Arts Degree Could Make You a Great Fit for a STEM Career

You may not realize it, but it’s entirely possible that the machinist on your factory floor is actually a poet. All over the United States, manufacturing plants, engineering firms, technology companies, and science labs are brimming with talented professionals working in STEM who also happen to be historians, writers, philosophers, musicians, and psychologists. That’s because while STEM majors such as engineers and computer scientists are highly likely to step into a job soon after graduation, liberal arts majors often find the journey to employment more difficult. A study by the Pew Research Center found that only 43% of liberal arts majors said their current job is related to their major in college or graduate school. A report by Strada Education Network found that although liberal arts students may not be headed down their ideal career path until their 30s and 40s, they tend to experience rapid wage growth from this point and — crucially — “learn to articulate how their skills translate to technical fields.”