Sam Myers
Jesse Miller
GUST FYS
September 28, 2021
The liberal arts probably isn’t what you’d think it is based off of the sound of it. It’s doesn’t have anything to do with liberal politics, or the arts; well not necessarily. The aspects of a liberal arts education give you the ability to speak, listen, and think outside the box which are valuable skills to that can open up many job opportunities in the future. My goal is basically to get a high paying job out of college which seems to be a common theme amongst young people for quite obvious reasons. We all want to be financially safe and secure. For this, though, it’s important to become a dynamic learner and analysist. This requires critical thinking. Essentially, critical thinking, is thinking outside the box. The ‘Core Values Statement’ states that “Through the Core Curriculum, students will develop foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills that are necessary for understanding and assuming their roles in natural, social, humanistic, and other environments.” This statement connects with the section to Scheur’s ‘Why Do We Need Liberal Arts’ because they both illustrate the importance of how critical thinking, literacy, imagination, etc., are fundamental skills that are required to be a productive member of a community. Also, having consciousness of relationships concerning humans to their environment from scientific, economic, historical, aesthetic, and ethical perspectives—and environmental awareness. Acquiring these skills will aid in becoming a more well-rounded and informed society as a whole. “Grasping the different forms and divisions of knowledge and how they are acquired (but the forms of knowledge and ways of acquiring them evolve); seeing distinctions and connections beyond the obvious.” It’s vital to have an overall understanding of not just one thing, but many things that come together to give students a higher level of understanding about the world they live in… Which the liberal arts is good at doing. A liberal arts education plays a key role in developing the skills needed to becoming a functioning member of society.
Currently, I’m taking courses like English for example which is teaching the skill of comprehending documents and being able to analyze the concepts in those documents. This is important because according to Sanford J. Ungar, “An astounding 89 percent (of employers) said they were looking for more emphasis “the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,” and almost as many urged the development of better “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills.” This also teaches the importance of critical inquiry. The importance of critical inquiry is evident in western society. We could not have cultivated such a diverse, inclusive, and tolerant society without them. What I mean by this is that the liberal arts emphasize the importance of linguistic understanding as stated by Wittenstein, “…”Mere” linguistic problems, it turns out, are philosophical problems—they are problems about meaning, knowledge, reality, and our minds, not just about words—and we all have to deal with them, whether as historians, economists, or biologists.” And “The liberal arts embody precisely the skills a democracy must cultivate to maintain its vital reservoir of active, thoughtful, humane, and productive citizens.”
A liberal arts education also plays part in my goal to become more social and build a network of friends at UNE like I had way back in the day in my high school years. Taking my English skills to the next level will help with this because it’s important to be able to effectively communicate with friends and future colleagues in the business world. It’s pretty hard to make friends when you have nothing to say, no ideas about the world around you, and no ambition. These aren’t the only aspects of socializing, but they are reasons why going to school and getting an education is so important. Because it teaches a wide variety of skills and opens your mind up to new ideas while also (through pursuing a major) giving you something to work towards that ideally will lead towards a career that I am passionate about; something that will make me want to get out of bed every day and be excited to do; a gift if you will. A goal like this takes work though. As stated in Carol Dweck’s “The Power of Yet,” “In one study, we taught them (kids at a Chicago High School) that very time they push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections, and over, time, they can get smarter.” A quote like this resonates with me because I know that I can be a social and likeable person, I just don’t socialize enough and don’t push myself out of my comfort zone often. Which is exactly what I need to do if I want to have a lot of friends.
Another goal of mine is to be successful in school. But this doesn’t come without the mindset of being consistent and wanting to improve constantly. I’ve always had a hard time in school because I just don’t find it very interesting for the most part. But I know that I have to go through it to achieve my goals. Dweck’s idea of rewarding the process and not the outcome is extremely powerful because I, like the kids in “The Power of Yet,” have untapped potential. In fact, everyone does. Everything you’ve ever wanted in life is on the other side of fear. So that’s why it’s vital to go through the growing pains of being a little bit uncomfortable until you get better and feel more comfortable in your own skin. At the end of the day, the results don’t matter if you really want to keep improving. Life is a process, it just keeps going and going and doesn’t care about that amazing day you had yesterday because if you don’t have a growth mindset and push yourself to be the best you can be every day, then that good day was just another day. Forgotten about. And all of the sudden, you’re right back where you started. To sum it up, an education in the liberal arts teaches people to think and reason for themselves which will hopefully open up high paying job opportunities in which the employer is looking for people who can think outside the box and bring valuable insights to help whatever company it is move forward and be successful.
