Why Liberal Arts Boost Tech Careers
by Miki Saxon
Yesterday’s redux was about the importance of liberal arts in a tech-gone-crazy world.
New studies, with hard salary data, bear out this truth.
Yes, tech starting salaries are higher, but that difference goes away relatively quickly.
Not only that, but the tech skills needed today, especially the “hot” skills, didn’t exist 10 years ago, or even three to five years ago, so a tech career requires a willingness to constantly learn the newest whatever that comes along.
That translates to 40 years of racing to keep up with the newly minted competition.
Even staying current won’t assure a good career path, since if you want to go higher more soft skills, such as written and verbal communications, are required.
And in case you are part of my millennial and under audience, written skills don’t refer to proficient texting, while verbal skills mean competently carrying on face-to-face conversations.
Liberal arts can (should) open your mind to other experiences and viewpoints increasing your EQ and SQ, which is critical to getting ahead (and getting along).
There’s another reason liberal arts is even more important now and in the future — AI.
Techies are so enamored with the technology they haven’t given much thought to the fact that AI is best at repetitive functions — like coding.
AI apps like Bayou, DeepCoder, and Commit Assistant automate some tedious parts of coding. They can produce a few lines of code but they can’t yet write programs on their own, nor can they interpret business value and prioritize features.
The stuff AI can’t do isn’t found in a tech education, but liberal arts provides the foundation to do them.
Sometimes a cliché is useful. The bottom line is an education that combines tech skills for the short-term and liberal arts for both short and long-term is the real career winner.
(Note: Although the image above says liberal arts is for sales and marketing, it’s even more crucial for techies.)
Image credit: Abhijit Bhaduri
