This past week we were reading about the differences between a Renaissance or liberal arts education and a much more specialized or skilled trade education. Leonardo da Vinci was a perfect example of the Renaissance Man because he had so many skills (drawing, inventing and engineering, sculpting, painting, etc) and so many interests from geology to to anatomy. However, today, we can see that Americans have specialized in certain fields, for instance, eye doctors, tax lawyers, and sports stars. 
Your job is to figure out which do you think is a better fit for you in today's world - a liberal arts education or the specialized education - and explain why.
Here are some arguments for a liberal arts education:
- a liberal arts education provides a well-rounded education in language, literature, history, science, and sometimes math. The skills needed to do well in a liberal arts education include critical thinking, analysis, looking at the big picture and thinking outside the box, better written and oral communication skills, and problem solving skills. Recruiters are looking for these kinds of candidates to work for Fortune 500 companies;
- Countries like China that have specialized education are looking to move away from their form of education and more towards an American-style liberal arts education so that they can have more workers who are able to think outside the box, be creative with problems, and stop moving to the U.S. for job opportunities;
- Sometimes, when someone is trained in a skill, that skill can be outdated by a technology or computer within months or years after the student is trained to do that skill. By having a liberal arts degree, there is some flexibility in being able to tackle most anything (short of things that require advanced degrees like doctors, lawyers, MBAs, engineers, etc.) if a job is phased out or shipped overseas.
Here are some arguments for a specialized education:
- Depending upon the specialized school, most graduates will be able to get a job immediately upon graduation and make decent money right away. The skills that a person learns and goes into should be in demand today and hopefully, you will be able to learn which ones cannot be replaced by machines. Also, by getting a job soon after graduation, you should be able to pay off any student loans that you have accumulated;
- Even in a specialized university, the students still take classes in English, history, and other "soft" classes that can train these workers to be competent in oral and written communication. Math and science classes are great at developing critical thinking skills, perseverance, and analysis.
- Right now, there are so many people with college degrees that are unemployed, why not learn a specialized skill that you can put to use right away? 25% of McDonald's managers nowadays have college degrees, according to one article. Find out what you like to do, love to do, and make money doing it.
Response: 200 words minimum, explain your answer by telling me whether you believe liberal arts is the way to go or specialized is for you. You can use some of the reasons that I have provided here or come up with some of your own. If you can't decide, explain why you can't decide.
Due Wednesday, March 25 by the beginning of class.
