Arts students once feared spending life as a barista. But they’re increasingly popular hires for tech firms.
After years of dire warnings about the limited value of their degree, liberal arts students are making a surprising discovery: Employers want them. It turns out their skills—including the ability to communicate, solve problems, think critically and collaborate—are in demand for many sectors, including finance and technology.
Araya is on her second placement at Microsoft Canada in Mississauga, Ont., where she assists a 10-person team on local content and marketing strategies for Xbox, the company’s popular video game platform. She says her academic background enables her to bring a different perspective to tech-focused discussions.
Employer interest in liberal arts graduates comes after a decade-long decline in enrolment compared to growth in science-related disciplines. Recently, though, some universities report a modest uptick in student demand for humanities and social sciences degrees. “At a minimum it means holding the line and could very well be the start of another upturn,” observes Gabriel Miller, executive director of the researcher-focused Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Building on EPRI’s work and other research, the Conference Board of Canada last year examined career outcomes of social sciences and humanities graduates and found them “generally satisfied both with their careers and programs of study.” The board’s report also concluded that those with “non-applied skills” may continue to prosper as they move later on into senior positions.
In 2018, a BHER survey of its chief executive members cited the most desirable attributes of new employees. Of the top five—collaboration, communication, problem-solving, analytic capacity and resilience—none was technical in nature. But Walker says post-secondary institutions need to intensify efforts to equip students for the work world.
A similarly focused program at the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick yielded positive results. In 2017, the department of humanities and languages offered a semester-long credit course of readings, reflections and a final project—an e-portfolio to demonstrate and communicate core skills and aptitudes to future employers.
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