During this semester, I have used this Civics Issue blog to discuss the merits of a liberal arts education, addressing questions about the relevancy and value of a liberal arts degree in world where STEM majors are in increasingly high demand. Young college students intending to major in fields like sociology, psychology, philosophy, or other humanities often face opposition from their parents and their peers because of a perception that liberal arts degrees are not as valuable as STEM degrees. After doing a good deal of research on this topic throughout the past few weeks, I have reached a personal conclusion about the value of liberal arts degrees: they are absolutely worth the investment.

The values and skills that a liberal arts education instills in its pupils- critical thinking, clear communication, effective writing, and more- are the basis for any successful profession. Indeed, for the best students, a liberal arts education instills in students the values, goals, skills, and knowledge they need to pursue inspiring work, to take joy in lifetime learning, and to lead successful and meaningful lives. In the hands of the right person, a liberal arts education can be extraordinarily valuable in both professional and personal spheres.

Now, many would claim a liberal arts major does not have the same value as a STEM major. Economically, data shows that STEM majors earn more per capita than liberal arts majors. Academically, many believe that science and engineering courses are intellectually more challenging than classes in the humanities. However, liberal arts fields have always embraced a more open style of teaching than STEM fields: that is, humanities programs are usually more inclusive and less competitive. For that reason, liberal arts majors are given a stigma of being “easier.” Perhaps if universities poured as much time and money into liberal arts programs as into STEM programs, humanities majors would gain more respect academically and make more money in the long run.

Although the debate over the value of liberal arts versus STEM majors has raged in American universities for over half a century, at the end of the day your college major does not define the rest of your life. Success and fulfillment in life depends on each individual person. It depends on you. Liberal arts majors or STEM majors are just different paths that students can take. If you are passionate, dedicated, inspired, and hard-working, I do not doubt that you will be successful in your life and your career, no matter what you studied in college. Our college educations ought to be just that: an education. If we leave college with a broader view of the world, essential life skills like public speaking and networking, and a genuine passion for learning and for our careers, then we will have had a successful college career, regardless of our academic college.