An Open Letter From A Liberal Arts Graduate

[NOTE: In an era of ever-narrowing job training along with an exodus from the halls of the liberal arts, I am updating and regenerating this argument. For what it’s worth.]

Dear Employer:

I majored in history – and (more generally) studied the liberal arts and humanities – for a good reason: I wanted an education, not just job training. And now, when I earn my degree in a few months, I want to work for you, so please let me tell you why you should hire me.

The liberal arts have taught me to understand my place in the continuum of humanity and to recognize its incumbent responsibilities: honor the past, embrace the present, and build the future. I did a semester abroad. Wish it could have been more, but one thing’s for sure: I appreciate what the word “others” means. I see how interconnected we all are, and I’ve learned how long-lasting the consequences of our decisions can be. That’s not to be taken casually. I know what empathy is and why it’s the most central of human feelings.

I’ve learned to think – both logically and creatively – and I’m determined to keep building that capacity. I’ve come to understand that one of the few things we humans do that no other species does is to re-imagine the future, so one day I’ll invent something, find a solution to a problem, or be the very first person to do something important. Promise.

I know the pleasures – and the value – of sitting still and listening to a symphony or of wandering around and getting lost in a museum.

I read. I think. I vote. I volunteer. I generate ideas. I still write in cursive, believe it or not. I don’t want or need a faster internet; I’m looking for better, more trustworthy content.

I speak three languages and am learning a fourth.

I’m not intimidated by things I don’t understand – you know, like how they broke the genetic code, what Relativity really is, or how Copernicus proved we’re in a heliocentric system – but I love trying to understand them. Trying is exhilarating. Trying one thing leads to another … and another … and another, ad infinitum. (Did I mention that Latin is the language I’m learning?)

When reading (and rereading) Plato, Swift, Goethe, Emerson, Twain, and Camus, it’s like having conversations with them. Likewise, listening to Beethoven, Elgar, Copland, Blake (that would be Eubie), and Guthrie (Woody, of course), it’s like being there in person while they’re composing or performing. And that goes for watching Van Gogh, Vermeer, DaVinci, Monet, and Pollock paint their masterpieces. These are the great experiences to be shared with the giants of history. Here in the present.

The liberal arts teach me to be filled – always – with awe, wonder, interest, and fascination. Because if I let myself be awed, I’ll be awesome; filled with wonder, wonderful; interested, interesting; and fascinated, well, fascinating. For instance, the news five weeks ago from the National Ignition Facility that, for the first time, a fusion reaction produced more energy than it consumed is pretty cool, don’t you think? My liberal arts studies made me aware of – and fascinated by – something that will not only change global energy production but, fundamentally, the world’s ecomnomy. That’s the liberal arts for you.

The liberal arts have taught me to understand, not just observe; to be fair, not opinionated; to think holistically, intuitively, playfully, and inductively; to think randomly as well as linearly; to be unafraid of ambiguity, newness, and novelty; to take intellectual risk; to seek to answer questions and then to question the answers; and never to let a conclusion be the place I just got tired of thinking.

So that means I’m pretty good at figuring stuff out: recognizing patterns, connecting dots, synthesizing ideas, deriving meaning, and solving problems in very creative ways – ways that you might find interesting. And perhaps even new. And I’m going to keep on getting better at doing these things – right in front of your eyes.

Oh, and by the way, don’t think I haven’t studied – and excelled at – the physical sciences, mathematics, and other STEM stuff. Look at my transcript: biology, astronomy, and calculus. Not to mention international business and economics. STEM teaches “what” and “how.” Humanities teaches “why.”

I also know: how distilled spirits are made; when, where, and why accounting and alphabets came into being; Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison both had teachers who said they wouldn’t amount to anything; the profound influence that 19^th century British poet William Ernest Henley had on Nelson Mandela; what’s going to replace silicone in chip-making (surprised?); how wonderfully simple and artistic Morse Code is; and Peter the Great became Czar of all Russia when he was only 10 years old. See what I mean about being interested and fascinated? There it is.

So if you’re hiring people like me, I’d sure like to join your team. If not, I hope I’ve convinced you why you should. When may I call to set up our interview?