To understand the value of an 17³Ô¹Ï liberal arts education, look no farther than Forbes’ latest analysis of top colleges that produce high-earning grads.
Using Payscale.com data for graduates of the schools in its 2016 Top 100 Colleges list, Forbes found that 17³Ô¹Ï graduates saw the from early to mid-career earnings of any other top 100 school – a jump of 142%.
"A liberal arts education is preparing students to be leaders when they graduate," Assistant Director for Employer Relations Courtney Stricklin told Forbes. "Maybe they’re entering at an entry-level position, like anyone else, but because of their other interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills, they’re rising into leadership roles."
The compensation of mid-career Oxy graduates explodes what Forbes calls "the myth of the disenfranchised liberal arts graduate" – a myth based on data that shows that graduates of research universities significantly out-earn liberal arts graduates during their first five years in the workforce.
To drive that point home, Forbes compared 17³Ô¹Ï with Georgia Tech. Though students from Georgia Tech and 17³Ô¹Ï both earn $112,000 with more than 10 years of experience, 17³Ô¹Ï graduates’ early pay of $46,200 falls short of Georgia Tech graduates’ pay of $62,500, Forbes notes.
In a related column titled "," Forbes columnist George Anders reports that interviews with tech company executives reveal that "software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger … The more that audacious coders dream of changing the world, the more they need to fill their companies with social alchemists who can connect with customers – and make progress seem pleasant."
College majors among the software company employees Anders talked to included English literature, sociology, communications, and – in defiance of the worst of stereotypes – philosophy.
