Last Wednesday, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) hosted an Alumni and Employer Tell All to discuss how to navigate the workplace with a liberal arts degree. Three alumni spoke about their experiences: Katy Craig, who works as the director of innovation and strategic initiatives for the Boettcher Foundation; Renny Fagan, president and CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association; and Matt Gohl, financial analyst for Castle Rock.

Craig, who received her B.A. in French, communication and creative writing before pursuing a master’s in English, said students she works with through the Boettcher Foundation often wonder how their liberal arts degree will transfer to the workplace.

“So many of the students I work with are almost apologetic about being a liberal arts major,” said Craig. “I think there’s sort of a need for owning your own space and and stepping into the strengths that you bring to the table as a liberal arts major.”

Gohl, who received his B.A. in English and philosophy, pointed out the benefits of a liberal arts education when he was working towards his M.B.A.
“Philosophy is about creating arguments and supporting arguments, while English literature is about understanding language and how to use language in powerful ways,” said Gohl. “Being able to express yourself, particularly through a written method, is very important.”

Craig shared a similar view.

“The humanities are human-centered, and any job that you have at whatever level will always have interacting with humans at its core,” said Craig. “I do remember when I was coming through at my orientation, someone said that most of the major corporations were interested in hiring communications majors because they could teach them the business, but they couldn’t teach them how to communicate.”

Craig also discussed the differences between liberal arts classes and others.
“The small classes that you tend to find in liberal arts colleges and universities and the very intense conversations, there is an individualized nature to that education where you’re not lost in a lecture hall,” said Craig. “You’re not evaluated on a black and white system of the hard sciences solely.”

Fagan said he has developed an appreciation for how big ideas fit together after earning a degree in liberal arts, in his case political science.

“Being inquisitive and problem solving, I feel like that’s an important thing in a lot of different kinds of jobs,” said Fagan. “You ask, ‘Where would I go to find the answers to this and how would I evaluate different pieces of information to put together a solution to a problem and try different things,’ and that’s something that one learns in a lot of different disciplines in the liberal arts.”

Gohl agreed with Fagan.

“As a liberal arts student, you don’t get honed in on one specific thing,” said Gohl. “You’re challenged to kind of broaden how you approach the world and that helps you to kind of fit the puzzle pieces together.”

With regards to finding a job after graduation, Fagan and the other alumni cited the importance of doing internships before heading into the workplace.

“Pick some areas that you’re really interested in doing but try a few things while you have the opportunity in college or as a recent graduate and then once you get to the interview process, that’s where your liberal arts background and the organization and the connecting and the connecting with people really comes into play,” said Fagan. “I think it’s just getting started, and just involved in something you like.”

“I think there is a challenge connecting liberal arts to jobs,” said Craig. “I think if people start to think about their internships or their club activities and enrichment opportunities in a similar fashion and use those as bullet points on a resume, I think that’s very helpful.”

Overall, Gohl said it is important to be yourself when interviewing.

“It doesn’t have to be a show, it just has to be honest about who I am,” said Gohl. “If it’s a fit, it’s fantastic; if it’s not, there will be another opportunity. Being real about who you are and being real about what you bring to the table, that’ll get your foot in the door more times than not.”