Re:So you're considering a liberal arts degree
by danso on Saturday November 05, 2011 @02:54PM
(#3200577)
It's true that much of what you learn in a liberal arts program can be gained by going through the library or through online resources. But that's only a piece of it; ostensibly, a strong liberal arts program not only exposes you to the best of art, but challenges you to critically examine it.
If anything, it seems just as easy to learn tech skills, particularly programming, on your own. And you are easily able to test and prove them to the real world. Think you have a great idea and good design chops? Then launch a site. It doesn't even have to be profitable, just something that can impress one of the many communities of developers (such as HN).
Where does that outlet exist for liberal arts majors? As most liberal arts fields don't yet primarily communicate to the web, you could publish a brilliant research paper that is never seen by the "serious" academics; same as if you disseminated your theory and findings through a blog.
Of course there are exceptions. It's possible that the next Harry Potter could come from a computer scientist who spends his/her off-hours writing a novel and then self-publishes with a viral marketing campaign. But it's far more likely for a self-taught programmer to build out a great concept, make it Web accessible, and have it seen and spread among the people who are most likely to hire him/her.
If anything, it seems just as easy to learn tech skills, particularly programming, on your own. And you are easily able to test and prove them to the real world. Think you have a great idea and good design chops? Then launch a site. It doesn't even have to be profitable, just something that can impress one of the many communities of developers (such as HN).
Where does that outlet exist for liberal arts majors? As most liberal arts fields don't yet primarily communicate to the web, you could publish a brilliant research paper that is never seen by the "serious" academics; same as if you disseminated your theory and findings through a blog.
Of course there are exceptions. It's possible that the next Harry Potter could come from a computer scientist who spends his/her off-hours writing a novel and then self-publishes with a viral marketing campaign. But it's far more likely for a self-taught programmer to build out a great concept, make it Web accessible, and have it seen and spread among the people who are most likely to hire him/her.