There is understandably a lot of angst today about what people should be training for in a world moving increasingly to automation and artificial intelligence–and especially when education programs have become so expensive. But we should be careful not to seek only linear paths from education and training to work. Our lives usually doesn’t go in straight lines and knowledge and understanding benefit from diverse exposures.
We should keep open-minds when we talk to young people about their interests and work plans. In the age of machines, multi-faceted human thinkers with developed empathy and communication skills remain valuable. See more in Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees, may set you up for life:
“…take it directly from two top executives at tech giant Microsoft who wrote recently: “As computers behave more like humans, the social sciences and humanities will become even more important. Languages, art, history, economics, ethics, philosophy, psychology and human development courses can teach critical, philosophical and ethics-based skills that will be instrumental in the development and management of AI solutions.
…it goes without saying that you can be an excellent communicator and critical thinker without a liberal arts degree. And any good university education, not just one in English or psychology, should sharpen these abilities further. “Any degree will give you very important generic skills like being able to write, being able to present an argument, research, problem-solve, teamwork, becoming familiar with technology,” says Dublin-based educational consultant and career coach Anne Mangan.
But few courses of study are quite as heavy on reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking as the liberal arts, in particular the humanities – whether that’s by debating other students in a seminar, writing a thesis paper or analysing poetry.
…One recent study of 1,700 people from 30 countries, meanwhile, found that the majority of those in leadership positions had either a social sciences or humanities degree.
