What Good Is a Liberal Arts Degree in the Job Market?

Liberal-arts degrees get a bum rap. After all, what in the world are you going to do with that philosophy or American history degree? And why spend $30,000 and upwards annually to learn about it?

Well, actually, it's because a liberal-arts degree is a versatile ticket to a wide range of jobs, and it's sought out by many employers. Few jobs are out of the reach of a liberal-arts major, says Katharine Hansen, writer for the job-hunting website Quintessential Careers and author of A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way Into the Hidden Job Market.

"Sometimes liberal-arts majors struggle a bit more than other majors when launching their careers, but the evidence shows that they tend to advance farther and be more sought out by CEOs for high-level jobs," Hansen says.