Values of a Liberal Education

The modern stage of development of higher education system expects the adduction of its content in accordance with the ideas of the liberal-oriented culture. The new comprehension of maintenance of education entails not simple problems in its planning, in the context of professional preparation of future specialists, but also spiritually-moral, aesthetic, artistic and physical development of students. It is prestigious to be well-educated person and education is a first step to the good career and prosperous life. We see every day that liberal education is important and in this work we will talk about values of a liberal education.

Last two decades increase the growth of interest of young people to liberal education. It is confirmed by appearance of new professions in higher educational establishments, and by a high competition on these professions in Universities.

I want to begin this discussing from the quotation about liberal education, I think that these words reflect the main aim of liberal education. Andrew Chrucky mention that “The aim of liberal education is to create persons who have the ability and the disposition to try to reach agreements on matters of fact, theory, and actions through rational discussions.” (http://www.ditext.com/chrucky/aim.html)

The next quotation will be about the topic of our essay too and Thomas Huxley said: “That man, I think, has had a liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with easy and pleasure all the work that, as a mechanism, it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear, cold, logic engine, with all its parts of equal strength, and in smooth working order; ready, like a steam engine, to be turned to any kind of work, and spin the gossamers as well as forget the anchors of the mind; whose mind is stored with a knowledge of the great and fundamental truths of Nature and of the laws of its operations; one who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire, but whose passions are trained to come to heel by a vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love all beauty, whether of Nature or of art, to hate all vileness, and to respect others as himself.” (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h#a595)

Why liberal education is value? First of all it is value for its future perspectives. Liberal education can open many doors for the future successful career and every person should think about this important moment. Also you can be proud for your educational level and be a well-educated person. The liberal education curriculum aims to help students achieve two things: 1) to teach them how to think critically (logical analyze and non-standard thinking is important in all spheres of life) or how to build intellectual muscles that allow them to analyze and organize ideas, create own position and be sure in their knowledge quality; 2) to broaden their understanding of the world by having them grapple with underlying principles and issues that are behind the challenges facing society and themselves. I want to say that liberal arts training is an important preparation for anyone who wants to be a leader in society  and to be a master of own life. This type of education will help to become a good orator, due to skill to communicate orally and in writing and wonderful foreign language knowledge.

For the conclusion I want to say that liberal education is really important part of our life and it has a value for society. In the last paragraph it will be good to show what value can bring a person to future employer and in such a way becomes understandable what value can bring liberal education to a person.

“There is a prepared resume for a college student earning his degree in Social Thought and Analysis, which is about as liberal-artsy. Though he had great extracurricular activities, sports, and computer experience, he had virtually no work experience. He was interested in a job at one of the big financial-services companies. He didn’t have any training or background in finance, but he sure did have lots of skills that employers love. Here’s how I made the most of his liberal-arts background in his resume’s summary section:

• Leadership-oriented college student with strong work ethic and moral compass.
• Creative problem-solver who excels at conflict resolution, as well as creating positive solutions, identifying efficient methods to correct situations, and following through to implementation.
• Exceptional interpersonal communicator who collaborates effectively with individuals at all levels – from students to deans, functions as a liaison among groups, builds and leads teams without being overbearing, and fosters cooperation among diverse individuals and organizations.
• Disciplined and highly organized self-starter who coordinates, manages, and juggles multiple committees, numerous daily meetings, judicial-board and campus ambassador functions, as well as a demanding school load.
• Motivated, mature achiever who takes the initiative and attacks issues with originality.
• Committed competitor who has demonstrated drive toward excellence through achievement of three-time election to class-president position and third-degree black belt in karate.

Computer-proficient performer with skills covering operating systems, including Windows 9x/ME/2K/XP, and Mac OS, as well as software applications and programming languages, including C++, Java, HTML, Excel, PowerPoint, Minitab, Access, Word, and Outlook; A+ certified.” (Ten Ways to Market Your Liberal Arts Degree, Katharine Hansen)