Four alumni from Temple’s College of Liberal Arts were on campus last Tuesday to tell students they really can get a great job with a Liberal Arts degree.
The forum titled “Getting There From Here” was sponsored by the College Council of Liberal Arts, the governing body for all the CLA major associations.
The speakers included Casey Cook, a 1994 graduate in Women’s Studies, Denise Davis Schwartzman, a 1966 graduate with a degree in History and John Masington, who has both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in History.
The event gave current CLA students the opportunity to gain insight into their options after Temple. The students asked questions of the alumni about their experiences in the work force and what a Liberal Arts degree could do for them in the future.
Cook, who works to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS as the Executive Director of Prevention Point Philadelphia, told students that the skills from a Liberal Arts degree would be transferable to any profession.
“You’re learning how to think and write,” she said. “That’s what a Liberal Arts education gives you. Those are the skills employers look for.”
Masington, a senior vice president and branch manager for Morgan Stanley, agreed.
“As a Liberal Arts graduate,” he said, “there are very few jobs you can’t do.”
The alumni also told students that whatever their major may be, most employers will offer some sort of training program to help them learn the skills needed in their new job.
Schwartzman, a complex litigation attorney for Chimicles and Tikellis law firm in Haverford, also said Liberal Arts students have an advantage because many employers do not want people who all have degrees in the same field. She said it brings less diversity to their company.
The speakers were also asked about the necessity of internships. They all agreed that internships were important for students. Masington said the interns at his company have found the experience rewarding and have learned many things working there.
“It also gives an organization an opportunity to know you,” Cook said, “and to help you in job placement.”
Schwartzman told the students that doing an internship would help them know if that field is what they really want to do. It will also help them gain an understanding of what really goes on inside those businesses.
Dr. Morris J. Vogel, acting Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, told the students that “these people have been where you are now and they have put it together brilliantly.”
He said he wants the students to understand the options available to them with a Liberal Arts education.
Carrie Tolerico can be reached at ctoleric@temple.edu
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