Brenden Archer, a senior majoring in Percussion Performance, completed an independent study during the fall of 2022. In the study, he examined the book You Can Do Anything by George Anders and reflected on how the lessons in that book excite him for his future as a liberal arts major. Read his final reflection below: 

You Can Do Anything was both eye-opening and reassuring to me in several different ways. First, it reveals and realigns some values that I had to really think through and consider as I navigate my potential career pathways in my own head. One in particular was the tension between stability and flexibility: throughout the book, Anders presents one of the biggest strengths of a liberal arts major to be in his/her flexibility and ability to navigate and excel in different workplace scenarios, rather than in his/her ability to keep a job for twenty-plus years. This makes my prospects of the future a little more scary, since I might not always have a stable source of income. However, it is also a little more exciting, since I realize I could get the chance to work in several different areas of expertise, which would keep me interested and developing as a constant learner. This probably stands in stark contrast to the goals and values of the generation before my own, who would want me to find a stable career as quickly as possible, but I’ve also learned to appreciate the fun that can come with the liberal arts track. Plus, choosing a seemingly “impractical” major weighs less on my conscience now, since I can  see myself excelling in multiple different roles.

It’s also fun and reassuring to know how large of a role liberal arts majors play in the workforce. There were countless stories about how several anthropology or history or classics or philosophy majors made it into fields that seemingly had no immediate connection to their major. Of course, this raises a potential concern that I might have regarding how well I’ll be able to find a career that matches up with the musical interest I’m going to school for. However, it’s also really exciting to consider that I also could very well end up in the financial sector or in ministry, two other areas that I’m really passionate about.

Liberal arts majors know how to do the flexible and hard stuff, I’ve found out. The critical thinking skills we gain from seemingly pointless discussions about the worth of grades or why the placement of this fully diminished chord is important, do make liberal arts majors a flexible, important commodity to today’s workforce, especially considering the way technology is changing. Because of all the new automation that is happening, a lot of routine “know-how” jobs are being squeezed out of existence because technology can do them much easier, faster, and more cost-effectively. Machines, however, do not have the feelings or soft skills that humans possess, which makes liberal arts majors much more valuable as tech becomes more advanced. The world increasingly needs more people that tell good stories, can persuade well, and can critically think. These skills are what humanities majors excel in, and where the “fact-packed” majors fall a bit short. It’s easier than ever to figure out when Beethoven died—but it’s still as hard as ever  to write a symphony as good as his.

One concern that I had about this book was the emphasis it placed on our jobs being able to make us happy. I thought about this a lot as I was reading this book: how much should I let my job determine my sense of fulfillment, or my happiness levels, especially if I’m supposed to hop from job to job somewhat frequently as liberal arts majors often seem to do? Anders suggests that my job should be a substantial determinant in how I feel about myself, how happy I am, and more. In contrast though, I’ve seen and heard from a lot of friends that I should only treat my job as just a job – once I come home is when I should begin to enjoy my life. But this doesn’t seem to be a very happy alternative, since Anders points out that we (on average) spend quite a considerable amount of time at our places of work. Now, I’d hate to be a Henry Clay in this situation, but I feel like I must compromise once again: this book has helped me realize that it’s okay if I don’t find large amounts of joy from my job, but I should still try to find one that brings me joy or that I can at least choose to be passionate about. It’s detrimental to my well-being if I put too much stake in the job I have.

This book has taught me that life is flexible. There are a lot of resources at my disposal to get the technical training for a job, if I don’t yet have it. I can also get a lot of help and advice from other Whitworth alumni from our new alumni site, PeopleGrove. The book even reminded me that Whitworth does in fact have a career center! Plus, employers might not even care if I don’t have all the technical training right away for a particular job—those skills can be taught, but the critical thinking that comes with years studying as a liberal arts major comes at a much slower click.