Benjamin wants to code and works hard in High School moving up through the levels of math, performs well in his other classes, graduates with honors, attends a 24-week coding program at a state college and after a lot of work and huge expense, he becomes a web developer. A company hires him, he falls in love, gets married and begins a family and he is set for life. Or is he?
The educational push over the last couple of decades seems to be in the STEM subjects, such as coding, software design, etc. Students are paying the price to study in universities and colleges to learn the current technology. But, is there a problem with the overwhelming drive to excel in STEM? Should students be encouraged to focus mainly on science, technology, engineering, and math?
Sure, there are many important jobs that require knowledge in STEM such as computer programming, electrical, mechanical, or civil engineer, microbiologist, family practitioner, economist or urban planner, and industrial machinery mechanic to name a few. The cogs and gears in our world would simply stop without knowledge in STEM and the jobs that deal with it.
However, the trend over the last 100 years or so has seen that artificial intelligence is increasingly getting better at replicating the jobs of humans. For some, AI is something to fear because it is taking over the jobs. For others, they know AI and automation are part of the normal course in advancing technologies. Take, for instance, the carriage drivers and typists that were replaced by automobiles and computers. Or the hand quilter being replaced by the machine quilter. And look at the advances in agricultural businesses. In years past the farmer would sell his apples to the packing companies, who would hire hundreds of seasonal employees and they would sort the apples into rankings or categories and then pack them accordingly. Now, the packers invest in efficient machinery that processes the product rapidly and more cost-effectively.
Recently, my family and I took a tour of the Stemilt Packing company in Wenatchee, Washington while visiting my son. The massive, maybe 50,000 square foot warehouse boasted of the latest technology run by only five or ten workers. At one end, the apples were placed into water canals and moved along to wash, wax, and polish them. As they bobbed along they ran under a massive photo/x-ray machine that takes a photo image which determines if they have bad spots, worms, or other blemishes and directs those into different water canals for applesauce, pies, or discarding. The apples in excellent condition were then sorted into different sizes and packed accordingly for different retail sellers. I was amazed at the whole efficient process. Some would balk at the fact so many workers lost jobs due to the machinery. I can see their point, but only to a certain degree. Yes, AI is replacing jobs that can be replicable by robots, but that trend will always exist as long as there are humans and increased knowledge.
Back to the question whether Benjamin is set for life or not, Roland Moore-Colyer’s internet article states, "Programming trends suggest that software development will undergo a radical change in the future: the combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and code generation technologies will improve in such a way that machines, instead of humans, will write most of their own code by 2040,” It appears that Benjamin ought to be prepared to look for another job in 20 years right about the time his children are leaving home, going to college or getting married. Or in other words, very expensive time of life.
The solution, you ask? Well, it is an age-old one and is evident in the lives of all the great thinkers and doers. A liberal arts education is an education that supplies the real-life answers. A liberal arts education gives the person the ability to see the needs of a situation, be a leader, be a creator, an ability to do anything that is needed. Before the modern colleges cropped up everywhere, it was required of all students to go through four years of rigorous education in the liberal arts so they could become the best people they could. They were required to learn the histories and the lessons of history, they were required to understand their culture and the great ideas presented in the best literature and philosophy works. The goal of a liberal arts education is to make men free.
It helps to understand the literal meaning of the two words, liberal, and arts. The word liberal is derived from the Latin word liber, which simply and literally means “tree bark”. The fact is that the classic great works were originally printed on processed tree bark to make scrolls and bound books. It was known then and has been forgotten today, that these classic works contained the liberating ideas that gained and maintained freedom for any man who knew them. The word art means a set of rules you follow to do that particular thing. For instance, the art of painting with oils means the rules you follow to paint with the oil paints. It’s that simple. In the case of the liberal arts, it means the rules you follow to maintain liberty.
What can a human do that artificial intelligence cannot do? Humans can find truths, create, see beauty, build trust, be empathetic, “get the joke” or understand humor, understand sadness or loss, act on intuition, learn to speak and write well, and use Agency to choose. A liberal arts education teaches all this and so much more. It should teach a man or woman to be virtuous and honest so that when they are out in the world, they can be the man or woman God created them to be. Where a professional education teaches how to code, a liberal arts education teaches what to code and what not to code.
The Google company has determined they want to hire employees efficient in eight areas. Note that the last area is the only one that has anything to do with professional training. The eight things they are looking for in a new employee are whether they can coach others, communicate well, listen, make connections with others, possess insights, are supportive, have critical thinking skills, and finally have IT knowledge. Most companies are looking for people who have a strong work ethic, can reason things out in their minds, are flexible, are prepared for any event, and are okay with working and thinking in uncharted areas. An education in the liberal arts is worth its weight in gold when it comes to preparing a person to work in any environment. Do a Google search for famous people who have a liberal arts degree and you will be amazed.
It is true artificial intelligence is taking over many jobs, but a liberal arts education can prepare you for any job that is needed. Benjamin would never have to worry about losing his job because he’d have the ability to take on any job. Most companies will train their employees in their specific task, but what is equally essential is to be an honest, amiable, employee with a can-do attitude.
Check out a new liberal arts college in Salt Lake City, called Mount Liberty College. I am attending part-time and loving it. I had the founders come to speak to my humanities class this week and this article was a result of what I learned in their presentation. You will be amazed at what you will become as you attend Mount Liberty and participate in the amazing discussions. Check out their newest class open to high schoolers age 16 and up called Defense Against the Dark Arts.
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