"Which is better for students, liberal arts education or vocational education?" Today, this is a controversial issue, especially among professors and students in colleges. Some of them propose that a liberal arts education is useless for students' future careers as it does not lead to distinct benefits for their future success in society. However, I totally disagree with this statement. I argue that college students should choose liberal arts education because it is most helpful for them to prepare for future workplaces. It enables students to think and learn across disciplines, liberating or freeing the mind to achieve its fullest potential. Roger William Gilman says, "A liberal education develops a range of methods for liberating us from an impoverished set of problem-solving skills and narrow points of view.and preparing us for our major roles in life for the sake of imagining a better world and a vocation by which to implement that greater good" (7). I believe that such broader mind and skills will greatly help students in their future careers. Therefore, I define liberal arts education as the foundation for all professions, which provides all of the fundamentals necessary to survive in a changing workplace.
Some people believe that university education should be vocational and professional such as STEM education including science, technology, engineering and math. They regard vocation-focused education as more important for students to succeed in the future. Jeffrey B. Trammell suggests that Governor Rick Scott of Florida and fellow critics "question the value of investing in liberal arts education, as they fail to see immediate, tangible benefits for society." Also, Mark Edmundson explains the reason for the preference for vocational education by saying that "To almost everyone, university education is a means to an end. For students, that end is a good job.
