Thick with Irony
This is an interesting article. While it clearly shows that many engineering degrees do pay well in comparison to careers (or lack thereof) that await those with Liberal Arts degrees, it's telling in what the article doesn't say.
The article suggests that math geeks suffer ridicule from their liberal arts studying classmates only to get the last laugh when they land jobs for British Petroleum, Lockheed, Microsoft, and Allstate. I have no argument with that since the article states that there are fewer college graduates that emerge with strong math skills. It's simple supply and demand. To the ridicule that math and engineering geeks endure, I can only speak to my limited experience at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. That school is rich with math savvy students who spend much of their time on the North Quad (where most of the newest buildings presently sit). I don't recall seeing many engineering students taking it on the chin (I did run in a circle of architects so I may not be the best source though).
What it doesn't say: even though the well-paid, top-of-the-class, math-fluent engineering students go on to careers that pay far more than their B.A. and M.A. holding counterparts they would not be in those coveted positions if it weren't for Liberal Arts-educated teachers. They taught these number crunchers how to comprehend textbooks so they could study organic chemistry, differential equations, and actuarial science.
The article suggests that math geeks suffer ridicule from their liberal arts studying classmates only to get the last laugh when they land jobs for British Petroleum, Lockheed, Microsoft, and Allstate. I have no argument with that since the article states that there are fewer college graduates that emerge with strong math skills. It's simple supply and demand. To the ridicule that math and engineering geeks endure, I can only speak to my limited experience at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. That school is rich with math savvy students who spend much of their time on the North Quad (where most of the newest buildings presently sit). I don't recall seeing many engineering students taking it on the chin (I did run in a circle of architects so I may not be the best source though).
What it doesn't say: even though the well-paid, top-of-the-class, math-fluent engineering students go on to careers that pay far more than their B.A. and M.A. holding counterparts they would not be in those coveted positions if it weren't for Liberal Arts-educated teachers. They taught these number crunchers how to comprehend textbooks so they could study organic chemistry, differential equations, and actuarial science.
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