Why the humanities may be your best career bet

The New Trivium — Grammar, Decision Metrics, and Rhetoric — will give you exactly what employers say they're looking for. And it may even land you the higest-paying jobs in tech. Why? Because developers are using humanities skills to talk to the robots. Colleges and universities should use the New Trivium to create the most practical career preparation for future employment and restore academia's luster.

Transcript

1. This curriculum could save the humanities… Jay Heinrichs Jayheinrichs.com …while making the liberal arts a great career investment.
2. Many people challenge the value of a liberal arts education. It’s expensive, and it fails to lead directly to a job. Average Cost of a Humanities Undergraduate Degree: $100,000-$320,000 Total annual cost, including room and board, ranging from in-state public university to private college.
3. Twelve years ago, I gave a lecture that explored the value of a humanities degree. I found that many of us were misled about that value.
4. Now we have AI. The outlook for careers has gotten muddier than ever. So I decided to take another look. Q: Is there a future for the humanities in the age of AI?
5. Part One What counts as practical
6. Parents and politicians are pushing the brightest students into “practical” education. • STEM • HEALTH • BUSINESS & FINANCE • TECH
7. But as artificial intelligence transforms the world economy, what counts as practical? AI integration will drive 20%+ growth, but automation may displace routine coding jobs. Focus on specializations (AI ethics, quantum computing). I asked the AI model Perplexity about tech hiring trends.
8. "[A] lot of young people no longer see the trades and skilled manufacturing as a viable career. But I promise you, folks can make a lot more, potentially, with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree.” President Barack Obama President Obama said you should think twice about the liberal arts. And he graduated with a liberal arts degree! (From Columbia, which requires students to take art history!)
9. "If I’m going to take money from a citizen to put into education then I’m going to take that money to create jobs. So I want that money to go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state. Is it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists? I don’t think so." Fla. Governor Rick Scott Other politicians joined in, claiming the liberal arts don’t lead to employment.
10. In a 2013 survey of 1,000 hiring managers, fewer than said recent grads were prepared for a job in their field of study. In a sense, the politicians are right. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/31/more-than-a-college-degree/3324303/ 20%
11. What is going on? And what can you do about it?
12. First, let’s look at what a liberal arts college is for…
13. Part Two What liberal education is for
14. A liberal education has never trained students for their first job.
15. "Once upon a time, 'trainee' used to be a common job title. Now companies expect everyone, recent graduates included, to be ready to go on Day One. The mantle of preparing the work force, has been passed to higher ed.” Philip D. Gardner, director Collegiate Employment Research Institute Michigan State University The companies did that themselves.
16. Don’t expect college to train you for an entry-level job. The liberal arts don’t do that.
17. That’s what internships are for.
18. Yet, employers say they don’t want trained graduates... They want educated graduates.
19. Most Valued Skills 2023-2027 • Analytical thinking • Creative thinking • Resilience, flexibility, agility • Motivation and self-awareness • Curiosity and lifelong learning World Economic Forum (WEF) – 2023 Future of Jobs Report
20. 3 of 4 employers… Want more emphasis on: • Critical thinking • Complex problem-solving • Written and oral communication • Applied knowledge in real-world settings
21. Most employers say they want graduates with critical thinking ability. Most parents agree that critical thinking is a major outcome. And most faculty and college presidents list critical thinking as a chief outcome of a liberal education. Source: John Pryor, Senior Research Scientist (Higher Education), Gallup
22. Employers: CRITICAL THINKING. Parents: CRITICAL THINKING. Professors and administrators: the liberal arts teach CRITICAL THINKING.
23. So why don’t companies snap up every art history major? z
24. While everyone seems to agree that critical thinking is a key outcome of a college education, no one can agree on a definition of critical thinking. John Pryor, Senior Researcher (Higher Education), Gallup Employers,parents, and educators can’t produce a common definition of critical thinking, let alone describe how a liberal education teaches it. The Problem:
25. Maybe critical thinking is just, you know, thinking. Or not being stupid or careless. But I believe critical thinking means more than that.
26. “Critical thinking is evaluating whether we should be convinced that some claim is true or some argument is good, as well as formulating good arguments.” Pretty good definitions are out there…
27. “Critical thinking is the process to determine whether we are justified in holding an opinion or belief.” –Philosophy 101
28. But they don’t tell how a specific curriculum or major produces critical thinking.
29. Let me propose some criteria for critical thinking, keeping in mind the needs of employers. • Critical thinking • Complex problem- solving • Written and oral communication • Applied knowledge in real-world settings
30. Critical Thinking Ability to communicate across cultures and time, understand the deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices. Ability to measure and evaluate theories and propositions, logically and numerically, through interpretation of data. Inoculation against manipulation, and the ability to create consensus.
31. To see what kind of education leads to critical thinking, let’s look at some of the original critical thinkers: the ancient Greeks and Romans who invented the liberal arts.
32. Part Three What are liberal arts?
33. In ancient times, the liberal arts (artes liberales) formed the education for free (“liberal”) citizens. These were people liberated from having to work for others. ≠
34. The first three liberal arts: Written and oral fluency in Greek and Latin, a deep understanding of literature, and an ability to communicate with elites across nation-states and empires. Grammar Logic The study and use of reasoning; the disciplined pursuit of truth. Rhetoric The art of persuasion.
35. These arts did more than foster critical thinking. They prepared students to lead.
36. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Who, What, When, Where Why How
37. They were called the Trivium. Grammar Logic Rhetoric (The Trivium is the origin of the word trivial. Haters gonna hate.)
38. During the Middle Ages, four more arts joined the original three. These were called the Quadrivium. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Music Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy
39. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Music Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy The original Trivium prepared young people for leadership, teaching them critical thinking and other skills. But considering current employers’ needs… the Trivium can use a little updating.
40. What if we took all 7 liberal arts and boiled them down to 3? We could create a NEW TRIVIUM. Liberal education for the next leaders.
41. Keep in mind my earlier description of critical thinking. The ability to:. • Communicate across cultures and time. • Understand the deep background of an issue. • Overcome provincial prejudices. • Resist manipulation. • Evaluate and measure questions, theories, and propositions—logically and numerically through interpretation of data. • Create consensus.
42. Grammar doesn’t seem very useful. Isn’t that just nouns and verbs—things you learn in grammar school? Grammar Logic Rhetoric Music Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy
43. Grammar The ability to absorb and communicate messages across cultures and time. But go back to the ancients. They taught grammar as an essential art of leadership. Let’s not throw out Grammar right away. Critical thinking: communicate across cultures and time, to understand the deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices.
44. Doesn’t Music? help us communicate across cultures and time? Let’s absorb it into Grammar. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Music Decision Metrics
45. Most of the humanities fall under this art. GRAMMAR Critical thinking: communicate across cultures and time, to understand the deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices. History Literature Languages Anthropology & Archaeology Women’s Studies African-American Studies American Studies Religion Performing Arts Visual Arts Art History Classics
46. Take a closer look at Logic. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Decision Metrics
47. Logic The study and use of reasoning; the disciplined pursuit of truth. This seems like the most important art of all, doesn’t it? It certainly is important to learn. But logic is difficult to isolate from the manipulative aspects of argument—from emotions and issues of identity.
48. Aristotle himself said this. The man who invented logic as we know it said that emotions and identity tend to be more persuasive in the real world. He blamed this on our “sorry human nature.”
49. While it’s important to teach Logic, we should set it in the context of real-world persuasion. That means combining it with Rhetoric. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Decision Metrics
50. Aristotle wrote his book, Rhetoric, late in life— after he wrote Logic. Rhetoric was the culmination of his thinking on human thought.
51. As tutor to young Alexander of Macedon, Aristotle shared the leadership secrets of Rhetoric. Alexander not only conquered peoples, he won hearts. His Hellenic Empire formed the basis of Western civilization.
52. Here you probe deep into the human brain, both individual and social. RHETORIC Critical thinking: resist manipulation, evaluate arguments, create consensus. Rhetoric Philosophy Neuroscience Linguistics Speech
53. “Rhetoric is the art of influence, friendship, and eloquence, of ready wit and irrefutable logic. "Rhetoric lies behind political labeling, advertising, jargon, voices, gestures, and guilt trips; it forms a real-life Matrix, the supreme software that drives our social lives. "And the study of rhetoric is that software’s decoder.” Jay Heinrichs Thank You for Arguing
54. Grammar Rhetoric Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy It seems natural to combine Arithmetic and Geometry into a single art: Math. Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions; logically and numerically through interpretation of data.
55. + Arithmetic Geometry MATH +
56. Grammar Logic Rhetoric Music Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy How about including Astronomy, which from the beginning has depended heavily on Math? Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions; logically and numerically through interpretation of data.
57. Arithmetic Geometry Astronomy MATH & SCIENCE +
58. While the scientific method is important for any citizen to know, the key asset of Math & Science for leadership purposes is the ability to understand the use of numbers. It’s an art of leadership—or using data to bring about choices. So, let’s call it: Decision Metrics Mathematics Natural Sciences Physics Astronomy Sociology Economics Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions; logically and numerically through interpretation of data.
59. Most Valued Skills 2023 • Analytical thinking • Creative thinking • Resilience, flexibility, agility • Motivation and self-awareness • Curiosity and lifelong learning World Economic Forum (WEF) – 2023 Future of Jobs Report
60. Top attributes employers seek on a candidate’s resume: • Problem-solving skills (91.2%) • Analytical/quantitative skills (86.4%) • Ability to work in a team (84.6%) • Communication skills (written & verbal) (83.3%) National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) – 2023 Job Outlook
61. • Communicate across cultures and time, to understand the deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices. • Evaluate and measure theories and propositions, logically and numerically, through an understanding of data. • Resist manipulation, create consensus. Grammar seems to cover this well. Decision Metrics (math & science) works here. But so does Logic. Rhetoric! Critical Thinking
62. Rhetoric Arguing, evaluating the argument of others, bringing consensus. Grammar Absorbing and communicating messages across cultures and time. Decision Metrics Evaluating and measuring theories and propositions, logically and numerically, through interpretation of data. New Trivium
63. Grammar Rhetoric Decision Metrics The New Trivium does not exclude the other subjects. But it helps you make sure you get the range of arts that lead you to your most productive career. New Trivium
64. Part Four Let’s test AI.
65. In 2014, when I first gave my New Trivium lecture, I cobbled up an exam to measure critical thinking. Recently I gave Claude, one of the leading AI models, the same test.
66. What are the real risks of Ebola? How can we measure them? Critical thinking should let us you see that risks encompass Africa’s culture, the global economy, the political consequences of fear—as well as personal and regional health risks. Here’s how Claude answered…
67. Claude: Mortality & Severity • Case Fatality Rate: 25-90% depending on the outbreak and medical care available • Rapid progression: Symptoms can escalate quickly without treatment • No specific cure: Treatment focuses on supportive care and symptom management Transmission Risks ✅ Direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals ✅ Contact with contaminated surfaces or materials ✅ Unsafe burial practices of Ebola victims ❌ NOT airborne under normal circumstances ❌ NOT spread through casual contact Geographic Risks • Primarily endemic to certain regions in Sub-Saharan Africa • Limited global spread due to transmission requirements • Risk varies significantly by location and outbreak status What are the real risks of Ebola? How can we measure them? MISSING: • Risks that encompass Africa’s culture • The global economy • Political consequences of fear
68. + Where in the world does poetry make money? Why? II figured that grads would mention hip hop. But I was also hoping for more insight. What exactly is poetry? Can a computer algorithm qualify? What does poetry do, exactly? A brilliant answer would reveal a future great manager or analyst. Here’s how Claude answered...
69. Claude: Top Markets for Poetry 📚 United States • Slam poetry circuits with prize money and sponsorships • Academic positions (poet-in-residence, MFA programs) • Publishing advances from major houses • Poetry readings with honorariums ($500-$5,000+) • Grants and fellowships (Guggenheim, NEA, MacArthur) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom • Arts Council funding and poet laureate positions • Festival culture (Hay Festival, Edinburgh Fringe) • BBC Radio commissions • Strong poetry publishing tradition 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates • Million's Poet competition (prizes up to $1.3 million!) • Cultural value placed on traditional Arabic poetry • Government-sponsored cultural initiatives 🇮🇳 India • Mushaira circuits (Urdu poetry gatherings with paid performances) • Film industry (Bollywood lyricists earn substantial income) • Regional language poetry markets Where in the world does poetry make money? Why? MISSING: • Definition of poetry • Hip hop? • Why some cultures favor poets with money and some don’t.
70. + Explain the Kardashians and what might be done about them. The New Trivium applies critical thinking to issues that might be too readily dismissed. How do the Kardashians qualify as “influencers”—people who build affinity groups? Grammar, Decision Metrics, and Rhetoric all apply. Here’s how Claude answered...
71. Claude: The Realistic Approach: 🌐 They're a symptom of modern media consumption 💡 Vote with your attention and wallet 🔄 Media landscape constantly evolves ✨ New cultural phenomena will eventually emerge The Bottom Line 📊 The Kardashians are neither a "problem" requiring a "solution" nor unavoidable. They're successful entrepreneurs who capitalized on reality TV and social media. Your relationship with their content is entirely within your control! Explain the Kardashians and what can be done about them. MISSING: • What the Kardashians tell us about cultural change over time. • The philosophical nature of “influence.” • Ways the rest of us can get as rich as that talentless family.
72. + Using data and your knowledge of American culture, gather political insights from Burning Man and the Electric Daisy Carnival. Woodstock ushered in a change in American politics. So do these giant annual festivals. Surprisingly, though, there’s little overlap between these desert audiences. Why? Find meaning in the Grammar, Metrics and Rhetoric, and you will make yourself valuable. Here’s how Claude answered...
73. WHAT THESE EVENTS REVEAL ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS: Ideological Fragmentation: Neither event fits traditional left/right paradigms Post-material Values: Focus on experiences, connection, and self-expression Institutional Distrust: Preference for alternative communities and governance Cultural Capitalism: Counterculture being absorbed into mainstream commerce (especially EDC) Tribal Identity: Formation of distinct subcultural political identities Youth Disengagement: Escapism from conventional political participation Progressive Social Values: Strong acceptance of diversity and alternative lifestyles Using data and your knowledge of American culture, gather political insights from Burning Man and the Electric Daisy Carnival. MISSING: ? Claude:
74. + Is Millennial generation a useful generalization? Generalizations, especially those based on birth dates, are both necessary and misleading. They require the best critical thinking. Here’s how Claude answered...
75. Claude: ## 💡 Balanced Perspective **Most Useful When:** - Used as a general analytical tool, not absolute truth - Combined with other demographic factors - Recognized as describing trends, not individuals **Least Useful When:** - Applied rigidly to individuals - Used to dismiss or stereotype - Treated as more important than individual characteristics ## 🎯 Conclusion The concept is **conditionally useful** - valuable for identifying broad patterns while requiring nuance and avoiding over-application to individuals. Is Millennial generation a useful generalization? MISSING: Alternatives • Are other generalizations more useful? • What are the specific harms?
76. Find a problem that affects many people’s lives. Gather a dedicated team to solve it— in a way that’s sustainable economically and environmentally, and that personally makes you money. Finally, the liberal arts question that beats them all. Answer it, and you have answered the question, “How can I make the biggest difference?” It seemed unlikely that a single prompt would get a decent answer. Well: Here’s how Claude answered...
77. Claude: The Problem: Food Waste & Food Insecurity Paradox Impact Statistics • 1.3 billion tons of food wasted globally each year • 828 million people suffer from hunger worldwide • 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste • Households waste $1,500-2,500 annually on uneaten food The Solution: Community Food Rescue Network (CFRN) Core Concept A hyperlocal, app-based platform connecting food donors with "Food Rescuers" who collect, process, and redistribute surplus food while earning income. How Participants Earn Money Revenue Streams for Food Rescuers Collection Fees 💵 Restaurants/stores pay $5-15 per pickup Removes their disposal costs ($50-200/month) Provides tax deduction documentation Processing & Repackaging 📦 Convert surplus into meal kits: $3-5 per kit profit Preserve/ferment items for resale Earn $15-25/hour for labor Subscription Distribution 🚚 "Rescued Food Boxes" at 50% retail price Rescuers earn $8-12 per box delivered Corporate/office subscriptions for higher margins Composting Service 🌱 Non-edible waste → premium compost Sell to local gardeners at $25-40 per bag Businesses pay for compost pickup Find a problem that affects many people’s lives. Propose a solution—in a way that’s sustainable economically and environmentally, and that personally earns the participants money. MISSING: ? 🌟 Real-World Inspiration This model is already working in variations: •Too Good To Go (Europe): 150M+ meals saved •Olio (UK): 50M+ portions shared •412 Food Rescue (Pittsburgh): 15M+ lbs rescued The opportunity is proven. The time to act is now. 🚀
78. Part Five AI and You
79. Frankly, I was surprised by Claude’s answers to my questions about Burning Man and Electric Daisy. And my vague question about solving a social problem while making money? Holy cow.
80. What Claude Did Well The model produced a sophisticated operation to help relieve food waste and nutritional insecurity—all from the vaguest of prompts. The bots are great at organization. They do irresistible charts and can break down any operation into workable steps and deadlines. Most AI users today see the models as an efficient substitute for Google. But they’re also useful as virtual assistants, zooming down rabbit holes you didn’t even know were there. S Planning Systems Research
81. What Claude Did Poorly The model failed to think about Ebola's historical, cultural, political, and economic implications. When asked about poetry, it neglected hip hop, didn’t bother to define “poetry,” and stuck to grants and poetry events. A graduate educated in the New Trivium would blow this literal-minded bot out of the conceptual water. What are “influencers”? What is poetry? I’ve found that it’s important to give the models multiple prompts, pushing them to explore the deeper meanings and contexts of terms. The results often get me better data. But at this point in the evolution of LLMs, a human has to drive the connotations. New Trivium Grammar, Rhetoric, and Decision Metrics all kick in. The bots are innocent creatures that fail to master the ability to hold contradictory thoughts at the same time—the surest sign of a sophisticated mind. Instead of offering an interesting take on the Kardashians, Claude gives us a lecture. “Post training” by humans seems to make LLM’s prediction algorithm even more…predictable.. Broad Thinking Connotations Irony
82. I’d love to explore more “final exam” questions with the bots. Meanwhile, I’m more confident than ever that employers will value a humanities education—built around the New Trivium—more than ever. And that includes tech.
83. A recent story in the New York Times reveals that AI developers are communicating with the models in a very human way.
84. Laying down laws. Their more complex prompts contain “stern Ten Commandments,” as the reporter puts it. Focusing on their rhetoric. “L.L.M.s take away the drudgery and leave the human, soulful parts to you, one coder told the writer.” Many of the 70 developers interviewed talked about using persuasive language in their prompts. The developers aren’t just prompting. They’re leading. Using judgement more than coding skills. Skilled prompters ask for multiple iterations, then judge the results for the best ones. This requires high-level critical thinking. Talking to aliens. Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, told the writer: “It’s an alien intelligence that we’re learning to work with.” The New Trivium’s Grammar teaches students to deal with alien intelligence. People who lived in the past are alien to us. So are people in other cultures. Besides, who talks to the aliens from outer space in the movie Arrival? A linguist. Developers are…
85. Students thinking about college should consider a New Trivium education. Grammar Absorbing and communicating messages across cultures and time. Decision Metrics Evaluating and measuring theories and propositions, logically and numerically, through interpretation of data. New Trivium Arguing, evaluating the argument of others, bringing consensus. Rhetoric
86. The Good News • You can get an excellent background in Grammar at any good liberal arts college. Your major matters little for future employment, unless you intend to apply to graduate school. • Decision metrics are readily available as well, so long as the college offers a course in statistics. • Rhetoric is the fastest-growing discipline in higher education.
87. The Bad News • Rhetoric is offered sketchily Ivy League and the top 10 small colleges ranked by US News & World Report. But many state universities offer classical rhetoric and its modern offsprings. • And some small colleges, like Lewis & Clark, offer the best rhetoric education.
88. What students should do Simply studying mathematics or science is not enough for decision metrics. Take a course in statistics, and a year-long course in economics. Make sure you understand the art of quantification. 1
89. What students should do Take courses in rhetorical theory and practice. You should graduate knowing how to speak and write persuasively (your ability to speak will outweigh your ability to write). In addition, take at least one psychology course. 2
90. What students should do If you are a science major, take as many history courses as you can. Study cultures other than your own. The more uncomfortable they make you, the better. 3
91. What students should do If you want a job out of college, apply for internships. Employers say they are the biggest factor in getting a first job. 4
92. What students should do Plan to go to graduate school. But study in college for leadership. Regardless of your profession, it’s likely that by mid-career you will lead people, make proposals, build consensus. You will use data to make decisions. And you will communicate across vast spaces to people of different backgrounds. And here is where you need the New Trivium. 5
93. Resources Thank You for Arguing Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion My free newsletter, Aristotle’s Guide to Soul Bending
94. Jay Heinrichs “brings the art of persuasion to the masters of manipulation,” according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Clients have included Southwest Airlines, Walmart, Ogilvy UK, Mindshare, Harvard, Dartmouth, Kaiser Permanente, the National Association of Realtors, NASA, and the Pentagon. He has written six books and ghostwritten three. Jay is the author of the bestselling Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. Now in its fourth edition, the book has been published in 14 languages and used in more than 3,000 college courses. He writes a popular rhetoric newsletter on Substack. Contact him at JayHeinrichs.com.