Careers for arts students in the age of automation 

Industry trends: creative jobs of the future

Beyond numbers

The world seems to run on numbers these days: the binary code of computers and programming, financial transactions, the mathematical models behind big data and AI.

But who decides which questions to ask of big data? How do we decide what data to process? Asking good questions of big data requires workers with the ability to think creatively and critically from multiple perspectives.

And once we’ve run the numbers, we need someone to interpret the results. Statistical analysis might find patterns in the 2.5 quintillion bytes of data generated every day, but it can’t explain the “why” of human behaviour.

For that, employers need someone who understands how people think and how they relate to one another. Someone who can combine knowledge and intuition to solve problems, make products that people love, pass laws, or create social programs that will work.

That’s where arts grads come in. Arts grads work as research analysts, business development managers, product designers, and project managers to make sense of data and translate it into actionable plans and strategies that work for people.

Beyond robots

AI and machine learning will eliminate 75 million jobs in the next few years and this type of drastic change can have catastrophic impacts on the lives of millions. The upside is, AI will also create 130 million, new, unheard-of opportunities as humanity adjusts to the new normal.

As a society, our ethics will be tested, our policies rewritten, our laws challenged. Doing what’s right for our country, our citizens, and the world will require people who can imagine, inform, and make big decisions.

The new world needs to be transformed by people with broad-based, ethically informed educations in fields such as philosophy, sociology, law, communications, and economics. In short: arts grads!

It’s about people

At the intersection of the digital world and humanity, arts grads find work in designing video games that solve problems, or in helping make applications more user friendly.

User-centric thinking isn’t just an afterthought of digital application and production, however. Arts grads make up a larger percentage of the tech workforce than tech grads.

That’s because arts grads are uniquely qualified to identify and understand human skills and human needs, and to help translate and coordinate with machines and multidisciplinary teams throughout product development.

It’s about unique skills

In a study of Canada’s largest companies, employers value transferable skills over technical knowledge. Why? It’s simple: an arts degrees teaches you how to think in a big picture way and collaborate better. These skills are increasingly important in a workforce that is multi-disciplinary and requires good communication, insights about others, and empathetic leadership.

An arts degree teaches you how to think in a big-picture way — and to communicate that vision clearly and persuasively. Combining these skills with a basic understanding of technology helps meet an urgent, rising “market demand for agile and resilient thinkers who have a handle on digital literacies."

Arts grads are vital communicators

They shape and explore human experience and behaviour as journalists, writers, editors, digital media specialists, communication specialists, or as artists, actors, or performers. Arts grads in these careers engage us in understanding the world, current events, and each other through their storytelling.

...and that makes grads adaptable

The world of work is going to change dramatically in the next 10 years. Jobs will be lost, and new jobs created. It’s increasingly inevitable that workers will have many jobs over their careers.

Arts students are uniquely positioned to adapt and lead because of the transferable skills acquired during their studies. Things like critical thinking, analytical reasoning, constructing persuasive arguments, teamwork, and people skills.

Adaptability means more opportunity. Social sciences and humanities grads are working across a wider range of industries and occupations than graduates of any other field. They work all over the world. They work in public, private, and not-for-profit organizations. The breadth and scope of opportunities is only going to increase as technology and social forces change the world of work.

Imaginative leaders

“The jobs of the future… will require creative, compassionate, and empathetic leaders who create trust, build teams, inspire service, and communicate effectively" (Inc., 2019).

Arts grads make great leaders because of their adaptability, unique skills, insight, and their way with people. In fact, 55 per cent of the world’s professional leaders, in over 30 countries and across industries, are social sciences and humanities grads. One study even noted that arts grads are better leaders than MBA holders.

There you have it! Arts grads are leaders. Culture shapers. Storytellers. Makers and doers. Agents of change. Policy makers. People protectors. If you were thinking about a degree in humanities, social sciences, or the creative arts, your career can be an evolving work of art – just like you!

Arts and humanities careers: they're everywhere!

So, how does a B.A. lead to a job? In arts and humanities, your degree might be less closely tied to your job title than, say, an engineer’s. Most B.A. programs could lead to a career in law, for example. And there are arts grads in every industry: for instance, there are communications positions in film, finance, hospitals, agriculture, renewable energy, tech, transportation. That’s because the skills that B.A. grads have developed — and that employers value the most — underpin all Bachelor of Arts programs. That’s how an arts degree prepares you for jobs that might not even exist today and gives you the freedom to work in a field that you’re passionate about.

Here's a list of degree programs at Waterloo and careers they could lead to. Some career paths require additional training — a diploma, certificate, or master’s degree can help you find your niche. Waterloo’s Centre for Career Development has counsellors dedicated to supporting Waterloo students through the application process, whether it’s to teacher’s college, law school, or a digital design specialty. And consider Waterloo’s world-renowned co-op program: it gives you the opportunity to earn money and test out a career path or industry before you graduate.

Social sciences

• French
  • Business consultant
  • Immigration officer
  • Interpreter
  • Purchaser, international markets
  • Teacher
  • Translator

What's next

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• Learn more about Waterloo's Faculty of Arts.