Students may enter college certain that they know what they want to do with their careers only to end up changing majors, sometimes several times, which can be frustrating and also cost extra time and money. Taking general education classes, especially in the first two years of school, can help students avoid this issue by exploring other subjects required for a degree. Taking courses in various subjects helps people learn more and discover other areas of study that they may not have otherwise been exposed to or chosen to take. Also, most people change careers several times in their lifetime.
Many courses are important for developing important critical thinking skills. Not all courses are required for the actual subject matter taught in them, but rather for the thinking skills that are developed and utilized in such courses. Reasoning, analysis, communication and critical thinking are all important experiential skills for any college major, potential job or real world situation. There is value within the thought processes that a person uses to interpret information, draw conclusions and problem solve.
General education classes make a student more well-rounded by allowing them to obtain a wider range of knowledge and a broader perception of the world as a whole. Exposure and awareness of various subjects is valuable not only for the actual subject matter, but for the skills acquired by learning various topics. Being an expert in a specific subject can certainly be necessary for many careers; however, for more creative or less specialized fields, a more comprehensive education may make you more marketable.
General education classes can also open a person up to other cultural traditions, world politics, history and foreign languages. This knowledge, along with being open-minded and culturally sensitive, are especially important in today's world. Globalization, or the integration of cultures and societies, is happening all the time in economics, politics and business. Having the knowledge and interpersonal skills to interact with people around the world is important in a diverse and increasingly competitive job markets. Modern technology has given way to new jobs, making many industries more dynamic and complex than they used to be, which also requires a wide range of skills.