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Summary Of Preparing For A Career By Derek Boak

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In Derek Bok’s essay, “Preparing for a Career,” Bok challenges that idea that liberal arts and vocational training are world’s apart. Instead, he gives a different point of view that maybe the two fields of study are two sides of the same coin. While getting a professional education is important, job training is just as or even more so important. However, job training on its own has its drawbacks as well, so combining the two has merit.
Philosophy, creative arts, humanities, etc. These are all classes you take when you get a liberal arts degree. While these are great and necessary lessons to learn, it stands to reason why is vocational training not apart of it? According to Bok, “Too many liberal arts professors, such competencies should be …show more content…

“Vocational faculties, either by choice or because they have been rebuffed by their liberal arts colleagues, do not collaborate enough with Arts and Sciences faculties to prepare their students well for purposes other than performing the tasks demanded by their jobs. The pressure to respond appropriately to vocational needs will not diminish in the foreseeable future”(48). Each area of study both has its drawbacks, but together they can fill the spaces both degrees leave behind and create an amazing environment for undergraduates to train for careers and acquire moral and familial practices. The needs of both vocational and liberal arts often overlap so it would increasingly easy to combine the two programs. Without the help of liberal arts, vocational programs will fall short of pleasing employers and helping their students lead fulfilling lives. Without helping students prepare for careers, liberal arts will continue to serve a minority of students while leaving the others out in the cold to vocational programs that deny them a full college education (48).
Bok makes some intriguing points in his argument for vocational and liberal arts programs to be combined. Both programs have good aspects and bad aspects, however, combining the two programs would perhaps even out the tipping so to speak, and make for a more well-rounded college and life experience for the

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