For me, the Humanities is the ultimate antidote to being pigeonholed. I didn't want a degree that forced me to look at the world through a single, narrow lens.
Instead, the Humanities is a panoramic view of everything happening at once—it’s how society reacts to change, how an advertisement subtly shifts our desires, and how language shapes our reality. It keeps me active. With this degree, I don't just sit back and witness history; I evolve with it.
Feel free to call if this sparked your interest or if you have any questions.
My own humanities background has been a real asset throughout my professional life. It taught me to interpret complex situations, question assumptions, understand different perspectives, communicate with precision, and make judgments when there is no single “right” answer. In consulting, leadership development, cross-cultural work, and writing, I’ve found those capabilities invaluable! The humanities gave me something beyond technical expertise—a kind of “plus alpha”: greater context, perspective, and understanding of the human dimensions of a problem.
This becomes particularly important in the world of work as people move into senior roles. At that level, work is less and less about applying a known technique to a clearly defined problem. Leaders have to make sense of incomplete information, competing interests, organizational history and culture, ambiguous evidence, and consequences that cannot be fully predicted. They must decide not only how to solve a problem, but what the problem actually is. Humanities study is ideal preparation for that kind of judgment.
Not sure where you are writing from, but there are business leaders in the U.S. who, notably, possess a background in the Humanities. To name a few:
Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube — History and Literature
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard — Medieval History and Philosophy
Stewart Butterfield, cofounder of Flickr and Slack — undergraduate and graduate degrees in Philosophy
Andrea Jung, former chair and CEO of Avon — English
Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney — English Literature and Theater
Kenneth Chenault, longtime chairman and CEO of American Express — History, Law
Lloyd Blankfein, former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs — History
Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal and Palantir — Philosophy, Law
And, we can't forget Steve Jobs, who accomplished six months of a Liberal Arts degree, personal focus: calligraphy :-).
The humanities are not an abstract archive, but an active discipline of meaning and encounter.
In a world increasingly shaped by AI and obsessed with quantity—processing more data, optimizing more tasks, and reducing human thinking to mere physical cause-and-effect—the humanities act as our anchor for quality. While technical efficiency helps us function, the humanities take the longer, indirect path: they appeal to our freedom, perceive deeper meaning, and keep our critical lens sharp.
Over two centuries ago, Kant captured this imperative in a single motto: Sapere aude — have the courage to use your own understanding. For me, the humanities are precisely that courage, the daily habitus of choosing reflective depth and human freedom over mechanical speed.
