Your use of the Route to the Top Survey statistics is somewhat more discouraging that it needs to be. A longer look at the figures shows that Liberal Arts majors make up 6% of all CEOs of the S&P 500. Furthermore, they make up 10% of the CEOs of the companies ranked 101-200 and 8% of the CEOs of the companies ranked 201-300. This makes the Liberal Arts major very competitive with the accounting major, which accounts for 7-11% of CEOs. The data are here: http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2008_RTTT_Final_summary.pdf#page=8
Undergraduates choosing engineering and economics should bear in mind these words from the 2005 survey spoken by Richard Kovacevich, then CEO of Wells Fargo: "You get elected as CEO because you know how to run the company pretty damn well. But once you become the CEO you can't run the company anymore. YOU'RE MAKING SPEECHES, LOBBYING, LOOKING AT THE LONG TERM. IT TAKES ALMOST THE OPPOSITE KINDS OF SKILLS. THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO TEACH YOUR SUCCESSOR. [emphasis added] http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2005RTTT.pdf
So in addition to all your technical skills, ask yourself, where are you going to learn how to write and deliver effective speeches? Where are you going to learn how to understand complicated legal, historical, political, and ethical issues so that you can lobby effectively? Where are you going to learn how to teach so that you can confidently turn over the day-to-day operations to your future successor. A liberal arts education, by itself, may not get you your entry level job. But you'd better have something like it in reserve for the day you become a CEO - because you'll need it then most of all.
Liberal arts? Think again
Your use of the Route to the Top Survey statistics is somewhat more discouraging that it needs to be. A longer look at the figures shows that Liberal Arts majors make up 6% of all CEOs of the S&P 500. Furthermore, they make up 10% of the CEOs of the companies ranked 101-200 and 8% of the CEOs of the companies ranked 201-300. This makes the Liberal Arts major very competitive with the accounting major, which accounts for 7-11% of CEOs. The data are here: http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2008_RTTT_Final_summary.pdf#page=8
Undergraduates choosing engineering and economics should bear in mind these words from the 2005 survey spoken by Richard Kovacevich, then CEO of Wells Fargo: "You get elected as CEO because you know how to run the company pretty damn well. But once you become the CEO you can't run the company anymore. YOU'RE MAKING SPEECHES, LOBBYING, LOOKING AT THE LONG TERM. IT TAKES ALMOST THE OPPOSITE KINDS OF SKILLS. THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO TEACH YOUR SUCCESSOR. [emphasis added] http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2005RTTT.pdf
So in addition to all your technical skills, ask yourself, where are you going to learn how to write and deliver effective speeches? Where are you going to learn how to understand complicated legal, historical, political, and ethical issues so that you can lobby effectively? Where are you going to learn how to teach so that you can confidently turn over the day-to-day operations to your future successor. A liberal arts education, by itself, may not get you your entry level job. But you'd better have something like it in reserve for the day you become a CEO - because you'll need it then most of all.