Opinion: Why tech executives are sending their children to art school

The Wall Street Journal recently reported  that “careers in the humanities, arts or skilled trades might be safer bets for the next generation.” 

It’s a startling claim. But it may be right — and many tech leaders seem to agree. Increasingly, Silicon Valley executives are enrolling their children in schools that prioritize creativity, empathy and design thinking over memorization and STEM-heavy curricula.

So, how did we get here?

For decades, degrees in engineering, computer science, and physics were seen as golden tickets to job security and prosperity. But that narrative is shifting. Between 2009 and 2022, the number of computer science degrees awarded in the U.S. nearly tripled, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Yet, many of these graduates are entering a job market transformed by automation, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing — technologies that are rapidly rendering technical skills obsolete.

The foundational principles of math and science remain intellectually rigorous and deeply important. But their practical applications have a fast-diminishing shelf life. 

In some fields, the “half-life” of a skill — the time it takes for half of what you know to become irrelevant — is just three to five years. That means many students are saddled with six-figure debt, sometimes exceeding $200,000, only to find themselves needing to retrain before their student loans are even paid off.

Even university professors and industry leaders now acknowledge what was once taboo: while a technical degree might offer an early-career advantage, it no longer guarantees long-term relevance. Today’s job market rewards not just what you know, but how fast you can learn, adapt and think across disciplines.

So, if left-brain logic and analytical skills are no longer sufficient, what is rising to take their place?

Surprisingly, the answer lies in the arts and humanities fields once dismissed as “soft” or impractical. These disciplines foster creativity, emotional intelligence, communication, and the ability to make meaning — all distinctly human traits that machines struggle to replicate. As author Daniel Pink argues in A Whole New Mind, we are transitioning from the Information Age to the “Conceptual Age,” where creators, empathizers and meaning-makers will thrive.

Pink identifies six essential aptitudes for the modern economy: design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. These aren’t luxuries — they’re survival skills in a world where information is cheap and change is constant.

Alternative education models like Montessori and Waldorf — which emphasize autonomy, curiosity and collaboration — are gaining traction, not just in early childhood education but in adult learning and corporate training. A meta-analysis of 32 studies on Montessori education found that students outperformed peers in both academic performance and creativity. These approaches are being re-evaluated and integrated into training programs for today’s dynamic, innovation-driven economy.

This doesn’t mean we should abandon STEM. We still need engineers, data scientists, and physicists. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that adaptability — not narrow technical specialization — is the real currency of the future. While technical skills fade, imagination, empathy, and storytelling grow richer over time.

The more relevant question isn’t What should I major in? but What will still matter when algorithms can do my job? Machines can calculate, analyze and optimize. But they can’t build community, imagine better futures, or create meaning. These remain inherently human capabilities.

And they are becoming increasingly critical. As automation grows across industries, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for creativity and human-centered thinking is more urgent than ever. In hospitals robots are now deployed to take temperatures, monitor patients, disinfect surfaces, and deliver meals — tasks once performed by human staff. These changes aren’t temporary. 

The current prediction is that a significant portion of current jobs — possibly most — could disappear within the next 20 years. This is why art and creative thinking are becoming essential, not just as cultural enrichment, but as economic survival strategies.

John Eger is a professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. Previously, he was a legal assistant to FCC Chairman Dean Burch, telecommunications adviser to President Gerald R. Ford, and senior vice president of CBS. He lives in La Jolla.