How many times have you heard a parent or older relative ask, So what will you do with your [insert bachelor's of arts degree here]?

You may answer through clenched teeth, None of your business. You may become reflective and leave the question unanswered. Or you may boldly reply, My options are endless.Any way you slice it, the question has got you wondering if you made the right choice.

I knew I wanted to be a police officer, so I focused on courses that would help me do that, says Jason Hamilton, currently on the police force in Sudbury, Ontario. Hamilton majored sociology and criminology at university. He says the foundation he received from his arts degree provided him with a wealth of knowledge and prepared him for different experiences, including a year-long stint teaching English in China.

Employers recognize the fact that the arts student has a foundation to build on, says Gerry Goodine, a career counsellor at the University of Western Ontario. Besides having learned transferable skills, such as problem solving and research, arts graduates are self-reflective and make this connection when seeking a potential career, Goodine says. The value of an arts degree is the ability to effectively learn and to be successful. It's effective to communicate these skill sets. Arts studies widen your perspective instead of making you too analytical.

Transferable skills

Arts grads attribute their success to their adaptability and continued development of new skills, says Goodine, who often talks to employers looking for grads with bachelors degrees from English to political science. They (employers) create opportunities, he says, adding he's seen many newly-minted BAs volunteer to gain experience for the jobs they eventually sought and got. Employers are really looking for life experience, says Hamilton, who also volunteered before and after graduating.

Think outside the box, is Goodine's advice to graduating arts students. I ask them what kinds of skills they've developed that are different from other degrees  it certainly empowers them.

Besides being adaptable and creative, arts students are resourceful, says Charles Kovacs, director of the Centre for Career Services at Ringling College of Art and Design.Through the liberal arts and training they get here, they have enormous flexibility to go potentially in any direction. Our students are working as visual designers and collaborators, not just in a studio setting but also worldwide.

So what can you do with a BA?

Grads say their arts degrees are highly prized by potential employers, says Kovacs, adding many have gone on to work in some of the world's most prestigious companies, including Lucas Arts, CNN, DreamWorks, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).That's because BAs don't just learn to think creatively, they learn how to think. We infuse students with soft skills, creative problem solving, knowledge mediation, synthesis of resources, and services to come up with a hypothesis to identify ways of varying their research. Students are trained to use their skills as a basis for other things. There you see the strength of the liberal arts: flexibility. Especially in economies that change so frequently.

We help students to learn transferable skills, but also to use what they've learnt through all their years of studying, says Snjezana Linkes, a career counsellor at the University of Western Ontario. Career centre staff guide graduating arts students through network events and career fairs created specifically for them. Employers send their representatives and they find those skills that employers are looking for, says Linkes.

Choosing a major is like choosing which ice cream to get at Baskin Robbin's. But with well over 31 choices, it's easy to see why a BA can mean bachelor of anything. From careers in law and fashion to computer animation, arts grads are highly prized commodities. So don't think those endless hours spent pouring over Nietzsche are going to waste. Because of my degree, I've had access to higher quality jobs, says Hamilton, who believes arts grads have infinite career options. So next time some nosy relative asks you what you expect to do with an arts degree over dinner, artfully reply, Anything I want.