During a recent work trip to Washington, DC, I found myself admiring the beauty of the US Capitol Building: the paintings on the ceiling, the frieze around the dome and more. It is an impressive intersection of engineering, history and art.

I wondered aloud if – with all of the cuts to arts education – future generations would have the context to fully appreciate and understand such a monument.

A gentleman on my tour replied curtly, “Arts no longer matter. There are more critical things to teach in schools.”

Unfortunately, this assumption is all too common. People believe that our businesses and economy can thrive solely on engineering and hard sciences.

As a recruiter for Microsoft, I must disagree – strongly. For starters, the arts teach creative problem-solving, teamwork and the ability to view things from different perspectives. These are key skills for success in a diverse workplace like Microsoft.

Moreover, Microsoft is so much more than just a technology company with engineering jobs.

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