I don't know what school you went to, but the engineering school I went to put more of a focus on problem solving using relevant technology and as a result I know how to do very intense research, strategy building, and analysis from the constant nights of trying to build something after the teacher says "Here are x, y, and z components, now build this on Tuesday."

I would go as far to argue that the problem solving skills I've learned in my one year of studying at a technical institute far outweigh the problem solving skills you've learned in two years of study at your school.

I think the problem is bigger then liberal arts vs STEM, and has more to do with the kind of education students receive vs. what degree they are going with. I've switched to a community college very recently to pursue a math degree, but have found the education to be very dumb and drab, with the teachers giving you exact instructions on how to do everything, as opposed to my previous school's philosophy of learning the tools and then applying them by using your own brain.