The question eats away at no small number of arts and humanities students, and quite a few science students, too. After you've done all that work, you wind up with a major in...what? What have you: demography, paleo-anthropology, environmental studies, physics, classics, liberal studies, organizational psychology and...not English lit? You didn't do a major in English lit, did you?
Well, whatever, don't worry about it: what's done is done. So there you stand, proud graduate, nervously grasping that diploma which consumed so much of your life, with late nights, burning the midnight oil, as you crammed for exams, losing yourself for hours in the library, all stretching back behind you like a trail of shattered dreams. It suddenly strikes you. Heck, what am I going to do now? What can I do with this major? Ah, yes, the proverbial real world is suddenly knocking at the window of your dorm room. But don't panic, help is here.
Having said all that, though, a little ounce of prevention might be in order to get us started. It is possible of course that you may be thinking about this before registering for a major. Well, aren't you clever? If that's the case, here are some tips to get you headed in the right direction.
1. First, figure out what major would interest you. If you haven't done that, do it immediately. Peruse the offerings at your college of choice and write yourself a list in hierarchical priority.
2. Once you've decided, talk to people. Ask around for connections who studied the same major. What are they doing, now?
3. Your high school and your intended college will have counselors and advisers who do just this sort of thing. Use the resources available to you.
4. And if you're feeling wild and want to do something totally off the chart, whatever, just, like, do a focused Google search. You could try something like, what the heck can I do with this English lit major? (You might actually find something.)
Now, back to all you grads cowering in fear in your soon to be vacated dorm rooms: Don't worry, even if you didn't think of any of this before majoring, it's cool. In fact, all those points 2 through 4 above are still perfectly good options for you. What are acquaintances with the same major doing with it now? I assure you, however lost you may feel, your college adviser has heard it all before. Additionally, it's common these days for universities to provide career centers. You can be absolutely certain you won't be the first major in Renaissance poetry to stumble in with a dazed expression mumbling something about career options.
Be sure though, not to pass over that Google search. The Big G, you know, is the fount of all knowledge and wisdom. (Okay, maybe you actually have to bring the wisdom, but for knowledge you can't beat it.) For instance, such a search reveals that many universities have online resources great for just this sort of thing. For instance, you can check out the University of California career center online.
They provide data on the career options for those with dozens of majors - including some pretty obscure ones. They probably even have yours!
Get this you English majors; you can pull in an average salary of $43,589. (You can buy a lot of copies of Canterbury Tales for that moolah.) And among your career options, you can get work as an analyst, an editorial assistant, a product development coordinator or even...wait for it...a college adviser! So you can lean back with an air of confident whimsy, put your feet up on the desk, hands behind your head and smile knowingly every time a new terrified grad stumbles into your office and nervously asks: uh, what can I do with this major?
So heads up all you grads, regardless of your major. There is hope and even a future. Possibly even a pay check!
Well, whatever, don't worry about it: what's done is done. So there you stand, proud graduate, nervously grasping that diploma which consumed so much of your life, with late nights, burning the midnight oil, as you crammed for exams, losing yourself for hours in the library, all stretching back behind you like a trail of shattered dreams. It suddenly strikes you. Heck, what am I going to do now? What can I do with this major? Ah, yes, the proverbial real world is suddenly knocking at the window of your dorm room. But don't panic, help is here.
Having said all that, though, a little ounce of prevention might be in order to get us started. It is possible of course that you may be thinking about this before registering for a major. Well, aren't you clever? If that's the case, here are some tips to get you headed in the right direction.
1. First, figure out what major would interest you. If you haven't done that, do it immediately. Peruse the offerings at your college of choice and write yourself a list in hierarchical priority.
2. Once you've decided, talk to people. Ask around for connections who studied the same major. What are they doing, now?
3. Your high school and your intended college will have counselors and advisers who do just this sort of thing. Use the resources available to you.
4. And if you're feeling wild and want to do something totally off the chart, whatever, just, like, do a focused Google search. You could try something like, what the heck can I do with this English lit major? (You might actually find something.)
Now, back to all you grads cowering in fear in your soon to be vacated dorm rooms: Don't worry, even if you didn't think of any of this before majoring, it's cool. In fact, all those points 2 through 4 above are still perfectly good options for you. What are acquaintances with the same major doing with it now? I assure you, however lost you may feel, your college adviser has heard it all before. Additionally, it's common these days for universities to provide career centers. You can be absolutely certain you won't be the first major in Renaissance poetry to stumble in with a dazed expression mumbling something about career options.
Be sure though, not to pass over that Google search. The Big G, you know, is the fount of all knowledge and wisdom. (Okay, maybe you actually have to bring the wisdom, but for knowledge you can't beat it.) For instance, such a search reveals that many universities have online resources great for just this sort of thing. For instance, you can check out the University of California career center online.
They provide data on the career options for those with dozens of majors - including some pretty obscure ones. They probably even have yours!
Get this you English majors; you can pull in an average salary of $43,589. (You can buy a lot of copies of Canterbury Tales for that moolah.) And among your career options, you can get work as an analyst, an editorial assistant, a product development coordinator or even...wait for it...a college adviser! So you can lean back with an air of confident whimsy, put your feet up on the desk, hands behind your head and smile knowingly every time a new terrified grad stumbles into your office and nervously asks: uh, what can I do with this major?
So heads up all you grads, regardless of your major. There is hope and even a future. Possibly even a pay check!
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Thomas Ryerson has recently offered some great insight into what one should consider when consulting the Business Week MBA Rankings
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