What kind of jobs were you able to get with a liberal arts degree? (skills, degrees)
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I was reading some of the threads on here and ive seen that a few people with liberal arts degrees have managed to get some jobs. It started to make me wonder and i figured that these same individuals could post their job title and how they came about their job so that it might help others who have majored in liberal arts or people like me who have lost faith in their education all together. what do you guys think?
BA in International Relations and History with minor in Geography. First employment out of college with USG USG Corporation - Leading the building materials industry. working with Latin American clients. I was tested regarding my knowledge of Spanish and Latin American geography and culture. I scored impressively on the Wonderlic.(some MBA types applied for the job) Inside sales to outside sales to Sales Mgr to Sales Director.
BA in international relations and politics, minors in Latin American studies and environmental studies. Also spent a year abroad in 3 different countries, held two on-campus office jobs, and worked 2 internships.
I would have loved to work somewhere like Felix but I graduated in 2010. Instead, I'm working in higher ed administration (alumni relations/fundraising) leveraging the varied opportunities I have to gain skills, excellent benefits package, upward mobility, and free college courses. I'm getting an MBA for free through work.
BA in English. Wound up in advertising/marketing. Became a creative director at an agency, started my own agency, grew a large set of clients, sold to my employees, and now consult for a number of clients around the country on branding and business issues. I walk into meetings and give advice to MBAs. And they listen. I think I did okay.
BA and several graduate degrees in literature. After the BA, landed a job as a Cocktail Waitress in a large hotel chain and worked my way up to Bartender. Returned to school for an MA hoping to advance beyond the hospitality industry. Graduated with the MA and was unable to land any job for many months, including bartending. Eventually got an entry-level job doing data entry, making less than I did as a bartender and having a lot less fun, too. Worked my way up to Data-Entry Quality Control (number-checker), but couldn't pay the rent or student loans on the pathetic salary (there was a recession going on). Due to complete stupidity, combined with desperation, I returned to school for yet another degree, this time certain I would be able to get a decent job. Eventually did land a job in the challenging field of dog-walking/poop-picking-up, and worked my way up to Cat Litter Changer and even did some stints as Cat Pill Giver before giving up completely on the liberal arts and just getting a teaching certificate, after which I actually did have a career.
I've got a friend with a BA in Poli Sci. She's a legislative aid in the US house. While working, she got a masters in applied economics. 2 liberal arts degrees and doing what she went to school for in the first place.
BA in History and I'm a senior buyer for a major US retailer. Making 6-figures by late 20's.
Other liberal arts major friends of mine have the following careers:
-Government consulting (ie, Booz Allen)
-US State Department (posts overseas & in DC)
-Media consultant (journalism major with experience in print & on air)
-Attorney (history, English, economics, Spanish, etc majors)
-Church worship director (arts major)
-Education consultant
-Advertising agency owner (arts major)
-Outside sales / sales director
-Fundraiser for major children's hospital
-Business Consulting (Bain, McKinsey) - economics majors
-Real Estate sales (commercial and residential)
-Art Gallery director (art history)
Since I got my degree in English with a certification in secondary education (7-12 Language Arts), I've been:
-a director of a nonprofit that did tutoring and mentoring programs for inner city youth
-a reporter, writer, editor, photographer, and columnist for a family of community newspapers
-a paralegal
-a teacher
Loved 'em all, except the paralegal one, which was the most short-lived (under a year).
For me, I always thought I wanted to teach English. I student taught, and decided that although I liked teaching, and I liked English, I didn't like teaching English to a big class of kids. I liked doing one-on-one, and small group work. Which led me to several years working running tutoring programs after college (started out in a national volunteer org, and was hired out of that). After a few years of doing this, decided to try my hand at writing for a living, so went into the newspaper business. Hardscrabble existence, very hand-to-mouth, and after about seven years, met a guy, and flew the coop. Moved to be with him. Got a job as a paralegal, mostly because it was in his city, and I'd had a passing interest in the legal profession, and wanted to see if it might be for me. It wasn't. More or less fell into a job back, full circle, in education, working with small groups of developmentally disabled students. Private school, so didn't need special education certification. Getting it anyway, though, via a master's degree program. Worked my way up from a position doing direction instruction with students one-on-one to one where I conduct small group classes and manage about half the IEP caseload in my school.
Most of my friends from college were liberal arts majors (funny how that works out at small liberal arts colleges). Among the ones I'm still in pretty good touch with after about 15 years, here are a sampling of the things they're doing (Facebook makes it so easy to keep tabs!):
-History major is now a history professor at our alma mater
-Music major is now a voice instructor and performs with the metropolitan opera in his city
-Women's Studies/Poli Sci double major is a property manager in commercial real estate
-Theatre/Speech Com major works as a political lobbyist
-Theatre/Speech Com major works overseas for the Dept. of State as a Foreign Service Officer
-Music major runs a small music school
-Spanish/Ed major is a guidance counselor at a private college prep high school
-History major is a Realtor
-Theatre/vocal music major performs in a burlesque troupe and runs a boutique
-English/psych major is finishing up her M.Div. at Harvard and works as a chaplain
-English major is an academic librarian
-Communications major is a property manager
-Music/English major builds custom brass instruments for symphony orchestras
-Vocal music major is a choir director for a school
-English major is an attorney
-Poli Sci/Peace Studies major is a dean at Columbia
-Theatre/Ed major is a director for after-school enrichment programs in a wealthy suburban district that inexplicably hasn't cut such programs
-Theatre major is a registered nurse at a children's hospital
-Theatre major is a lead scenic carpenter at regional repertory theatre (his wife, also a theatre major, is a costumer/seamstress for same rep)
-Theatre/Ed major works as youth outreach program director at a museum
As you can see, I knew a LOT of theatre, ed, music, and English majors.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 07-11-2011 at 08:02 PM..
Yes, the liberal arts degrees do pay well. About 1/3 of the Fortune 100 CEO's were liberal arts majors. The other 2/3 were split between business and technology. So about the same shot at CEO among the three. I've seen quite a few studies that show that 10 years post-graduation, engineering and finance and some of the technology degrees pay best, but a plethora of liberal arts degrees (philosphy, English, History, Psychology, etc) all pay +/- $0-5k of management, accounting, and marketing degrees.
Liberal arts degrees teach you to think critically and write and speak persuasively. It also appeals to naturally intellectual/ curious learners. Whereas a typical business degree teaches you to "do" - steps to balance an accounting journal, etc.
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