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.
However, let's start with some precautionary advice. If by chance you've had the foresight to consider this question before registering for your major, there are some steps to take to make sure you're going 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. If you've already decided what major you're interested in pursuing, or at least, once you've decided, start asking around. You probably know people who at least know people who've gone down precisely the path you're considering. Find out what they did with their major.
3. High schools and colleges have on staff counselors and advisers whose job is largely to address just these kinds of queries. Be sure to employ all the resources that these institutions make 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.
But whatever else you do, don't miss out on your Google search - the fount of all info, good and true! But we've already done some of the work for you. It turns out that many universities have resources to look up just this sort of stuff. For instance, you can check out the University of California career center.
They provide data on the career options for those with dozens of majors - including some pretty obscure ones. They probably even have yours!
Groove on this all you English majors out there. It turns out with that wildly impractical English major you can still score an average salary of $43,589. (You can buy a lot of copies of Chaucer for those smackeroos.) And, better still, consider the actual occupations open to you: you can be an analyst, an editorial assistant, a product development coordinator or even...wait for it...a college adviser! Just imagine the poetic justice, as you get to lean back in your chair, with an air of confident bemusement, feet perched on your desk, with hands folded behind your head and smile knowingly each time another petrified grad comes stumbling into your office and nervously asks: uh, what can I do with this major?
So chin up all you grads; however improbable you may fear was your choice of major. There is hope for your future. Heck, there might even be hope for a pay check in your future!
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.
However, let's start with some precautionary advice. If by chance you've had the foresight to consider this question before registering for your major, there are some steps to take to make sure you're going 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. If you've already decided what major you're interested in pursuing, or at least, once you've decided, start asking around. You probably know people who at least know people who've gone down precisely the path you're considering. Find out what they did with their major.
3. High schools and colleges have on staff counselors and advisers whose job is largely to address just these kinds of queries. Be sure to employ all the resources that these institutions make 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.
But whatever else you do, don't miss out on your Google search - the fount of all info, good and true! But we've already done some of the work for you. It turns out that many universities have resources to look up just this sort of stuff. For instance, you can check out the University of California career center.
They provide data on the career options for those with dozens of majors - including some pretty obscure ones. They probably even have yours!
Groove on this all you English majors out there. It turns out with that wildly impractical English major you can still score an average salary of $43,589. (You can buy a lot of copies of Chaucer for those smackeroos.) And, better still, consider the actual occupations open to you: you can be an analyst, an editorial assistant, a product development coordinator or even...wait for it...a college adviser! Just imagine the poetic justice, as you get to lean back in your chair, with an air of confident bemusement, feet perched on your desk, with hands folded behind your head and smile knowingly each time another petrified grad comes stumbling into your office and nervously asks: uh, what can I do with this major?
So chin up all you grads; however improbable you may fear was your choice of major. There is hope for your future. Heck, there might even be hope for a pay check in your future!
About the Author:
Thomas Ryerson has recently offered some great insight into what one should consider when consulting the Business Week MBA Rankings
No comments:
Post a Comment