I’ve Studied Liberal Arts, but Unable to Obtain a Job. What Should I Do?: 6 Tips to Getting Employed with a Liberal Arts Education

If you’ve studied in the humanities or have a liberal arts degree, like me, then this post is for you!

If you majored in degrees such as history, English, political science, anthropology, music, geography, art history, or like me, communication studies, how can you take a degree and obtain a job in this competitive job market? This question has become increasingly more difficult to answer when liberal arts graduates are becoming unemployed, underemployed, or less well compensated than our competitors who majored in computer science, engineering, and business.

However, do not despair! According to liberalartspower.org:

If you couple your liberal arts education with the following tips, you will be well on your way to success. I also encourage you to visit the page previously mentioned. It has valuable resources and information you can use.

Here is some concrete advice for liberal arts graduates:

1. Know Your Skills and What You Want to Do. Be sure you can communicate what strengths you have and have an idea of what you want to do. Be ready to connect the strengths you acquired in school to a skill that employers will value. For example, if you enjoyed studying complex and intricate macroeconomic issues, consider working in market research or product development. I know many of you don’t exactly know what you want to do yet and I will address this in a later post. To get you started, I would recommend checking out Now What?: The Young Person’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career by Nicholas Lore and Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide for Figuring Out What to Do with Your Life by Roadtrip Nation, Brian McAllister, Mike Marriner, and Nathan Gebhard. (I plan to produce two videos reviewing both books respectively once I’m finished reading both of them).

2. Become Skilled in Tomorrow’s Disciplines. According to Alec Ross, Hilary Clinton’s senior advisor, you should “commit to gaining a foothold in the fields that will propel tomorrow’s economy,” as well as big data, analytics, genomics, cyber, and robotics. Step outside your comfort zone and pursue courses outside a traditional liberal arts focus. When interviewing potential employees, Alec states, “I like it when a comp. lit. major tells me that he took an intro to programming class because both comp. lit. and programming are rooted in ‘language’ and its structures.” If you add work in tech and engineering disciplines with your humanities studies, you’ll find yourself on the same level with graduates from more professional programs. And if you do this while taking advantage of your broad liberal arts education, you may even be ahead of the game. Currently, I’m taking a free programming class on Coursera.org taught by a programming professor from the University of Michigan. If a comm. studies major can do it, I have no doubt you can too! You may want to try taking free classes on Coursera.org or take classes at your local community college. Even go back to school and obtain a minor or concentration in tech and engineering disciplines if you have the financial resources.

3. Meet with Career Services and Alumni Relations. Odds are, your career services and alumni relations offices are tirelessly working to help connect students with internships and entry-level jobs. Enroll in programs aimed at helping recent grads and alumni succeed in their job search. Chat with the career center about the types of jobs and companies that interest you, and then follow any leads they provide you. College career services and alumni relations offices are doing the best they can to support your success- both because they actually do care about you and as a matter of their own survival. Your school’s career services office needs examples they can produce when trying to talk about their success rate. Why not make yourself one of those success stories?

4. Be Creative about Getting Your Foot in the Door. Networking is a crucial key to your success, but it is particularly important for liberal arts students. This is because liberal arts students graduate with limited credentials that employers can rely on when making hiring decisions. Whenever a position at big companies such as Ebay, NBC, The Huffington Post, or NPR is open that’s appropriate for a liberal arts major, these companies receive thousands of applications. For this reason, it is important to take advantage of any connections you have to find someone who can introduce you to someone else at the company. According to Laura Chambers who runs Ebay’s program for new employees, “Finding a way to leverage any connections will ensure you get noticed among the crowd.” This is where Linkedin should come as a useful resource. The next blog I’ll post will be solely on Linkedin and how to use it to your advantage.    

5. Think Globally. Consider working outside the traditional business hubs of the United States or Western Europe. According to Alec Ross, “Today’s frontier economies are tomorrow’s developing economies and today’s developing economies are tomorrow’s developed economies.” Try to position yourself for the long term if you’re willing to take a risk in a frontier economy while your pals are having a blast in New York City, San Francisco, and London.

6. Consider Sales. If you’re persuasive and enjoy surrounding yourself with people, your liberal arts education can help you become a strong performer in sales. Jay Walker, the founder of Priceline.com states, “Sales is the best job in the world if you like people, can communicate and synthesize well, and are skilled at solving other people’s problems. The fact is nothing happens in the world without sales. Give me any field, and I’ll show you how, without sales, there is no forward momentum. Even scientists have to sell to get their funding. There is never a recession in sales.”

 

These tips were borrowed from The Career Playbook: Essential Advice for Today’s Aspiring Young Professionals by James M. Citrin where you can find a plethora of more helpful tips and tricks to landing a job. I plan to produce a video reviewing this useful book.

Please leave any other tips or questions you may have in the comments section, so other readers can be informed. Plus, please share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter! 

14 Ways to Spend Your First Year Out of College, without Taking a Full-Time Job

It’s becoming more common for college grads to take advantage of the few years of freedom post-graduation, opting to consider other paths before diving into a full-time career. If you’re a recent graduate hesitant to jump into the nine-to-five, consider doing something else with your time, such as interning, volunteering, or traveling. However, whatever you choose to do, make sure it would be something of value to add to your résumé.

1. Be an Adventure Guide. Are you an adventurous individual? Whether you enjoy whitewater rafting, rock climbing, kayaking, paragliding, sky diving, bungee jumping- turn that passion into a part-time job. Many adventure companies are looking for young people to hire. There are opportunities both within the United States and internationally, as many companies are becoming increasingly eager to hire. Search the Internet for adventure sites that are hiring. Click here to a link to help you get started if you are seriously thinking about going in this direction

2. Become a Nanny. Becoming a nanny would be an excellent opportunity for those who enjoy working with children. If you decide to be a nanny, you can often get free room and board, which is an excellent way to save money. It also has its perks, such as traveling with the family, a nice weekly paycheck, and the complementary use of a car. Being a long-term nanny, such as working for the same family for a year, can also be a great way to gain strong personal references you can provide other employers as you start your career. Search the Internet for postings, such as on Indeed or Linkedin. My best recommendations would be going to Care.com and GreatAupair.com, which both offer free searches.

3. Become a Research Assistant. If you live close to a college, being a research assistant could be a good option, as many universities invest greatly into research. Not all research is exclusive to the sciences, in fact, research goes into other fields too, such as journalism, international relations, business, economics, and art history. There are many opportunities for recent graduates. Ask your previous professors and other faculty and staff you may have developeda relationship with while at school if there are any potential research projects occurring at the university where they can use your assistance.

4. Participate in a Gap Year Program. If you’re interested in investing your time towards a good career, consider a gap year program, such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or City Year. Participating in these programs not only provide you with life lessons, but can be added benefit to your résumé and provide you with intereresting material to discuss at a job interview. Additionally, these programs can connect you with other alumni who may be valuable future references during your upcoming job searches.

5. Find an Internship. Although many internships require that interns be enrolled at a credited university, there are some internships that don’t require it. Many of these types of internships are paid, offering monetary compensation instead of college credit. If you’re a recent graduate, there’s a chance you will find an internship that would be a great fit for you, especially if you are fully available. It would be sensible to search for internships in career areas that interest you most and where you can thrive on your strengths and talents. Also, for those who are uncertain or their career path, you can use an internship to discover if it’s the perfect career track for them or not. Not only do internships offer valuable work experience, but they can be added benefit to your résumé and provide you with connections to potential employers.

6. Invest in Your Passion. What is your passion? Do you love yoga or pilates? Do you enjoy theater or the fine arts? Do you thrive on the ski slopes or the rock climbing wall? If you have a passion that you can transform into a part-time job, consider investing your time in a training course to get certified, or even teach it yourself. For example, you can take a yoga instructor training course, become a certified ski instructor, become a certified belay at a rock climbing facility, or become an art teacher at your local community center. This will not only let you have fun at work, but you can gain experience and skills to add to your résumé and it can also turn your hobby into a job you can use as a safety net. Even if you can’t transform your passion into a part-time job, there may be volunteer work. For example, if you love theater, you can volunteer as a stage hand at your local community theater or if you enjoy reading books, volunteer to read to children at your local public library. This brings me to my next point…

7. Volunteer in the U.S. Of course you won’t obtain a paycheck by volunteering, but it’s a great way to gain experiences and skills to add to your résumé. If you don’t know which direction to go when deciding on a career, volunteering can provide you a way to explore various career fields and discover your talents and interests. By volunteering you are making positive changes to society while also building connections with fellow volunteers, co-workers, supervisors, and organizations that might be important for your future work, such as providing a reference. You can find day-to-day opportunities in your hometown, or ask a non-profit organization if they need an extra hand. If you are searching for volunteering opportunities that fit your interests, I would suggest setting up an account at VolunteerMatch.org. This site is completely free and matches your interests with available volunteer opportunities in your area. That was how I found an opportunity to be an adult tutor at Blue Ridge Literacy. 

8. Take a Continuing-Education Class. Whether you’re interested in pursuing a field other than what you majored in, or want to further develop your skills useful in the workforce, consider taking continuing-education courses at a community college or at an adult-learning center in your area. If you don’t have access to such places near you, another option is Coursera.org. The site offers free online courses, taught by professors from 122 accredited universities around the world with varying topics from Intro to Finance to Social Psychology to Modern & Contemporary American Poetry. For example, if you were an English major but want to pursue a different field such as computer programming or graphic design, taking classes would give you a solid foundation to begin looking for entry-level jobs.

9. Teach English Abroad. Many American attain jobs abroad every year. English is increasingly becoming the dominant language in international trade to export countries, especially Asia and Latin America, who are eager to have their citizens learn the language. It would be helpful to have a working knowledge of your host country’s language. Popular options include programs through international embassies, such as the JET program or InterExchange.org. You may also want to check for jobs at international schools and service organizations.

10. Work Seasonal Jobs. If you want to have varied positions to add to your resume, pursuing a few seasonal jobs for a year is fun and you can gain experiences and skills to add to your résumé- all while enjoying yourself. Jobs can include, but are not limited to, positions at ski resorts, cruise ships, beaches, country clubs, water or amusement parks, etc. If you plan wisely, you can find employment for a full year in this year.

11. Volunteer or Work Abroad. Do you love to travel, but want to make a difference simultaneously? Try searching for international volunteer positions through organizations, such as the PeaceCorps, Global Vison International, Cross Cultural Solutions, or the Red Cross.

If you want to travel and still earn a paycheck, consider working abroad by pursuing a “working holiday” visa. Particular countries, including Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, and many more, offer “working holiday” visas in which U.S. citizens are permitted to stay in the country and maintain temporary jobs. Try visiting the desired country’s embassy or immigration website for information on how to obtain a visa and for any policies and regulations. For example, if you wanted to work in New Zealand, I would suggest you go here. For other countries, try Google searching your desired country + “working holiday visa.”

12. Travel Recreationally. The best time to travel is after college, when you are free of obligations to a job. If you have the opportunity to travel, you should do so, as it broadens your perspective of the world and is a valuable life experience. Make the most of your travel time, take lots of pics to post on Tumblr, blog about your experience on Blogger, create a Prezi of your trip, or construct a presentation on SlideShare.

If money is an issue, there are plenty of travel sites that offer cheap fares for young travelers, you’ll have to do some digging to find the best prices that will fit your budget. Consider exploring these sites: EF College Break, Budget Travel, Travel Channel, Rick Steves, and Time. If you are really serious about traveling, I would suggest to give this book a quick read, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes.

13. Work at Your College. If you decide to continue living close to your alma mater, consider pursuing a part-time job. Many job opportunities can be found on college campuses. For example, you could work in the department were you majored or you could work as a teaching assistant. These types of jobs can be particularly convenient if you still live in your college town, and can also lead to further opportunities, such as funding for post-graduate courses or a degree. Many universities even let their employees take classes for free. 

14. Try Organic Farming. The World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming program- also known as WOOF- is a program that helps individuals find opportunities on organic farms across the planet. For a small fee, participants have an extensive database of opportunities at their disposal in the country of their choice. The duration of your experience depends on where and when you work as the guidelines of the agreement are between the farmer and the volunteer, Most situations are a few months long and include room and board.  

         

The Positives of Uncertainty about What to do with Your Life After College

There are several positives on being uncertain about your future and not knowing what you want to do with your life. First of all, it’s alright if you don’t know what you want in life. We are at a young age where we have enough time to explore what we want to do and to figure out where to go from here. There’s no rush.

Second, we wake up every day with the possibility that today is the day we are going to figure it out. That does not mean we have to figure everything out. Discovering clue after clue each day is the reason why it’s great to wake up every day and following a hunch.

Third, we still have a sense of wonder about our lives. It’s a great time to explore interests, discover new talents, and create and pursue goals.

Fourth, we tend to be open to things a lot more. It’s great to meet new people, go to events and gatherings to which we would never go, read books we may not normally read. We’re looking for any kind of help and guidance, and there’s nowhere we’re afraid to look. Personally, I’ve been utilizing this method as much as I can; and I will be willing to share the resources and tips I’ve found to be helpful, which is the whole purpose of this blog.

Fifth, being confused, restless, and uncertain is better than being bored. You have a sense of curiosity and a strong desire to figure out what you want to do and making it reality.

Sixth, we have the answer right at our fingertips. Yes, it’s not going to come to you in an instant, but we have all the resources to understand what we want to do in the world and how to attain it. With the Internet (including this blog), an infinite number of books, and any mentors we may have, we have plenty of people and things that are waiting to provide us with the guidance we need.

Seventh, people always want to help. When we learn to start asking, and to start telling people we need help, we’ll find that there are more people willing to help than it seems. Whether it’s sharing a few pieces of advice to sharing a connection that may help you find your dream job. I will go further on developing connections and tips on effective networking in a later post.

Eighth, we realize that we don’t have to attain a career that won’t fulfill all our wants and needs. Many lucky people do find that their work provides them with great fulfillment. However, uncertainty about what you want to do also means you have the opportunity to learn and grow, such as developing new hobbies, volunteering for something we are passionate about, going back to school, starting a family, or following our interests and passions. These things can be beneficial in regards to leading a fulfilled life.

Ninth, there doesn’t have to be only just one characteristic that defines us forever. Our lives are not about achieving something and then basing our life experiences and self-identities around them. Instead, our life is based on how we act, who we meet, what we learn, and how we become the people we are today while we are on the journey trying to understand what are purpose is in life.

Finally, when we do start figuring it out, we can appreciate it a whole lot more because of everything we went through to get there.

For more ideas and inspiration, check out this video from John Green the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns here.

Next week: Take a Leap Year: Productive Ways to spend Your First Year out of College

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Also, I read your comments. If you have any other positives to add to this list, put it in the comment section.   

Welcome!

Congratulations! You did it! You studied for your exams, wrote your papers, and created your presentations into the wee hours of the night. Now what? Your college pals have plans to attend graduate school or they already have a job in their chosen career track. If you’re like me, you have nowhere to go from here. No grad school or a good start in your career for you. In fact, you’re not quite sure where you want to go. You feel as if you are wondering aimlessly amidst a horrible economy and a fierce and competitive job market. I’m here to tell you that I’m in the same boat. I understand the struggles; the uncertainties of an unknown future; trying to find your way in the world. Welcome to my blog, “Confessions of a Recent College Grad in the 21^st Century,” where I write about my experiences of life directly out of college in 2015. I will also provide helpful resources and tips that I would think will help you survive life after college.

Next week: The Positives of Uncertainty about What to do with Your Life After College.

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