It's the eternal question. After you do all that work in the end you have your shiny new major in...what? Pick your poison: sociology, anthropology, post-colonial studies, pre-Socratic philosophy, classics, women's studies, Austrian economics and...not English literature. Don't tell me you did English literature as you major. 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. At the risk of stating the obvious, you have to figure out what actually interests you.If you haven't done that, do it immediately. One smart step is to carefully examine options for majors provided by your college of choice. Rank them in order of priority.
2. Once you've decided, talk to people. Ask around for connections who studied the same major. What are they doing, now?
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. Or, like, if you want to go totally crazy, why not have a shot at a focused Google search: something like, what in blazes can I do with this English literature 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.
There you can find data on career possibilities for dozens of majors. They have some fairly obscure ones. Heck, they might 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 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.
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. At the risk of stating the obvious, you have to figure out what actually interests you.If you haven't done that, do it immediately. One smart step is to carefully examine options for majors provided by your college of choice. Rank them in order of priority.
2. Once you've decided, talk to people. Ask around for connections who studied the same major. What are they doing, now?
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. Or, like, if you want to go totally crazy, why not have a shot at a focused Google search: something like, what in blazes can I do with this English literature 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.
There you can find data on career possibilities for dozens of majors. They have some fairly obscure ones. Heck, they might 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 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!
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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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