While reviewing the stats for this site and our jobs website (www.jobopenings.net), I am struck by how many searches I see for things like “Jobs for economics majors” or “careers for psychology majors” or “job openings for philosophy majors.” When I see those and many similar searches, I realize that colleges have failed, at least in those cases, to convey the primary goal of a broadly based college education. When Liberal Arts colleges are fulfilling their missions, they are creating the kinds of graduates that are prepared to do just about anything they wish to do in the workforce. Although some more specialized fields will require additional training (professional degrees, master’s degrees, etc.), many career opportunities require only minimal on the job training. How have colleges and college graduates become so confused about the value of a hugely valuable Liberal Arts education? The confusion lies in three major areas: Employer expectations – Employers often do not really know what they want or need. They often do not understand that any person they hire will need some period of time to learn their way around a new job, no matter how much training or experience they have. Rather than specific, highly related experience and training, what they often should be looking for is someone who has a good work ethic, creative ideas, enthusiasm, the ability to master new tasks, the ability to understand new concepts and the willingness to be an asset to this particular team. Enter the Liberal arts majors (Political Science, Psychology, English, History, Music majors), who often possess all of these traits. All they lack is the confidence in themselves needed to convince prospective employers of their worth. Parental Expectations – Parents need to get past the lopsided notion that the payment of college tuition is a financial investment for which they should be able to calculate the same kind of ROI (return on investment) that they expect on all other financial investments (until recently). They pressure their children to major in something “practical” like accounting, or business management or physical therapy so that there is a clear-cut career path on graduation day. Such thinking is not only very short-sighted; it misses the entire point of a college education. You see, all of that practical, technically specific training has an extremely short shelf life. Often the knowledge is out-of-date within a few months or a few years after leaving the classroom. What so many parents seem not to understand is that it’s all the other classes (general education, liberal arts, etc.) that are providing the true, long-lasting knowledge that will stay with the student for an entire lifetime. Those much under-appreciated classes will teach young people how to reason, think creatively, appreciate subtle concepts, communicate with people from different cultures, research, question conventions, learn and survive in a rapidly changing world. Armed with a solid background in history, philosophy, literature, sociology, sciences, mathematics, the arts, and sports along with the lasting friendships from college, the ROI from college will be so large and diverse that it will defy any conventional financial measurements. College Graduate Expectations – Since employers rarely advertise job openings in terms of college majors, particularly for majors like History, English, Economics, Art History and Philosophy, job seekers would be wise to discontinue looking in that manner. In many cases it will be the role of the job seeker to help the prospective employer understand how their particular abilities will be an asset to the company in the advertised position. It may be of some help to know that there is almost never a perfect match between the set of skills an employer thinks they want and the set of skills possessed by the individual who actually lands the job. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to ask anyone you know who is currently employed this question: “Did you have every skill your current employer wanted before you were hired for your first job with them?” Follow this with the question, “How close were you to what they said they wanted?” My bet is that you will not be able to find a single person who fit the job description perfectly – unless there were no expectations at all. What that means for job seekers is that employers are almost always flexible. All they really want is an employee who will do the job well and be an asset to their organization. Having said all of that, what kinds of jobs can a history major find? In certain communities where teaching positions are more difficult to fill, history majors can teach a variety of subjects without a teaching certificate. To see what Teach for America looks for, click here. A history background would also be valuable in any situation that calls for the ability to put information in a long-term perspective, such as banking or politics or even long-range marketing. In addition, non-profit management positions, government positions, or jobs with the hospitality of travel industry. English majors or, in fact, almost any college major would do well in a hospital administrative position, city or county management, publishing companies, educational support companies, retirement communities, universities, public relations, media, the entertainment industry or just about any industry that requires a high level of creative thinking or communication skills. If none of that appeals to you, another exciting option is to take the reins and start your own company or organization. There are many foundations or entrepreneurial groups available to provide funding and support for a particularly clever idea. Also, many cities encourage new businesses by providing low-cost business incubation centers. Thanks to the Internet, you can do almost all of your research right from your computer! The possibilities for a well educated, creative college graduate are as diverse as they are exciting. Luckily you have been trained to color outside of the lines!
Comments