Question:

I have a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences, have great interpersonal and communication skills, like to work with people but don't know what kind of jobs might my BAS make me eligible for. I am considering grad school but don't know where to turn to figure out the career avenues that I should pursue.

First Answer:

Artes libertes, the Latin origin for liberal arts, translates to "work befitting a free man" Because the liberal arts graduate is truly free to enter a variety of fields, goal setting can be confusing and frustrating. Employers may put a negative spin on this concept, thinking liberal art majors was not certain enough to choose a specific field such as computers, physics, chemistry, etc., thus are unfocused.

What is necessary here is, I believe, a need to set goals, identify the fields and jobs you want, learn to speak in the terms that potential employers will understand.

If this process is confusing to you, may I suggest a trip to your college Career Services department and review their library. There are many well written books on how to plan a job search campaign, that include how to decide your interests, establish a plan and other search tactics.

Areas you may find appropriate with you degree are College Administration, (Councilor, Instructor, Admissions Officer) Alumni Affairs staff, Banking, Insurance, (claims rep or sales rep) Human Resources (Recruiter, Training, Labor Relations) Hospitality Industry (Hotel/Motel Management, Convention Sales, Security), Travel/Tourism Industry, Union Operations/Organization. There are many you will find within the books you may review in your Job Search Planning.

As to further education, lacking a specific direction this effort will make you more intelligent but in a general way. So before you register, decide what you want to work at by doing the thinking and exercises needed that are described above.

-- Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College.

Second Answer:

Your first resource is the career services office of your alma mater. Find out if they service alumni, for how long after graduation, and if there is a cost. University career services offices vary widely in their offerings for alumni. Ask about career assessment, networking with fellow alumni, individual consultation with a career counselor to get you some guidance.

Businesses hire bachelor's degree holders with a wide variety of majors, so your point of departure shouldn't be "who will hire me?" but "what am I good at, what kind of skills do I have that I like to use, and what professional roles need those skills?" I wouldn't invest in graduate school until you have a clearer idea of which discipline to study. An MBA is the entry-level credential for many management-track business jobs, but not the only one: consulting firms are hiring MA's in economics and anthropology and PhDs in physics, because they can train people in business methods who already have demonstrated critical reasoning skills in another discipline. On the other hand to do counseling you really need at least an MA in psychology. There are many specialized professional master's programs for those interested in health care management, public policy and government administration, human resources management, nonprofit management, industrial/organizational psychology. You need the career assessment first!

If your alma mater can't help, ask if they can refer you to a private career counselor. Other sources are local offices of career management firms: check the web sites of the big three: Drake Beam Morin (www.dbm.com); Lee Hecht Harrison (www.lhh.com), and Right Associates (www.rightassociates.com) and ask if they do "retail" counseling and assessment (most of their clients are corporations, but some firms are expanding to serve individuals). Two other sources of career counselors are www.advicezone.com, which can refer you to counselors nationwide, and www.careercc.org, a directory of over 70 counselors in the New York City metro area. Rates vary widely, and a full assessment is costly. (Watch out for any organization that wants to charge you for mass mailing letters to prospective employers or promises you they can find you a job; this is not career counseling!) You will also find numerous web sites with free and for-purchase career assessment tools on the Internet, but my recommendation is to work with a professional who can synthesize and integrate such assessment tools in order to interpret them for you and guide you in the next steps to finding your career identity and right livelihood.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City.

Third Answer:

Unless your degree is in a highly specialized field of expertise, you will most likely be able to pursue a diverse array of positions. I've seen art history majors pursue jobs in pharmaceutical sales, teaching graduates pursue corporate training opportunities, and have even helped an entomologist pursue a position in customer service and call center management.

If you're truly not sure where your options lie, consider completing a career interest study that is either self-directed or administered by a licensed vocational counselor. These inventories have helped many people recognize their strengths and weaknesses and uncover career paths they'd never even considered. Best of luck to you!

-- Rene' Hart, Resumes for Success!

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