Jobs You Might Not Know You’re Qualified To Do

So you just graduated college, and the pure joy you felt after being freed from the chains of your undergraduate institution has quickly metamorphosed into shear terror – you don’t have a job. To top it off, you just realized how utterly unmarketable your major really is.

There is hope; you just need to think creatively. First off, recognize the idea that you’re going to land your dream job straight out of college isn’t very realistic at this point. If you really are in a panic, you’re going to need to consider what your limits are when it comes to pay, hours and location. Hopefully this isn’t the case, but you should be prepared to compromise at some point.

How your (possibly worthless) degree can help you get other jobs in other fields

English/Journalism

Ideally, you’d like to earn a living by writing books or articles that will be consumed by the masses. However, you still have to support yourself in the meantime. Market your writing skills to a new platform. Some believe that the Internet has made the need for good writing obsolete, but nothing could be further from the truth. With so much poor quality content being pushed online these days, big name companies are hiring professional writers to work with their marketing teams. Although online marketing might seem like a far cry from writing fiction novels or investigative journalism, the skill set is the same. There’s no shortage of companies looking to hire full-time writers to help them produce great content.

History

Having experience in researching past events and paying attention to details can come in handy in a variety of different ways. Since history majors often study the progression of American government, a job working for a government agency is extremely viable. History majors know how to find specific information and then use it to support theses, which is similar to the work by those who work for government agencies (i.e. lobbyists and those who write bills at the state level). State legislators always need assistants to help them research precedents and write bills related to policies such as insurance, surety bonds or taxation.

Philosophy

It’s generally assumed that the ultimate goal of philosophy majors is to either teach or write lengthy, existentialist bodies of work. However, this might not be feasible for, nor desired by, many graduates. If you’ve completed undergraduate studies in philosophy, you’ve been exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints. You have the ability to keep an open mind and consider logical solutions. Community service programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters offer paid positions to open minded, humanistic individuals who can see the bigger picture and promote the program’s goals.

Film

Film majors often consider one of two possible career paths as they undergo their undergraduate studies.

• Finding a job that allows them to create innovative and impactful platforms on which they can showcase unique fiction works or social commentaries.

• Finding a job in Hollywood that values the technical skills they’ve acquired so they can start raking in the big bucks.

No matter which category you fit into, you probably need to earn a steady paycheck in the meantime. Film techniques are highly valued by a number of companies these days, especially those that developing interactive platforms. Countless news publications are developing apps for products such as the iPad, so they’re on the lookout for professionals who are proficient in both shooting and editing videos. Anytime you’re developing digital film content, you have the opportunity to make a decent paycheck.

Of course you should never give up on your dream job, but there are plenty of viable alternatives that can help you along your way in the meantime. It’s better to get experience in a field that’s at least related what you want to do than to work a random job as a clerk (unless you’re in sales or marketing, of course). Finding a job that can help you cultivate your skill set takes a little effort and compromise, but in the end you’ll be happy you had the opportunity to gain the experience.

This article was written by Danielle Rodabaugh, blog editor for the Surety Bonds Insider. The blog’s Surety Bond Education Center provides resources that outline industry regulations for new professionals entering the workforce.