Finding a Path with a Liberal Arts Major

While BC might have an excellent reputation for high job placement for CSOM majors, many students in this predominately liberal arts school don’t have a direct career path when they graduate.  With majors like History, English, Sociology, or Art History (and countless others), there is a huge question mark looming over post-graduation life.  Some people have always known what they want to do, while others have talked their way into jobs they seem wholly unqualified for.  The truth of the matter is, though, having a liberal arts education isn’t a setback.  It gives you endless opportunities – and endless decisions to make.

BC has a few famous alumni – like Clinton Kelly – who, when on campus, will fill Devlin 008.  During his talk, Clinton spoke about how he changed his major four times while at BC before settling on Communications.  He finally decided in his senior year that he wanted to be a writer.  He did that for a while and then ended up at “What Not to Wear.”  To the roomful of anxious underclassmen waiting for the words that would help them achieve his level of success, he said, “Follow happiness, and the money will follow.  I either took a job because I thought it’d be fun or I thought I’d learn something.”

Personally, I found this advice to be very much in line with the teachings of BC.  Those who study subjects that don’t have a predetermined career path are doing it out of passion and interest, not for the money.  While celebrity BC alums are incredible examples of how life comes at you in unexpected ways, there are many other less famous examples of this.

So don’t fret if you don’t have a plan for your future yet – here are a few examples of some unexpected careers that other BC alums have done with their liberal arts majors:
 

Art History

• Expected career paths:  Museum Curator, Art Historian

• Uncommon career paths by BC Alums:  Higher Education Administration, High School Guidance Counselor

 
English

• Expected career paths:  High School English teacher, Writer, Journalist, Publisher, Editor, Lawyer

• Uncommon career paths by BC Alums:  Marketing, Career Consulting, Finance, Investment Banking, Marketing Consultant

 
History

• Expected career paths:  Historian, Museum Curator, Professor, History teacher

• Uncommon career paths by BC Alums:  Director of Corporate Relations for United Way, Sales, White House Liasion, Dentist

 
Sociology

• Expected Career Paths:  Sociology professor, Social Worker

• Uncommon career paths by BC Alums:  Entertainment Reporter for Bloomberg, Attorney, Lawyer, School psychologist

 
Human Development

• Expected Career Paths:  Psychologist, Guidance counselor

• Uncommon careers by BC Alums:  Communications, Vice-President of a cosmetics company, Business owner, Consulting

As you can tell from this sampling of careers and majors, what you study at BC doesn’t necessarily determine your future!  The stories of BC grads are not just examples, however.  These alums are resources and motivators for us as students as we make our own way off the Heights.  If you haven’t heard (but I’m sure you have), the alumni network here at BC is an incredible tool when looking for jobs and internships or simply to learn about their paths.  You can access this information and a lot more through Agora Career Services.