As spring approaches, the question on everyone’s minds, especially seniors, is prominent: What will I do after graduation? If the question was not already precluding everyone’s thoughts, it is asked of us by relatives, friends, faculty, and parents. The question can be especially alarming for students studying the humanities because of the wide scope of fields associated with these studies. And if you’re an English major, people will often follow up with, “Oh, so you want to be a teacher?” The belief that the only time an English degree is practical is in education is incredibly common, and it’s influencing people’s fields of study nationwide. In 2018, The Atlantic published an article titled “The Humanities Are in Crisis” that commented on the sharp decline in humanities majors after the 2008 financial crisis. STEM-related fields have drastically risen in the years since 2008 because students are worried about the job market. However, Schmidt points out that this is not a factually-founded reaction to the economic downturn. “Students aren’t fleeing degrees with poor job prospects. They’re fleeing humanities and related fields specifically because they think they have poor job prospects.”
With these misunderstandings in mind, it is hard to have a rational conception of the job market post-graduation. I interviewed some alumnae through Mawrter Connect about what they did with their humanities degrees and how they feel Bryn Mawr impacted them, in order to shed light on this often confusing and stress-inducing subject.
Graham Gavert, who received an MA in English from Bryn Mawr, planned to become a teacher. Instead, he went into marketing communications at Aetna Insurance Company out of college, then worked in Public Affairs at Electric Boat. At Electric Boat, he gained experience in fundraising, leading him to the position of Director of Development at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. From his experience in the career world, Gavert advises, “an English degree is very useful no matter what you do. From your studies, you will learn about people and you will learn to write. It’s a rare talent these days, particularly in the corporate world. BMC will prepare you to do presentations, write sensitive letters, create case statements, and — I would expect — speak grammatically correct sentences. You’d be surprised how many high-level corporate executives make grammatical errors in their speech all the time.” I also asked him what advice he would give his college self, to which he replied, “be open to the possibilities. Whatever you do, you can pretty much always get out of it. And I think you have time as a young person to make some mistakes or move about a bit before you have to think about settling down.”
Rachel Goldstein, a Mawrter with a BA in English, worked at the Association of Junior Leagues out of college as an administrative assistant. She later worked as a secretary to the president of an advertising agency, then changed positions to an account person–even without fully knowing what that department did. Of the transition into unfamiliar work territory, Goldstein says, “I learned everything I needed to know on the job. I was fortunate to have mentors who took the time to teach me and made sure I was ready to be promoted. I loved what I did. I was constantly learning and I was always challenged.” In response to the question, “In what ways did your degree from Bryn Mawr prove useful in the job world? In what ways was it a hindrance?” Goldstein says, “I don’t think my degree has been a hindrance at all but it’s not necessarily a recognized school so I have been disappointed at times when it’s not appreciated for its value for women.” Her advice to her college self? Relax and enjoy your time here. “Enjoy the time in such a supportive and enriching environment. The real world is tough. You’ll have plenty of time to do everything as you grow. Your twenties are for trying new things.” She also recommends taking advantage of our career center. “Our career development was rough 30 years ago. We had printouts we could look at, but nothing like [the Mawrter Connect website].”
For more information regarding the Career and Civic Engagement Center, visit https://www.brynmawr.edu/career-civic. You can access to Mawrter Connect, an alumnae-networking application, here. Maybe when people ask you, “What are you doing after graduation?” you can simply say “I don’t know,” and feel content in that uncertainty. And even though it’s incredibly terrifying to spend hours imagining yourself fresh out of college and unemployed, eating beans out of the can and crashing on the couches of your wealthy computer science major friends, you can also revel in that ambiguity. The whole world is open to you. Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but it also brings liberty.