What can I do with liberal arts?

You want to major in the humanities or basic liberal arts, but you’re not sure what kind of job you can get after college graduation. You’re in luck—a humanities degree can lead you in several directions, if you have an open mind.

Many top professionals believe that the real leaders in any field are those with a wide variety of interests, including a genuine interest in people, says Dr. Elizabeth Helsinger, a professor of English at the University of Chicago. “These habits are fostered by a humanities curriculum,” she says.

Hannah B. Humphrey, a recent English and American Studies graduate from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., says that humanities students are prepared for a variety of jobs. “For example, a student of English, such as myself, may qualify for jobs in publishing, marketing, public relations, human relations, advertising, writing and a host of other positions,” she says.

Humphrey works as a marketing coordinator at a Chevrolet dealership in Peoria. Her duties include mailing coupons to people who have recently purchased a vehicle or had a vehicle serviced at the dealership; sending targeted direct mail to potential customers to generate business; and providing reminder calls to customers with service appointments. She also coordinates follow-up calls regarding warranties and service work and generates reports of coupon usage statistics. Humphrey works Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and makes about $20,000 a year.

If writing is more up your alley, you can work for a newspaper or a magazine. Heather E. MacDonald is an English graduate from Potsdam College in Potsdam, N.Y. MacDonald now works at the Times Union in Albany as a writer/photographer in the specialty publications department.

MacDonald’s schedule is typical of many jobs. “My hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, which I like because I don’t have to work holidays and weekends. On the other hand, I miss the flexibility of being a journalist and I don’t like being in the office all day long.”

As far as salaries for reporters goes, MacDonald says, “small newspapers can start as low as the high teens, and even big magazines in New York City pay in the low $20’s for entry-level positions. However, mid-level positions do pay better.”

MacDonald believes that journalism has good prospects, “because it is a job you can break into by freelancing while working elsewhere.”  

Becoming a freelance employee is a great option if you like the flexibility of working for yourself or if you’d rather create your own dream job. Anna Withrow is a self-employed corporate writer and communications consultant in Toronto. A typical day for Withrow might involve arriving at her computer by 8:30 a.m., answering e-mail and phone calls and completing assignments, such as resume writing or a brief article for a company Web site, preparing a pitch for a television show or editing and researching stories for journalists.

Withrow generally charges $25 per hour for project management, about $30 an hour for research and about $50 per hour for writing or consulting.

“Despite work that requires me to sit in front of computers while others enjoy beach-filled vacations, I really do love my job,” says Withrow. “I am far less of a writer than I am a relationship builder. One of my favorite things about my job is meeting new people and learning quite a bit about their businesses and their passions. The course of a day brings new knowledge on a variety of subjects that I find fascinating—anything from the vanilla bean to racecar drivers to the effectiveness of blogs.”

Wherever you choose to work, attitude will matter a lot. As a new grad, you must be very willing to work first, change the world later, says Grace Russell, who writes and negotiates contracts.

Flexibility and mobility are also important—“flexibility because change happens; mobility because in my world, people have to go where the projects are,” she says.

Patience in today’s slow job market is another virtue for liberal arts majors. “Make sure you’re prepared to be flexible, take risks and occasionally take cruddy jobs that pay the bills, especially at the beginning of your working life,” says Heather Finley, a self-employed marketing consultant in Toronto who specializes in technology. “Your humanities studies may take you on paths you didn’t foresee, and that’s one of the beauties of it.”

No matter what career path you end up following, your humanities degree will be worth it because you would have acquired skills that can be applied anywhere.

Another career idea: Sign language interpreter

Addressing the nation’s critical shortage of skilled interpreters, some colleges are beginning to offer American Sign Language-English interpretation programs at both the associate and bachelor’s degree levels.

“Since the passage of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], people who are deaf are having ever-increasing access to the various aspects of American life,” says Angela Jones, president of Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the largest association of professional interpreters worldwide. “More deaf people are receiving degrees, taking management positions and are more involved in the business world and community.”

That means that more interpreters are needed. And jobs are available in this humanities field. For example, The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology employs more than 100 full-time interpreters who support the school’s 1,100 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in classrooms, sporting events and other activities.

“More states are passing laws requiring certification for interpreters,” Jones adds, “and video interpreting expands the scope of access as well. With qualifications becoming progressively more important, the result is a steadily escalating demand for more, highly skilled interpreters.”

Dr. Alan Hurwitz, NTID dean and RIT vice president, cautions that though it can be filled with variety, “interpreting can also be demanding both physically and mentally. In one day, an interpreter may go from a board meeting to a childbirth education class, then to a welding workshop and a group therapy session.”

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