Brian Said:

What kind of jobs can i get with a liberal arts degree focused on music?

We Answered:

Your choices with a music degree (especially a Bachelor's) are slim.

Teacher (if you do Music Ed)
Music Ministry/Church music director
Accompanist (if you can play piano and sightread well)
Solo musician (but such gigs are few and far between)
Teach private lessons

If you get your Masters and then PhD, then you can teach on a collegiate level and such, but that's about it.

Gwendolyn Said:

Recent College graduate with a liberal arts degree, what jobs are available for someone with little experience

We Answered:

Congratulations on graduating! Sometimes finding one niche can be very challenging, yet keep in mind the many things--and valuable life lessons-- you have learned along the way.

Those who study liberal arts and sciences have many great skills that are transferable to the marketplace in many areas. For example, history majors have skills at research, writing, project organization and knowledge about how social, cultural and political factors shape decisions. Personally, I think our workforce needs more liberal arts majors to bring balance, perspective and creativity to jobs and our workplaces in this technological age.

Some other thoughts:
#1-- You say you have "little experience." However, I am guessing that you have done some volunteer work or have had some sort of part-time job during the past few years. Think about how to use these experiences to market yourself to potential employers. For example, perhaps you created or led a membership or marketing campaign for a campus club or organization? Perhaps you got an award for an academic or club achievement? Perhaps you financed a large percent of your education? Employers are looking for employees who are intelligent, dependable, work cooperatively with others and who are "self-starters." Think about ways to use the experiences you have had--volunteer or otherwise--to market yourself in these areas. How you think about yourself and your experiences matters! Don't allow anyone to demean you because you chose a degree in liberal arts. You made this choice for a reason and you are needed in the workforce! And teaching is not your only option either. If you are the kind of person who has a "can do" attitude and genuinely wants to help other people achieve success, you are definitely needed in the workplace!

# 2--Go to your school's career counseling office and ask about services you can use to market yourself. Resume writing, mock interviews, help with setting career goals and setting up interviews are some services most will offer. There is an old song "Accentuate the Positive and Eliminate the Negative." That's what you must do as you move forward in your job search and the career office of your school is the place to start.

#3--Remember that most jobs are not advertised--something like 80 percent are found through networking. Connect and re-connect with family members, friends of family members, friends, friends of friends, cousins and cousin-in-laws of friends and family. Go to meetings in your community. Meet people. Let folks know that you are looking for a job and the kind of position you are looking for. Be sure to let your former teachers--high school and college--know that you are looking, too. Ask your family members and friends if they know of someone you could chat with--not so much because this person would have a job for you, but because you want to know more about the business or line of work this person does. It's called "interviewing for information." You want to establish positive relationships and rapport with professionals who might remember you when they--or one of their colleagues--has an opening. Important: Be sure your friends, family and have your most recent contact information so they will know where to find you if they hear about something and always send a personal note of thanks when someone takes time to chat with you or helps you in some way.

#4. Right now lots of folks are retiring--or will soon be retiring. This is true of all areas of the workforce, but is especially true in the public service sector--state and local government, too. So, when the going seems to be tough, remember that you were born at the right time to have a job!

#5 Also remember that the first job you get will open other doors for learning and will provide other networking opportunities. Many employers are delighted if a positive, intelligent, reliable, dependable, energetic person with a "can do" attitude is available. And having the "right" training skills is not a pre-requisite, because many employers want to train new employees on the systems their company uses. So, while you may want to use time available to update or learn other technical skills that will complement what you already know, you don't necessarily need to rush right out to another training program before you get your job.

#6--Lots of people will tell you to go on to get an advanced degree. Certainly getting a master's degree or teacher's certification is a good thing to do--yet, if you are not exactly sure what you want to do with your life yet, my advice is to get a job, give yourself some time to determine what you want to do, and then go for the advanced degree. Of course, if you are truly excited and inspired about learning something in a specific area--or you absolutely know that you aspire to have a career that requires an advanced degree--then go for it!

Getting launched in the workforce is a job in itself. You might look at this experience as an adventure and something like a "special marketing project" --of course, what you are marketing is yourself! Steer away from the negative people, keep believing in yourself and always keep on the positive side! (And, if you're so inclined, every day ask God to help direct and guide you along the path. A little Faith can take you a long way!)

Hope this helps! Good luck and best wishes!

Henry Said:

What kind of jobs look for a liberal arts degree?

We Answered:

A "liberal arts degree" isn't a specific type of degree, it's a generic description of a degree.

Liberal arts refers to the broader curriculum. Rather than just studying courses within your concentration, you also take a good number of courses in areas other than your concentration.

Jim Said:

How do people get corporate jobs with a liberal arts degree?

We Answered:

Plenty of them do.

Colleges don't offer classes in "Insurance" or "banking"
or "corporate travel services" or many other things
which are directly job related. And for the most part,
neither does anywhere else. (Except for a few cases.)

Corporations know that they will have to train people
in the specifics of the job. That's why they have
"entry level positions".

If someone has a liberal arts degree, he will not directly
apply the contents of his course work to the job, but
communications skills (especially writing), analytical skills,
and lots of other things developed in college will be valuable.

Really what the degree says is "This person made it
through college, so you can figure he has a certain
amount of intelligence and learning ability and some
useful skills with which to learn his job."

Even if you made it through a business curriculum and
studied marketing, manufacturing, or who knows what
else, you'd still be starting out as a rookie and learn a
lot more ON the job than in school. That applies to
other specialized fields too, like nursing, engineering,
and so forth. Completing your schooling just STARTS
your education.

.

Howard Said:

What can you do with an Associates in Arts degree in liberal arts? What kind of jobs can I get with an AA?

We Answered:

There's not much you can do with an AA so keep diligently working towards you Bachelors because that will open many more doors for you. BUT if teaching is what you want to do, then you can get substitute teaching positions in many schools. I mean, atleast in my old hometown anyone with 60 credits and above qualified for a substitute teaching position. It wasn't bad pay either ($100 per day). So maybe you should check that out.

But even a Bachelors degree won't quite suffice in today's job market. Nowadays, Master degrees and above are often required and more favored in several positions. But since you are majoring in Education, possessing just a Bachelors shouldn't be a problem; teachers are always needed.