Rewarding Liberal Arts Degree Jobs

Your liberal arts degree can secure you a great job in a wide variety of fields. As you peruse the industries below, contemplate which ones seem like the best fit for you and your skill set:

Communications and marketing

The field of communications and marketing might be a good fit if your degree focused on writing or public speaking. Companies in all industries need communications and marketing professionals to deliver their message and promote their brand. These include entry-level positions such as marketing associate, brand strategist, or communications coordinator all the way up to director of marketing and vice president of corporate communications roles. Communications and marketing professionals create all varieties of content and make strategic decisions about how they convey a company’s message and voice.

Business analysis and research

Another field liberal arts graduates often find success in is business analysis and research. Liberal arts degrees in subjects such as economics or history, for example, can provide you with the foundational skills to work in this industry. Common business analysis and research jobs include business analyst and market research analyst. If you love to pore over statistics and weave data into an interesting narrative, then you might consider pursuing a position in this field.

Sales

If you enjoy creative problem-solving and consider yourself a “people person,” you might want to consider looking for jobs in sales. You can use nearly any liberal arts degree to obtain a sales position, but if you majored in psychology, you might be particularly well-suited to the field. Success in sales requires a fundamental understanding of human thought processes and the skills to establish relationships with complete strangers.

Learn more: Understanding Career Options

If you’ve just started working toward getting your liberal arts degree, you can take certain steps to jump-start your career, including:

• Connect with mentors: Professors and current or former employers can provide mentorship on how to succeed after you’ve earned your degree. 
• Build professional skills: You can start building your professional skills while still in school by getting an internship or a part-time job in a field you’re curious about. This strategy can give you a leg up after graduation. 
• Make use of resources: Many colleges have a career services department available to help you hit the ground running when you’re ready to look for jobs. They can help you write a resume and cover letter and apply for the appropriate jobs.
• Take inventory of your skill set: Even if you have hardly any experience working in a professional setting, you should still take inventory of your skill set and see how it measures up to the requirements in job postings. If you find an area you need to develop, such as communication, take actions or courses to do so.
• Curate your resume: When writing a resume, highlight your transferrable skills to create an attention-getting summary of yourself.
• Investigate your interests: Knowing what you’re interested in is an important step in finding the right career. For example, if you get excited by the prospect of jumping down a rabbit hole of research to unearth new information, then start a list of careers that might require you to perform these types of tasks.
• Research industries: If you’re having trouble nailing down exactly what kind of job you would like to do, try looking at industries you find appealing. If you’ve always enjoyed print media, for instance, you might consider a job in journalism. You can still get your career off to a great start simply by getting your foot in the door to an industry that you want to be part of. 
• Explore specific jobs: It can also be beneficial to research specific job titles within the industries that interest you so you can discover what types of tasks they usually perform, salary estimates, and continuing education requirements.
• Identify Your nonnegotiables: Calculate what an employer must offer for you to accept a position at that company. These details are known as nonnegotiables. Typical nonnegotiables include pay and benefits, commute time, whether a job requires travel, management style, and company culture. Knowing what you will and will not accept at a job can be extremely helpful when you want to narrow the scope of your job search.

Here are a handful of jobs you might consider that make use of a liberal arts major’s area of expertise:

1. Marketing communications associate

Average base salary: $50,957 per year

A marketing communications associate role allows you to put your written and verbal communication skills to good use. You must also be a creative thinker and problem solver. In a position like this, you might be in charge of implementing your company’s communication strategy. 

This job requires a lot of writing, a good head for research, and extensive work on social media. Be prepared to craft email newsletters, website content, blogs, white papers, case studies, and even fact sheets. While this position is great for individuals who can manage themselves, a marketing communications associate must be able to play well with others. The ability to work on a team is also a necessity, as most marketing communications associates collaborate on projects with their own department as well as other organizational teams within the business, such as public relations.

2. Junior business analyst

Average base salary: $62,294 per year

If you want to be a junior business analyst, you need a detailed eye for scouring through large quantities of data points. A junior business analyst must determine trends that will have a big impact on important business transactions. Along with strong analytical skills, you’ll need great communication and presentation skills so you can share the information you’ve discovered in easy-to-understand ways.

If you have experience working with large data sets and spreadsheet programs such as Excel, then you might enjoy a career as a junior business analyst. After gaining experience, you can advance to a business analyst or senior business analyst role.

3. Inside sales representative

Average base salary: $42,049 per year

If you enjoy working directly with people and making new relationships every day, you could be a great fit for an inside sales representative position. Fast-paced and competitive, this job can serve as a springboard into a highly successful sales career. This entry-level job is typically commission-based, but many businesses employ inside sales reps. Not only can you potentially haul in big paychecks based on your sales performance but you should also have an easy time finding a company that’s hiring. 

To succeed in this position, you need to have excellent verbal communication skills, and you must be able to retain a positive mindset even after being rejected by a potential client. Not everyone needs what you are selling, and that’s OK. As long as you enjoy the thrill of chase, healthy competition, talking with new people, and working toward goals, you can thrive as an inside sales representative.

A liberal arts degree arms you with highly employable skills and can be your key to many wonderful job opportunities. If you are looking for a career, search Glassdoor for jobs in your industry of choice or focus on a location near you. When you scan your search results, you might discover the perfect field simply by reading the descriptions of the jobs you uncover.