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That statement was never intended to place blame on others. I was merely expressing my general understanding of the state of liberal arts majors as I had come to know it from the various articles and sources that I have sought out. And I did hear this expressed from several adult authority figures as well - that nobody cares what your major is after college. Can you honestly tell me you have not repeatedly heard this refrain? Because it was all I heard my senior year of high school and freshman year of college from adults who supposedly knew better.
I didn't just "sit around," I worked all through college, summers included. My parents could not afford to support me, and it was very important that I dedicate my time to earning good money rather than taking on unpaid internships (that's not even mentioning how unpaid internships are an inherently classist system that lock out people who simply cannot afford to work for free - but that's another can of worms I won't open right now).
I never said I went to an amazing state school. I said I went to a decent state school. I guess this needs repeating; I don't think I made it clear enough before. My school is very average, with an average reputation and an average career services office. I chose this school over the more selective ones I was admitted to because I could afford it (and thankfully, mercifully, I graduated completely debt-free, and I am so immensely grateful for that). It's true, I did hold the belief that a BA was still the ticket to the middle-class, but I realized too late that the BA is the new high school diploma in this job market. I guess I also thought on-the-job training was still a thing that existed.
Most of the information I'm getting on this thread about liberal arts degrees being unwanted or totally useless seems either really outdated or incredibly recent, because I've never heard nor read much of it (and I read a lot on this issue, though perhaps I'm reading the wrong sources?). I think I phrased the question to this thread incorrectly, because I never meant to ask if my history degree is useless, but whether the fact that I have no internships will hurt me in a significant way. The question was meant to provoke a discussion on internships, not liberal arts degrees, but now that I'm re-reading my original post, I can see that I phrased the question terribly.
In any case just today I was asked to come in to an interview for a pretty great position totally unrelated to history, so now I just have to ensure I am a good interviewee. I'll update this thread with more details for the curious once I find out if I'm accepted or rejected from the position.
Are you in a big city or able to relocate to one? If you are in a small town, that's a sure way to stay in poverty.
I've applied to jobs like administrative assistant, human resources assistant, secretary, assistant librarian, library tech, circulation manager, copyrights assistant, editorial assistant, publicity assistant, legal assistant, archives assistant, investigator with the ccrb, technical writer, junior underwriter, paralegal and admissions counselor/adviser. I'm not picky. =/
I hate to break it to you, but a History degree is only good for getting into teaching. Why haven't you tried to apply for any teaching positions? All the jobs you listed are probably being taken by business graduates.
Maybe you can find work in a Museum or some history related business.
Are you in a big city or able to relocate to one? If you are in a small town, that's a sure way to stay in poverty.
Absolutely. Anyone with professional level qualifications and aspirations is committing career suicide by staying in a small town. I have a number of friends with college degrees working for 9-12$ an hour in a small town years after graduation.
Oldtrader may have been a bit harsh but I believe that he is correct.
The bottom line is you graduated with a degree that rightly or wrongly is seen as "useless" in the eye of many an employer. Thus the history degree alone with no outside experience will probably not get you much bites when it comes to job hunting, now we can say that for any degree ("the accounting grad with no experience, the engineering grad with no experience etc...") but it really hits home for the liberal arts grads.
And yes while there are other jobs out there aside from "history" related jobs i.e... jobs directly tied to your major- they are no sure thing as well. I have looked up/ applied to many Administrative Assistant, Communications Assistant, Marketing Assistant, mail clerk, copy writer's assistant etc... really any type of entry level office job and nearly all of them want prior experience along with a college degree ,college degree in really anything, but the experience requirement is paramount.
But even with experience if it isn't relevant or worse yet if it is proprietary then
I have landed a job in the past beating out someone with twenty years experience...how? Because not everyone trusts their competitors. They didn't know if it was a setup and maybe he'd screw up on purpose and report everything back to them. This is why there's various patents, trademarks, servicemarks, surveillance and of course lawsuits back and forth.
Experience also depends on how many they are hiring as then you have to cross reference. Since employers generally do not share that much for information if you are hiring for a team and they worked at the same place would you still hire them?
I used to work with two people that were not the best of employees. One caused an accident which is fine but he didn't report it which is NOT fine So what happened? He met up with a manager who was also fired and worked at the same phone company..of which something happened and they both got fired again and now they both work at the same pet store chain in the same store!
Or worse yet you hire some that might have 25+ years in to the point where everyone was friends or relatives with someone else and nothing was really accomplished. Not so much in government but this happens in the private sector especially with smaller businesses and family owned/operated. Word of mouth travels, especially with social media. I know of places that are operated so poorly that I would never hire anyone from there, especially without a degree. When you know how to look up records and reputations it makes a huge impact.
At least with a degree you can see someones work and KNOW what they did.
I was called in for an interview for Copyrights Assistant at one of the Big Six publishing houses. According to HR, it was my history degree and library experience that drew them to me. They wound up choosing someone else, but the fact that my resume caught the eye of someone at a Big Six publishing company makes me think I might not be totally hopeless after all.
I was called in for an interview for Copyrights Assistant at one of the Big Six publishing houses. According to HR, it was my history degree and library experience that drew them to me. They wound up choosing someone else, but the fact that my resume caught the eye of someone at a Big Six publishing company makes me think I might not be totally hopeless after all.
Yes, you have five more opportunities for such a job!
Just kidding. All you can do is keep plugging away. You never know when you might stumble upon something like this opportunity again, where a history major is something they're looking for.
The thing we don't know, is what degree or experience did the person that got the job have. Close is only good in horseshoes as they say. The jobs you are trying to get so far, are jobs that others that have been educated and built up experience in, and those people are the ones you are competing with.
Start look at jobs you may like, without a college degree needed. That is where you are going to have to start, and then build up some experience.
What I'd like to say is, you just never know what can happen. I was an English major and for years I've worked in retail jobs that I've hated with passion. But things turned out in a way I didn't expect. I took a $10/hr job working as a data entry clerk and was laid off after a few months. But because of that experience, after enduring a few months of unemployment, a truly great company that pays a good wage was willing to take a chance and train me in work I've never done before. For the first time I am in a job that I actually enjoy the work, enjoy the company, and receive great pay/benefits.
Dream big, be grateful for every opportunity and aim to do your absolute best. Keep faith and always keep striving for your desired goals, being willing to be flexible along the way. You never know where the opportunities you have today may lead you in the future.
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So what happened? He met up with a manager who was also fired and worked at the same phone company..of which something happened and they both got fired again and now they both work at the same pet store chain in the same store!
