What are recent liberal arts majors doing now?

[Anonymous]

English major - been working in PR / Communications for 20 years.

[Anonymous]

History major --> fellowship abroad --> major consulting firm for 3 yrs

Relied heavily on network to get job when I came back to the states. Thought I was doomed to head into law like my English major parents. Now about to start at Wharton for MBA this fall to go back and learn the quant I missed out on.

Wouldn't have changed my path at all; I learned how to write and think critically from my history courses, not to mention how to interact with peers and professors at my NESCAC and it shows in my reviews/ feedback...best of both worlds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I find it odd that you know your niece's and nephew's salaries and benefits. Tacky for them or their parents to tell you, or tacky for you to ask. We have no idea what our own kids are making, yet again our siblings' kids.

You come from an uptight family.

Quite the opposite. We are a family that doesn't focus on salary to measure success and that doesn't encourage our children to either.

But even if we weren't, how many people on this board know their nieces' and nephews' salaries and benefits? Seriously. That's weird. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

DS graduated from a top Liberal Arts college last year and got an amazing job with a major league baseball team! Alumni networking definitely helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I find it odd that you know your niece's and nephew's salaries and benefits. Tacky for them or their parents to tell you, or tacky for you to ask. We have no idea what our own kids are making, yet again our siblings' kids.

You come from an uptight family.

Quite the opposite. We are a family that doesn't focus on salary to measure success and that doesn't encourage our children to either.

But even if we weren't, how many people on this board know their nieces' and nephews' salaries and benefits? Seriously. That's weird. Sorry.

NP here -- We don't measure success by salary, but I knew my son's salary during the 3 years he worked for a not-for=profit organization before starting med school. This subject came up because he occasionally asked for advice about financial matters. Although I grew up in a family that never talked about money, my husband's family was more open about it. In my view, their approach was saner and helped my husband and his sibs develop good financial skills. (BTW, my FIL was a college professor, so, again, money was not their measure of success.) I think our marriage and family benefited because we adopted this more open approach to talking about financial matters with each other and with our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I find it odd that you know your niece's and nephew's salaries and benefits. Tacky for them or their parents to tell you, or tacky for you to ask. We have no idea what our own kids are making, yet again our siblings' kids.

You come from an uptight family.

Quite the opposite. We are a family that doesn't focus on salary to measure success and that doesn't encourage our children to either.

But even if we weren't, how many people on this board know their nieces' and nephews' salaries and benefits? Seriously. That's weird. Sorry.

NP here -- We don't measure success by salary, but I knew my son's salary during the 3 years he worked for a not-for=profit organization before starting med school. This subject came up because he occasionally asked for advice about financial matters. Although I grew up in a family that never talked about money, my husband's family was more open about it. In my view, their approach was saner and helped my husband and his sibs develop good financial skills. (BTW, my FIL was a college professor, so, again, money was not their measure of success.) I think our marriage and family benefited because we adopted this more open approach to talking about financial matters with each other and with our kids.

Ok . . . but the salaries and benefits of nieces and nephews?

[Anonymous]

Several of my friends with such degrees are relying on wealthy parents and volunteering. A few are working low paying jobs in non profits. I have an engineering degree, had much more luck finding work quickly. class of 2013.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I find it odd that you know your niece's and nephew's salaries and benefits. Tacky for them or their parents to tell you, or tacky for you to ask. We have no idea what our own kids are making, yet again our siblings' kids.

You come from an uptight family.

Quite the opposite. We are a family that doesn't focus on salary to measure success and that doesn't encourage our children to either.

But even if we weren't, how many people on this board know their nieces' and nephews' salaries and benefits? Seriously. That's weird. Sorry.

NP here -- We don't measure success by salary, but I knew my son's salary during the 3 years he worked for a not-for=profit organization before starting med school. This subject came up because he occasionally asked for advice about financial matters. Although I grew up in a family that never talked about money, my husband's family was more open about it. In my view, their approach was saner and helped my husband and his sibs develop good financial skills. (BTW, my FIL was a college professor, so, again, money was not their measure of success.) I think our marriage and family benefited because we adopted this more open approach to talking about financial matters with each other and with our kids.

Ok . . . but the salaries and benefits of nieces and nephews?

Sure. Lots of people talk about starting salaries. I know the starting salaries of several of my DDs friends because we compare notes about what the kids are doing. Parents have told me what their kids are earning. Not in a bragging way at all -just sharing info. We are talking starting salaries not mid career. And I knew what my nephew's starting salary was last year along with perks (3 meals a day, health club, education benefits, etc.) It's at Google so the benefits are pretty well known.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I think journalism and PR are both good professions for liberal arts grads who have the interest. That said, I'm extremely skeptical of a NY publication that would pay a "new" reporter $80,000, when often veterans with real journalism experience are having a hard time finding jobs that pay that well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I think journalism and PR are both good professions for liberal arts grads who have the interest. That said, I'm extremely skeptical of a NY publication that would pay a "new" reporter $80,000, when often veterans with real journalism experience are having a hard time finding jobs that pay that well.

Agreed. I think Auntie is making this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 25yo nephew graduated three years ago with a Philosophy degree. He is making $80k as a new reporter working for a MY publication after having changed jobs twice (he was recruited for this job by someone he met in his first job).

My niece with an English degree is working for a financial services company doing PR. She is 25yo and makes about $60k with excellent benefits.

I find it odd that you know your niece's and nephew's salaries and benefits. Tacky for them or their parents to tell you, or tacky for you to ask. We have no idea what our own kids are making, yet again our siblings' kids.

You come from an uptight family.

Quite the opposite. We are a family that doesn't focus on salary to measure success and that doesn't encourage our children to either.

But even if we weren't, how many people on this board know their nieces' and nephews' salaries and benefits? Seriously. That's weird. Sorry.

NP here -- We don't measure success by salary, but I knew my son's salary during the 3 years he worked for a not-for=profit organization before starting med school. This subject came up because he occasionally asked for advice about financial matters. Although I grew up in a family that never talked about money, my husband's family was more open about it. In my view, their approach was saner and helped my husband and his sibs develop good financial skills. (BTW, my FIL was a college professor, so, again, money was not their measure of success.) I think our marriage and family benefited because we adopted this more open approach to talking about financial matters with each other and with our kids.

Ok . . . but the salaries and benefits of nieces and nephews?

Sure. Lots of people talk about starting salaries. I know the starting salaries of several of my DDs friends because we compare notes about what the kids are doing. Parents have told me what their kids are earning. Not in a bragging way at all -just sharing info. We are talking starting salaries not mid career. And I knew what my nephew's starting salary was last year along with perks (3 meals a day, health club, education benefits, etc.) It's at Google so the benefits are pretty well known.

This falls into the category of "get a life." When we talk to our kids about what their friends are doing, our reaction is typically "that's nice, good for her," not "how much money is she making?" It's just not a question that's ever occurred to us to ask.

[Anonymous]

For this to be meaningful, posters should identify when the person graduated with a liberal arts degree and which university he/she graduated from.

I say this because a couple of decades ago, a liberal arts degree did offer decent entry positions but this is not the case today. Also, we would possibly offer a job to someone who graduated from one of the top schools with a liberal arts degree but we'd not do so from a more run of the mill school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several of my friends with such degrees are relying on wealthy parents and volunteering. A few are working low paying jobs in non profits. I have an engineering degree, had much more luck finding work quickly. class of 2013.

Our children relied on wealthy parents and grandparents and volunteered and may very well end up working low paying jobs in non profits. And what of it? That's the beauty of coming from money -- you don't have to major in something you don't want or take a job that doesn't interest you for the money. And it's important that people volunteer because they're doing important work.

Our children would be very, very unhappy as engineers no matter what they were paid.

[Anonymous]

My English major friend is a carpenter.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the feedback, although it is not so encouraging! DC will be attending a good state school, not an elite private university, and no moneyed family to fall back on. He did choose state school for undergrad so that there would be something left in the 529 for grad school. He won't have undergrad debt. Law school is an obvious choice, but what other graduate degrees do humanities types pursue to make them more employable outside of academia (assuming he doesn't choose that path)?