What Will You Do With That?

When I was in college, I was asked this question more times than I can count. I majored in comparative religion, and believe it or not, it has been a practical major for every job I have had since then.

I got my first newspaper reporter job out of college because I had a religion degree. The newspaper's consumer base became wildly diverse in the span of a few years because the meat-packing plants with decent salaries and the low price of housing attracted immigrants to the area. They wanted to expand their religion page from a listing of church events to something that would appeal to the Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and other religious people now part of the community.

In exchange for my knowledge base, they trained me in crime reporting, copy editing, feature writing... It was a dream job!

But liberal arts is taking a hit lately from all directions, even the President.

So, what do you do with a liberal arts degree these days?

Compete in the Winter Olympics. This small school has 23 athletes in Sochi right now!

Don't wait until senior year to go to your university career center. Learn career skills early. Interviewing, networking, resume development and cover letter writing are all skills you can start learning the moment you enter college. If you need help with these skills, there's still hope! I specialize in helping liberal arts majors with this.

Work for this company. I love the idea of liberal arts folks marketing themselves as positive and curious.

And if people keep bugging you about your salary out of school, send them this article. Research shows you'll earn more money in your peak earning years than other types of students.

If you're a liberal arts major interested in working with me, I'm offering a 50 percent off discount this month. Contact me at meredithtseu@gmail.com.