Employment Guide: Specific degree could lead to broad career options

When Kirsten Gardner graduated from Pitt in 2005 with an anthropology and history double major,… When Kirsten Gardner graduated from Pitt in 2005 with an anthropology and history double major, she didn’t exactly land a dream job in her field.

Gardner’s first job placed her in the travel industry, where she began working as an administrative assistant and eventually advanced to director of marketing for a travel company.

In some ways, Gardner represents a whole class of Pitt graduates: those who apply their degrees to areas outside their fields of study. Although she is not working in a career directly related to her education, Gardner said the liberal arts aspect of the degree she earned helped her prepare for the professional world.

“I came away as a stronger communicator, able to express myself clearly and work within a team environment,” Gardner said in an e-mail.

Echoing the sentiment of Pitt administrators, Gardner believes that a liberal arts degree provides students with transferable skills that will help them succeed in whatever career they decide to undertake.

“The College of Arts & Sciences provides the opportunity for students to pursue skill sets that will serve them well in a variety of fields … The student just needs to identify what appeals to them and figure out how to make all the tools available work for them,” Gardner said.

Heidi McFerron, an Arts & Sciences career consultant, said that although she did not have exact statistics, students often enter fields unrelated to their studies at the University.

“We try to stress quite often that a major does not necessarily equal a career choice,” McFerron said in an e-mail.

More recruiters are attending the career fairs advertising that they are looking for “all majors,” instead of a few specific majors, McFerron said.

The key for students, she said, is to gain an array of skills through internships, involvement in student organizations, work experience, study abroad programs and volunteering.

Anthony Novosel, an adviser in the history department, also advises his students to pursue internships and outside-the-classroom experiences. Such “add-ons to your degree” are essential to becoming a versatile prospect for businesses, he said.

“For example, I recommend my students take Software for Personal Computing as an elective,” Novosel said, adding that the History department focuses on establishing work ethic, developing verbal and written communication skills, improving research and people skills as well as critical thinking and problem solving.

Students begin developing a professional work ethic in the history department by meeting deadlines and showing up for class, Novosel said.

The history department is not the only academic branch helping its students enhance their professional appeal by developing transferable skills.

John Gareis, undergraduate adviser for communication majors, also encourages majors in his department to acquire a balanced liberal arts degree with an emphasis on writing and teamwork skills.

“I tell majors to think of an occupation anywhere that somehow involves communications,” Gareis said.

The possible replies to this challenge are endless. Pharmaceutical sales, for example, has recently become a popular field for communication students to go into, Gareis said.

Using the skills learned in the communication department, a pharmaceutical salesman has the ability to create presentations, coordinate projects and explain the benefits of various products, Gareis said.

Gareis emphasizes the importance of having many skills, no matter what field students are considering.

Both Novosel and Gareis agreed that proficient writing is a necessity. Patrick Altdorfer, a political science undergraduate adviser, tells his students not to “shy away from writing courses.”

“Everyone needs to know how to write,” Altdorfer said.

The political science department also aids its students in developing skills that apply to other fields.

Altdorfer said the key transferable skill advocated by his department is critical thinking.

“Just for reading a newspaper, you have to think critically,” Altdorfer said.