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Question
I'm in my fourth semester at a four-year college. I started out in nursing (my mother's choice), but hated it and switched to a studio art major with a minor in theatre tech. My husband and mother both feel this is impractical, and I've had second thoughts myself, since I've done some searches and have not found many job listings in these fields. Is the degree I'm working toward worthless?
Answer
Well no, it's not worthless because if nothing else, you've found a way to get your husband to agree with his mother-in-law. And if these two areas are your passion, you should stop at nothing to achieve them. But if your main concern is still job security, let's take another look at how you might put these degrees to good use.
Unless you are in New York or LA, you might have trouble finding jobs directly in art or theater, but my advice to any job-seeker is to be open-minded in how you do your search. Don't look for jobs that match the narrow labels of your major and minor. Instead, think about what skills those programs give you, and then scan through all categories of job listings to see what types of jobs mention those skills. My guess is that you'll find those skills are relevant in fields such as advertising, fashion, marketing, Web design, and even some forms of merchandising.
Of course, if you want to hedge your bets, there is still time to change your minor. Coupling a studio art major with courses in business or marketing might prove to be a powerful--and versatile--combination. You can build a creative, sustainable career in graphic design, marketing or advertising with a studio art background.
Unless you are in New York or LA, you might have trouble finding jobs directly in art or theater, but my advice to any job-seeker is to be open-minded in how you do your search. Don't look for jobs that match the narrow labels of your major and minor. Instead, think about what skills those programs give you, and then scan through all categories of job listings to see what types of jobs mention those skills. My guess is that you'll find those skills are relevant in fields such as advertising, fashion, marketing, Web design, and even some forms of merchandising.
Of course, if you want to hedge your bets, there is still time to change your minor. Coupling a studio art major with courses in business or marketing might prove to be a powerful--and versatile--combination. You can build a creative, sustainable career in graphic design, marketing or advertising with a studio art background.
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Richard has over 20 years of business experience in marketing, financial services, and management.
