If you are concerned that the time and money you spent pursuing a degree in "Colonialism and the 19th-Century Novel" or "Psycholinguistics" qualifies you for little beyond a teaching career, you can officially relax. Because of information technology and the tight economy, holders of marginal (some say 'useless') degrees now have more career options than ever. Skilled social scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians are needed in a wide range of job--and for a variety of reasons.
The Numbers Don't Lie The Internet has created openings and the resources to fill them, while also allowing people from far-flung nations to communicate and work together in a practical fashion. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 10 industries with the fastest projected wage and salary employment growth from 1998-2008 include museums, botanical and zoological gardens, and research and testing services. Not surprisingly, the five fastest-growing occupations are computer-related. Yet "employment in all education and training categories that generally requires an associate's degree or more education is projected to grow faster than the 14 percent average for all occupations."
The most important thing for non-traditional degree holders to keep in mind when considering a career is this: Job opportunities are forged by the individual, not by the program which one follows in college. Karl Monger, a successful freelance commercial writer and editor (who actually did major in Psycholinguistics) echoes this sentiment. "It's not that I'm using my degree," he says, "I'm using what I learned for my degree. A lot of what I learned in the classes that comprise a Psycholinguistics degree stays with me and becomes a part of my writing and makes me a better, more effective writer. Understanding the things that people respond to and how readers tend to keep certain things in mind, or approach different reading situations, provides a solid backbone for effective writing of all kinds."
Culinary Anthropologist Ken Rubin holds an MA in Anthropology and an undergraduate Latin American Studies degree. He now serves as co-founder and program director of FoodWorks International, a non-profit food research, training, and consulting organization. He originally intended to study biology in college. "I was interested in food and wanted to do the science part of it," Rubin explains. "I didn't get into the first biology courses I signed up for, and got put into an anthropology class." This fortuitous blunder enabled him to explore his interests, earn a Master's degree, and prepare him for the working world. "People who have gone to college and who are good at things like critical thinking and problem-solving
