Customize Your Weekly Pathways Content Thanksgiving approaches, and it is inevitable that (usually) well meaning aunts, uncles, parents, etc. will ask you questions about college as a way to make conversation. Many of them may not understand majors that don’t have an obvious direct career path, and will ask “what are you going to do with that major”, and sometimes they may ask it publicly, and put you on the spot.
Here’s how to take control of that situation!
Our Career Outcomes tool shows you the top employers and top job titles for new grads from your major. You can see where people are working and what their job titles are, and get a general sense of how much they are making. You can use this information to respond to the dreaded question with confidence!
For example, searching by Communication for the major, and 2024 for class year, you will see that the top employers are Oracle, Wayfair and ALKU, and some jobs titles include Marketing Coordinator, Sales Development Representative, and Account Coordinator. If you want to dig deeper, you can look up those job titles in Handshake and read the job descriptions.
(If you search a major that doesn’t have enough data to show results (meaning not enough of their grads completed the survey), you can filter for all class years, rather than 2024. Keep in mind that that will skew the salary info.)
Another source of relevant info is to look at your major page on the SBS Pathways website, and find the alumni bios section. You can read the bios of a sampling of young alumni who graduated from your major.
Take control of the conversation, and also – tell them you are still gaining experience and considering your options. You’re not supposed to know what career you will have for the rest of your life! Your first job out of college is just your first job. Things will evolve from there.
