Career Portfolio After graduation, many students with Liberal Arts and Sciences degree often wonder what types of jobs are available to them right out of undergrad. My first recommendation for these students is to go on to more school and obtain a Master’s. In a time of ever increasing technology and availability of education, a bachelor’s degree is not worth as much as it used to be. Acquiring an MA or MS gives you the title of a professional, thus making you more competitive in the job market. My entire life my dad has told me that he didn’t care what I decided to be, but I had to become a professional. As I have entered college and with the job market that we face today, I really do realize how valuable this piece of advice has been. Becoming a professional is essential to ensuring that you have a secure job in the future. However, for those who are ready to jump into the job market after 4 years of college, there are still many jobs out there. And it is essential to know the necessary requirements and details of these jobs. Most people just think of the typical obvious jobs such as working in a bank or becoming a teacher. I wanted to choose a few reasonable jobs that most people don’t think of right away, but are equally lucrative and satisfying. I will discuss the qualifications and features of three different careers: Social Worker, Human Resources Manager and a Public Relations Specialist. Social Worker: There are many types of social workers, such as child, family and school social workers, medical and/or public health social workers, and mental health and substance abuse social workers. With so many choices within the social worker field, there are many different interests that can be fulfilled as a social worker by different people. Since my interests lie in the medical field, I will focus specifically on medical and public health social workers. These types of social workers provide psychosocial support for patients and families dealing with different acute, chronic and terminal diseases and medical issues, such as caner or AIDS. This counseling helps them manage and cope with their illnesses. Medical social workers work with patients’ healthcare professionals and family to ensure that their needs are being met, whether it be arranging at-home services and nursing or meals on wheels to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that accompanies illness. These social workers work in a number of places, like hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities, and family services or government agencies. Current job prospects are generally favorable in the job market and are still increasing in the medical field. Jobs open up as there is a need to replace those who replace the field. There are many training programs in cities for social workers, so competition is a little higher than in rural areas. Social worker positions are very abundant in rural vicinities. Job prospects are the best though for those specializing in gerontology and substance abuse. Education Requirements: A bachelor’s degree is the minimum prerequisite to enter into the occupation. Some specific jobs require further education and degrees. Every state has a licensing or certification exam that is required once accepted into the profession and after receiving training in the field. Interview: Job Title: Licensed Clinical Social Worker Annual Salary: $59,000 What is the highest level of education that you have received? A Bachelor of Science in Public Health How long have you been working as a medical social worker? 14 years Do attribute your success to hard work or chance in the profession? A little bit of both, but mostly hard work. In this profession, you are are here to please people and help them. I have had to work hard to help others and satisfy their needs. But as I work hard, I obtain positive feedback and this has helped secure my job. My job is very satisfying but at times can be very challenging. What skills do you consider necessary to succeed in your profession? You definitely must be a people person. If I didn’t enjoy the people that I was helping I would go crazy. You have to want to help others. You must also be creative—in the way that you can think of many different options—as well as dedicated. It is a very time consuming job, so you have to have dedication and be able to balance that with your own life. I have also had to develop a lot of patience and determination because sometimes it is hard to always get my clients everything that they need. What is a typical day like? I spend most of my time in my office across from the hospital, meeting with clients multiple times a day. Some days though I travel to clients’ homes. Other days I may meet with service providers as well. I make tons of phone calls and have many meetings. How often do you work? I work full time, so I work 40 hours a week. But sometimes I also work evenings, as I am on call for client emergencies and sometimes have to attend community meetings. I also have the occasional weekend meeting with clients who cannot meet during the week because of their own jobs or appointments. Human Resources Manager: Many companies hire Human Resources Managers to be the liaison between top management and the employees because these companies are far too large to allow close contact between the two. Human Resources Managers provide a connection between the two. These managers perform the administrative work within the company, such as interviewing, recruiting, and interviewing new staff. More so today they also work with top executives for strategic planning within the business. Working in Human Resources is a great field and one that provides a great amount of room to advance and get promoted. The annual salary for an entry level position is $40,000 to $50,000. A senior level position can rake in anywhere from $90,000 to $120,000. The demand for these managers is controlled by the company itself. When businesses are quickly expanding, they tend to hire more human resources managers to accommodate this growth. Unfortunately, because of this trend, when companies aren’t doing so well, there is not as much of a demand for these employees because they cannot hire as many employees, thus they do not need someone to do the job for them. Education Requirements: Must be college graduate with the proper human resources certification. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in human resources, human resources administration, or industrial and labor relations are in high demand; as well as those with a technical or business background or a well-rounded liberal arts education. Interview: Job Title: Human Resources Manager Annual Salary: $53,000 What is the highest level of education that you have received? A BA in English and a human resources certification How long have you been working as a human resources manager? 2 years Do attribute your success to hard work or chance in the profession? I believe that I was lucky to get the job, but my upward movement in the company has definitely been due to my hard work and the quality employees that I have brought in. What skills do you consider necessary to succeed in your profession? Persistence and resilience. What is a typical day like? I spend much of the day in my office but many days I interview potential employees. I also answer phones and answer possible benefits questions. I also handle the hiring of new employees. How often do you work? 40 hours a week. Public Relations Specialist: Public Relations Specialists (also known as media or communications specialists) serve as the voice for many companies—even hospitals, universities and non-profit associations. Many companies recognize the importance of good public relations and the positive impact that it has on their business, so they often hire PR specialists for advice, as well as to get the word out for their company. There is a high level of competition for entry level positions as the number of qualified applicants currently exceeds the number of available positions, but the job outlook is still excellent. There are more job positions available in major cities as there is a higher demand for effective communication. Promotion to administrative jobs is possible for those who show that they can handle more challenging assignments. In PR firms, a beginner is generally hired as a research assistant or account coordinator and often promoted to account executive, senior account executive, account manager, and if they’re lucky—eventually vice president. Ultimately, promotions come with experience, so you just have to put in your time and hard work. Job Title: Communications Specialist Annual Salary: $43,800 Education Requirements: A bachelor’s degree; most are in journalism, communications or public relations, but a good liberal arts background with some journalism experience will do just fine. Interview: What is the highest level of education that you have received? A Bachelor’s in Communications How long have you been working as a PR/Communications specialist? 6 years Do attribute your success to hard work or chance in the profession? Hard work all the way. This field is very competitive and I am always facing the threat of someone else replacing me because many people are hungry for this type of job. What skills do you consider necessary to succeed in your profession? Perseverance and creativity. You must be very innovative and always on your toes. I really have to take initiative as well and anticipate what my boss wants me to do before she even asks me to do it. What is a typical day like? I work in a very busy office and am constantly running errands. I am at my desk a lot as well writing press releases and speeches for clients. How often do you work? |
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