More often than not, History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology graduates think that teaching and public service are the only career paths after completing a BA or MA. However, there are numerous other highly satisfying career options which many are not aware of. For instance careers like consulting, market research, analytics, journalism, social sector, travel and tourism, digital marketing, advertisement branding, entrepreneurship et all are highly viable career spaces to explore and thrive.
Here is how one can make a career in these fields–
Consulting
Consultants are professionals providing support in strategic and/or operational areas. Corporations, governments, and non-profit organizations are always looking for good consultants. Job responsibilities include – prepare elaborate industry analysis, evaluate similar organizations and work out strategic initiatives. Work profile includes extensive travelling, keeping 60 to 80 work-hours a week, attending information sessions, networking with industry professionals, and constant researching about companies.
Professional/Market Research
Research skills are much in demand in numerous professional contexts. Often the think tanks and research centres, conduct survey and research projects in many domains. And in doing so they employ PhD scholars for doing the market research, based on their analytical, and writing skills.
Research skills are mostly valued in
- Education
- Publishing
- Non profit organisations
- Government agencies
- Financial institutions
- Start-ups
Job responsibilities include program evaluation, fund-raising research, market research, or public opinion research et al. In most cases the positions open for research related work, ask for both quantitative and qualitative research skills, in addition to skills in highly effective written communication.
Analytics
A career in analytics is a potentially lucrative one. The ability to understand and analyze data is considered to be a very niche skill that very few can do. Hence, such skilled personnels are highly needed and valued across industry sectors, departments, and mostly in seniority levels.
IBM and Burning Glass Insights predict that above 2.7 million job openings for data analytics by the end of 2020. Another good news for those interested in this field is that skilled professionals can earn very attractive salaries which varies anywhere between $77,000 and $219,500 per year, based on the job role.
Popular data analytics careers
- Big Data Engineer – Salary – $127,250–$219,500
- Data Scientist – Salary – $102,750–$175,000
- Data Analyst/Report Writer– Salary – $81,750–$138,000
- Database Developer– Salary – $98,250–$167,750
- Database Manager– Salary – $108,000–$183,000
- Database Administrator– Salary – $77,000–$159,250
- Data Architect– Salary – $111,500–$187,750
- Business Intelligence Analyst– Salary – $85,750–$178,000
- Data Modeler– Salary – $79,000–$164,500
- Data Warehouse Analyst– Salary – $77,750–$160,000
Journalism
One can do a bachelor degree in journalism. Eligibility for enrolment is 10+2 a recognised board. To get admission to a post graduate program, a bachelor degree in journalism or other subjects is required. Certificate courses in journalism and Diplomas in Journalism & Mass Communication are also available in some institutions and where eligibility for enrolment is also 10+2 from a recognised board.
Specialisations can be done in sports, television, photo, press law etc. Courses will prepare students in the technical aspects. In order to be a good professional one must be diplomatic, confident and have a sense for news in addition to an ability to produce news reports and articles in correct, succinct and interesting manner. Ability to arrange thoughts and articulate those written and oral forms along with sorting out apposite facts from the unrelated ones is also very critical to journalists.
Read more on career in – https://www.stoodnt.com/blog/top-careers-in-journalism
Social sector
Job is the social sector gives one the opportunity to add value to human lives, work with innovative ideas and complex issues, and also to travel. The domain of work in this domain includes education, health, essential service, child and women trafficking and sexual abuse, societal awareness, juvenile justice, policy formulations, societal beliefs on issues like patriarchy, honour killing, drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution (two to 10 million commercial sex workers, one million underages), LGBTQ rights, and domestic abuse, skill development, employability, entrepreneurship building, farm and non-farm based livelihood. Read more about careers and jobs in the social sector.
Organisations one can work for could be local, national or international, working in areas of implementation, funders, funding conduits, support – social sector consulting, investment banking, research etc.). They can also vary from being for-profit social enterprises, not-for-profit social enterprises, trusts, Section 8 companies, or societies. Average yearly pay package vary from 2.5 lakh to 6 lakh INR.
Travel and tourism
The scope of employment in the travel and tourism sector is very bright and has high potential with varied opportunities existing in both the public and the private sector. The public sector has opportunities in the Directorates and Departments of Tourism of the Centre and the State as Officers, Information Assistants, Tourist Guides etc. The private sector has opportunities in travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, transport and cargo companies etc. Travel & Tourism generated US$7.6 trillion (10.2% of global GDP) and 292 million jobs in 2016, equivalent to 1 in 10 jobs in the global economy. The sector accounted for 6.6% of total global exports and almost 30% of total global service exports.
Read more on career in Travel and tourism here – https://www.stoodnt.com/blog/travel-tourism-careers-jobs-in-india/
Digital Marketing
Today the buzz word is digitalization. With digital fast becoming the norm, businesses are adopting digital marketing as their preferred strategy for business growth. Over $135 Billion being spend in online advertising globally, Digital Marketing is emerging as one of the fastest-growing industries today. Digital marketing benefits businesses of all sizes in developing countries. The smallest can enter the market and the biggest can access the most remote part of it. At a high level, digital marketing refers to advertising delivered through digital channels such as search engines, websites, social media, email, and mobile apps. Today a digital marketer earns anywhere between Rs 15,000 – 250,000 per month.
Read more on career in Digital Marketing here – https://www.stoodnt.com/blog/edtech-digital-marketing-after-engineering/
Advertising and Public Relations
The Advertising and Public Relations industry focuses on the relationship between a product/service and the public. You can also consider it as a sub-domain of the marketing domain. Marketing is the wide range of activities involved in making sure that you’re continuing to meet the needs of your customers and getting value in return.
Careers in advertising and public relations are genuinely fast-paced and exciting. The advertising and public relations sector is constantly innovating and changing in response to the changing habits of consumers and to engage with an increasingly technologically savvy audience.
You can read details of career in Advertising and Public Relations here – https://www.stoodnt.com/blog/careers-in-advertising-and-public-relations-pr-in-india/
Branding
Brand Management involves creating perceptions of customers about a brand. The brand manager’s responsibility is to develop strategies that create an instantly recognisable product associated with favourable sentiments and messaging. Skilled Brand Managers must know how to combine creative and logical, perception, be tech-savvy, and think out of the box while possessing innate business insight. Key responsibilities of Brand Managers are diverse and highly depend on the planning and execution of the managers. Jon areas include Brand management, Digital marketing strategy and Public relations. Junior job roles in the brand management field include Assistant Brand Manager and Marketing Analyst while senior roles include Senior Brand Manager and Marketing Director. Salary for a Brand Manager would be 40,000$ (entry level) – 112,000$ (senior level) in the USA and 23,000$ (entry level) – 50,000 $ (senior level) in the UK.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship, which means doing business for- profit, social enterprise, and on solo projects, is now a very in-thing. With the boom in start-ups we see entrepreneurs in every sphere of industry today. To get Success as an entrepreneur one must be able to innovate, put up with uncertainties, and recover from failure. A lot of entrepreneurs launch their first venture while studying in high school or college. The best way is to begin with some project to investigate your interest area, and eventually build it into a proper enterprise.
Other careers to consider-
- Editor
- Lawyer/ International lawyer
- Research scientist
- Sales representative
- Outdoor guide
- Journalist/ Reporter
- Intelligence analyst
- Writer Technical writer/ Freelance writer
- Social worker
- Proof reader
Corporate or non-Academic/govt careers in specific disciplines
For Anthropology graduates
- Archaeologist
- Cultural anthropologist
- Geologist
- Historian
- Linguistic anthropologist
- Museum curator
- Park interpreter
- Physical anthropologist
- Oceanographer
- Statistician
For Archaeology graduates
- Anthropologist
- Archivist
- Biologist
- Cultural resource management
- Museum curator
- Paleontologist
- Park ranger
- Technical writer
For Art History graduates
- Art appraiser
- Art critic
- Art historian
- Art restorer
- Artist
- Cartoonist
- Commercial artist
- Gallery owner
- Museum curator
For Geography graduates
- Cartographer
- City manager
- Community planner
- Economic geographer
- Environmental manager
- Forestry technician
- General geographer
- Hydrologist
- Park ranger
- Physical geographer
- Planning engineer
- Political geographer
- Site selection analyst
- Sociologist
- Soil conservation
- Systems analyst
- Weather forecaster
For History graduates
- Archivist
- Historian
- Librarian
- Museum curator
- Political scientist
- Research historian
For International Relations graduates
- CIA analyst
- Congressional committee staff work
- Foreign service officer
- Intelligence analyst
- International diplomat
- Language translator
- Military officer
- Political analyst
- Political scientist
For Liberal arts graduates
- Entertainer
- Military officer
For Library Science graduates
- Acquisition librarian
- Bibliographer
- Encyclopaedia researcher
- Information scientist
- Museum curator
- Public librarian
- Research analyst
- School librarian
For Linguistics graduates
- Archivist
- Cryptanalyst
- Document examiner
- Librarian
- Linguistics specialist
- Philologist
- Radio/TV announcer
For Philosophy graduates
- Clergy
- Diplomat
- Military officer
- Philosopher
- Physician
For Political Science graduates
- Psephology
- Diplomat
- Embassy attaché
- Government lobbyist
- Historian
- Political analyst
- Pollster
For Social Science, General graduates
- Counsellor/clergy
- Social scientist
For Social Work graduates
- Clergy
- Clinical social worker
- Gerontologist
- Marriage counsellor
- Psychologist
- Rehabilitation counsellor
- Sex therapist
- Social caseworker
- Substance abuse counsellor
- Veterans’ counsellor
Related Articles:
Careers and Jobs for History Graduates
Careers and Jobs for Sociology Graduates
Careers and Jobs in the Technology Domain for Humanities and Arts Graduates