College of Arts and Sciences graduate Danie Isaacs said that earning a degree in art history, as opposed to what some would consider a more marketable major, did not hurt her chances in the job market. All it took for her to secure a job in her field, she said, was experience.
“[Career Services officials] were very helpful and listened to what my goals for the future were intently,” Isaacs said. “Even with my Master’s, the experience I have gained from internships and freelance is very important to potential employers.”
Boston University students pursuing degrees in majors such as religion and art history said that they foresee themselves landing a job in the field of their major, provided that they have enough experience.
Art History Department Chair Fred Kleiner, who teaches art history and archeology, said he believed that his students have many internship and job opportunities, partly due to the reputation of the faculty and connections to alumni at universities, museums and galleries.
“I think you may be surprised at how many doors are open to BU graduates who have earned B.A.s in the history of art and architecture,” Kleiner said.
Deeana Klepper, chair of BU’s religion department, said in an email that as a faculty member of religion and history, two liberal arts fields, she is “no stranger” to the debate about unmarketable majors.
Most who graduate with degrees in religion go on to graduate school or law school, she said. Students with several internships are the ones that often find jobs after earning a bachelor’s degree.
“One alumna got a spot at the University of Michigan law school, a very competitive university. When it was time to interview for summer internships, she found herself very much in demand,” Klepper said. “Turned out that many law firms were intrigued by her RN major, something they didn’t see nearly as much as political science majors or history majors. She got a fabulous offer that turned into a job.”
Some religion students have not been so lucky to find jobs in their field, she said. One religion major went on to manage an electronics store after graduation. After a few years, she said, he went to law school at the University of Connecticut.
An article in The Daily Beast called journalism one of the most “useless” majors because of a projected 6.32 percent decline in journalism jobs from 2008 through 2018.
An adviser at the College of Communication declined to comment, but COM students said that they do hear their majors are considered unmarketable.
COM senior Anna McKeon said that those who consider journalism unmarketable are the ones who are not in the field. Success comes down to the person, not the major, she said.
“It is people and not majors who are marketable. Hopefully, employers want to hire me and not my major,” McKeon said.
Lexi Salazar, a COM junior, also expressed confidence in her decision to major in journalism.
“Journalism is far from being a dying industry. It’s just evolving. The world will always need to be informed. They will always need the press,” Salazar said.
COM junior Akanksha Aurora, who is studying film and television, said that as an international student she may have a harder time getting hired in the U.S. Her key to landing a job, she said, is her resume.
Some students pursuing degrees in archeology said they worry about the marketability of their major.
CAS graduate Josh Feola, who earned degrees in art history and archeology in 2008, said that while he is satisfied with his job, he considers archeology “extremely unmarketable.” If he could do it all over, he said, he would major in computer science or electrical engineering.
“As nice as it was to sit in dark classrooms and look at paintings for four years, I didn’t learn much from my degree that I couldn’t have learned on my own,” Feola said.
Kathleen Daniels, a CAS freshman, said she declared a major in archeology in hopes of landing a job in fieldwork.
“I realize that the number of archaeology majors and professionals far outweighs the availability of jobs for these people,” Daniels said.
However, she said that one’s passion for a subject should trump its marketability.
“If someone is truly interested and passionate about the subject they chose to major in, they will find a way to make it marketable,” she said.
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