What About All Those Philosophy Jobs?
Have you ever received a req from a VMS calling for a philosopher, perhaps someone with a knowledge of existentialism?
Probably not, but philosophy is nonetheless among the liberal arts majors that college students graduate with each year. What can such students do about jobs?
“Too often a graduate hears ‘congratulations’ and ‘now what?’” wrote Mary Walshok, dean of the University of California San Diego Extension, in a new report on hot jobs for college grads. “It may take months for the implications of ‘now what’ to sink in — that a degree in the general liberal arts may not be enough to get a good job.”
To help bridge that gap between the job market and a liberal arts degree, the university put together a report on hot jobs that ranked the positions based on employment, growth, pay, typical work environment and a “bridgeability factor.” The bridgeability factor considered whether a college grad could enter the field with just one or two years of further study or reskilling.
The top five jobs included:
- Software developers, systems software
- Physical therapists and assistants
- Software developers, applications
- Market research analysts/data miners
- Cost estimators
The report lists a total of 20 jobs.
Such a list seems like a good idea. If a staffing firm can’t place a college grad today, maybe they could be referred to this list and placed after they’ve received training or education in one of these skills.