We’ve all heard it a hundred times. 

“What are you going to do with an English degree?” 

“What are you going to do with a history degree?” 

Or “What are you going to do with an art degree?”

Frankly, regardless of that degree you get, you’ll get asked this a dozen times. It often feels like people want to pigeon-hole you based on your major before you even get out the door. 

This series is designed to highlight what you can do with your degree–especially outside the box jobs and sectors that may not be the “obvious answer” for what you can do with your degree. 

In this article, we’re featuring five PR & Marketing majors. You can also check out our previous articles on STEM degrees, English degrees, Political Science, and more. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming piece of the series, please fill out this form. 

Jordan, Marketing 

I got a Bachelors in interdisciplinary studies with emphases in brand marketing and new media journalism. I worked for a couple years before getting my master’s in integrated marketing communications. I now work in political direct mail marketing. I would say that my marketing degree is applicable to many different aspects of politics, and having a consumer / market research mind is really helpful in politics. 

Briana, Strategic Communications 

I majored in Strategic Comm with an emphasis in PR. My major focused a lot on both PR and marketing but when I graduated I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I happened to stumble into a career that has nothing to do with either of those things but I do find myself using them frequently. I’m an Account Manager at a commercial insurance brokerage now. However, my boss knows what I majored it and frequently comes to me to help out with marketing the business and I love it. I use the Comm side of my degree every single day. Knowing how to effectively communicate has helped me immensely in the Corporate America career I fell into. 

Clarice, Marketing

I am a Contract Specialist for the DoN. My business classes provided me background knowledge to become a contract specialist with the DoN. I currently use my business & marketing degree skills to negotiate, write, and modify contracts.

Emily, Marketing

In college I majored in Marketing, Professional Sales, & Business Analytics. I now work for Nielsen as an Analyst on a market research team. I use Nielsen tools to dig into the data to tell a story to my client about what’s going on with their products. A pasta company might come to me and ask me what new product they should launch. I take in their hypotheses and then look at how the business is performing and what competition might be doing. I also answer other business questions like: “How can we get more shelf space at this retailer?” or “With Covid causing buyers to stock up their pantries, are we seeing new buyers to the brand or loyal buyers purchasing even more?” Our clients look to us to answer some of their most important business questions. Just one year out of college I’ve been able to deliver work to people at all different levels at my client, it is really cool and a lot of fun!

Devin, Public Relations

I currently work as a Grant Coordinator at a large nonprofit hospital. As a grant writer, it is really important to be persuasive and draft compelling narratives to secure funding – this is definitely a skill I’ve gained from my PR degree. In addition to the course work, the professors in the PR department stressed the importance of experiencing different internships to get the feel of the various career paths and to “find what you’re passionate about”. It was great advice and opened my eyes to the career possibility outside of the typical communications or marketing department. Now, I’m five years into a career in nonprofit development and loving every minute of it.

Aryssa D
FFL Cabinet Member