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Susan Zheng is the co-founder and CEO of Lynxsy, a mobile recruitment marketplace for companies to hire junior, non-technical talent. Previously, she was an early employee at Tough Mudder where she helped the company grow from 10 to 200 in two years. She graduated from NYU Stern with a degree in Finance and International Business.
Career Advice: Take chances, and don’t worry if your career doesn’t follow a formula. The most successful people in history have had non-linear careers.
You’ve just graduated, or you’re about to graduate, with a degree in the humanities. The media is picking on your degree with increasing intensity. Articles about the least useful degrees for graduates are popping up in your news feed, and Buzzfeed is pushing out videos on How to scare humanities majors. No wonder if you’re feeling nervous about your job prospects and bashful about your choice of study.
Don’t regret your college decisions just yet. While a STEM degree is a must for certain career paths, your humanities major can actually be a very appealing asset to potential employers. It represents a certain set of competencies that uniquely prepare you for the world of work.
Here are some capabilities you’ve picked up along the way that you shouldn’t take for granted—or let anyone forget:
Top-Notch Writing Ability
Employers want candidates with strong writing skills. You have the chops, having churned out numerous papers to satisfy the professors of your various humanities courses. Your ability to convey your thoughts in writing is worth a great deal in the workplace.
Clutch Critical Thinking
Your studies have emphasized analysis and speculation. You’ve had the freedom to examine topics from multiple viewpoints. Employers recognize that this kind of mental prowess transfers well to the business world.
Expert Communication
While you probably did your fair share of g-chatting in the library, surely that’s not the only communication skill you honed in your four years. The time you didn’t spend solving mathematical puzzles or mixing chemicals was instead invested in lively discussions about big ideas, whether in class or over coffee with friends. You’re articulate, and it shows.
Mad Research Skills
Remember those works cited pages you toiled over late at night? They weren’t in vain. Though not gleaned in a laboratory, your hard-won research skills will be useful to your future employer. And if you’re looking at a startup, your ability to dig and make sense of what you find is pure gold.
Creativity to Boot
Just as STEM degrees tend to attract empirical folks, humanities degrees are a magnet for free thinkers. Your left brain dominance is an advantage when there’s a problem to solve. Businesses—especially startups—thrive on bold ideas, and you may be just the person to provide them.
Be proud of the work you put in to earn your humanities degree. As you market yourself, make sure your resume and answers to interviewer questions reflect your unique skills—thanks to your humanities degree. And if you’re considering a startup endeavor, you can consider yourself a serious contender. Don’t forget! Lynxsy can help!
Article Originally Posted on The Lynxsy Blog.
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