"Thinking Beyond Your Major" By Richard Murdocco, '10
When it comes to
starting your career, you may find that you need to go beyond your academic
major. By considering your unique strengths and ways to apply them, you’ll make
yourself open to more employment prospects and opportunities for personal
growth.
When students or
recent graduates identify themselves in interviews, they often say something
along the lines of, "Hello! My name is George Humphrey. I am a student at
Stony Brook University majoring in INSERT MAJOR HERE.”
Leading off with your
major sets an expectation for the interviewer that you fit the archetype of only
that field. While some professions require a relatively static skill set,
others have more broad qualifications. Is there an opening for a research analyst
at a large firm, but you studied Earth Science? You may be able to apply
what you’ve learned as an undergraduate to fit that position.
As I had written last time, one of the perks of
identifying your strongest skill is using it to your advantage in a variety of
different professions. Are you a mathematics major who writes well? Or maybe
you study Economics, but have a host of public speaking gigs under your belt.
Excellent - you're a double threat in the job market. Use those valuable skills
- and your unique academic background - to your advantage.
If you are struggling to find a job that your
academic background is tailor-made for, consider other opportunities that will allow you to put your
skills to work. Often, rather than seeking the most qualified candidate on
paper, companies look for an
individual who fits in with company culture and who offers something unique to their
institution.
Speaking from personal
experience, my studies in both undergraduate at Fordham and graduate
school at Stony Brook focused on land use,
real estate development and the interrelationship between economic growth and
environmental impacts. Despite having this rather specialized academic
background, I now work in the ever-changing field of marketing for a financial
institution. My background in government is helpful, but my ability to write is
even more valuable. By identifying my skill and thinking beyond my major, I was
able to jump into a field in which I never thought I'd be working. Each day, I use
my education in policy to solve marketing challenges while applying the lessons
learned in my undergraduate studies to give a different perspective on finding
solutions.
Remember, though -
that is my story. As a student or recent graduate, you must go out into the
world and create your own story. What is your unique skill? Once you answer
that question, ask yourself, "Am I thinking big enough?"
Always push yourself
to think bigger. Thinking beyond your major requires an open mindedness that
can pay big dividends as you progress throughout your career. Who knows - maybe
one day you'll be a philosophy major who helps a firm with financial
forecasting, or a regional planner who works as a marketer.
Richard
Murdocco is a digital marketing analyst for Teachers Federal Credit Union. He graduated
from Fordham University with his BA in Political Science and Urban Studies, and
his MA in Public Policy from SUNY Stony Brook in 2010.
Professionally, Richard worked for
the New York City Mayor's Office of Capital Project Development under the Bloomberg
Administration, the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, and Community Development
Corporation of Long Island as a grant writer. His website, The Foggiest Idea, is a dedicated resource for land use and development
information geared towards Long Islanders.
Follow Richard Murdocco on Twitter @TheFoggiestIdea,
visit thefoggiestidea.org
or email him at Rich@TheFoggiestIdea.org. You can check out his work weekly for the Long Island Press.
