Turning The Wrong Degree Into The Right Career

What happens if you’re getting ready to graduate and you realize the career you now want requires a different degree than the one you’re graduating with?  Unless most of your credits will transfer and you can get a different degree with only another semester or two, the best thing to do is let it go and graduate with the wrong degree.  You’ll waste a lot of time and money going back and doing it all over again for a different degree. There are ways to turn whatever your degree is into the career you want it to be, so don’t panic. Move forward and don’t look back.

Focus on these two key areas and start contacting people you know for leads on how to get your foot in the door. 

Transferable Skills: No matter what your major was, you’ve definitely learned worthwhile skills that are valued in the workplace and can easily transfer from one career field to another. Let’s say, for example that you’re an English major wanting to go into a career in Advertising.  Some of your transferable skills might include:

1) The critical thinking skills you’ve gained through the reading comprehension and analyses you’ve had to do in your studies. This can be useful in seeing the whole picture of an advertising project or campaign. 

2) The communication skills you’ve perfected reading works and writing dozens of English papers. You can use these skills to develop and ensure that the message you’re sending to your target audience is the best it can be.  

3) The creative/artistic skills you’ve learned through creative writing projects. This can help you create catchy phrases and slogans for the products and services you’re advertising to your target audience. 

Relevant Experience:  For many careers, employers will tell you that experience can make up for whatever your degree is in.  As long as you can get your foot in the door in the industry you want, you can usually work your way up. For example, you could combine your English background with experience in advertising by: 

1) Volunteering to create signs and other advertising materials for book signings and new releases at a bookstore or library. 

2) Finding an internship creating slogans and writing materials for an advertising agency. 

3) Offering to develop advertisements for a friend’s company or local businesses. A lot of smaller businesses can’t afford large advertising campaigns and this can be a great way for you to get some experience in the field. 

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Amanda Ryan is a Program Development Associate & Senior Resume Writer at RedStarResume. Amanda is a highly skilled resume writing expert and career expert who also specialises in creating, writing and developing career content, working alongside student and graduate job seekers and developing career content for newsletters, partners and career websites.

Need help writing a resume or perhaps you have a career related question? You can contact Amanda directly via the RedStarResume website!