Your liberal arts degree will ultimately fulfill its promise and open up a wide-range of options for you. There are numerous opportunities in non-traditional areas, for liberal arts graduates to consider. The knowledge you have gained and skills you have learned will serve as a strong foundation for many professions.

If you are interested in some of the major occupational fields, your degree has unlimited potential to unlock the doors to those careers. Here is a sample of the rich spectrum of opportunities available to you, in the non-traditional areas.

"ACCOUNTING: You don't need to be a business major with an emphasis in accounting to enter this field. A masters from an accounting program or even just a few accounting courses can qualify a liberal arts graduate for entry-level accounting positions in a corporate setting. Accounting is often perceived as dry, but it is the language of business and can be very interesting to those who want to satisfy the mildly technical part of the brain.

ADVERTISING: Many liberal arts graduates have advertising as a career goal, but few enter into it. A broad range of opportunities exists in this field, ranging from the creative areas to account management. Landing a job in advertising requires a large amount of research in order to decide upon your area of interest. In order to enter the field, you must be able to show, through a portfolio, that you can do the job.

BANKING: Liberal arts grads can easily find a home in banking. The most common image of banking is the large New York, Boston, and Chicago commercial banks, but banks in other geographic areas have many opportunities that are not limited to business majors.

CONSULTING: Consulting involves selling specialized knowledge and analytical services. Consulting areas include health care, human resources, compensation and benefits, the environment, and market research. Liberal arts grads have many opportunities in this field.

INSURANCE: Insurance offers both sales and non-sales positions. While the insurance business suffers as the brunt of many jokes, don't let it stop you from exploring its options. Positions available to liberal arts grads, besides sales, include underwriting, actuarial, and claims.

MERCHANDISING: Wholesale and manufacturing jobs offer liberal arts grads excellent opportunities. The many entry-level positions offer future advancement in other areas. This often requires good people skills and some math ability.

RETAILING: Liberal arts grads can find highly responsible and satisfying positions in retailing. Large retail firms (department, specialty, drug, and food store chains) have formal training programs that can lead to rewarding positions. College graduates are not usually hired for sales positions, but to train as managers and top executives.

SALES/SALES MANAGEMENT: Jobs in sales should not be frowned upon. They have been the stepping stone for many top executives. Be aware that travel, commission, pressure, etc. may vary significantly with the product you sell. Tangible (physical products) and non-tangible (insurance, advertising, etc.) sales hold an array of lucrative opportunities for competitive graduates who want an unlimited earning potential.  Remember, your first sales job is learning how to sell yourself!

SOCIAL SERVICE: This field consists of jobs with agencies and organizations promoting the welfare of individuals, groups, and communities. These agencies and organizations include financial programs, health services, missionary programs, and recreational programs. Many of the jobs in this field require graduate degrees in counseling and social work, but many support jobs exist. The area of social work is so diverse that it requires detailed research to examine specific job options.

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS: Jobs in this field involve the sale and use of computers and data processing. Liberal arts grads can obtain computer-related jobs with as little as one computer course. Other jobs, such as jobs in sales, often do not require any course work."

 -- Job Fields for Liberal Arts Graduates; http://riceinfo.rice.edu.projects.