Bridging American Studies to the World of Work

Internships – e.g. working as an intern for Boston Magazine if you’re interested in publishing.

Job Shadowing/Informational Meetings with American studies graduates and other professionals in fields of interest.

Demonstrating interest in fields through the selection of paper topics in AS courses, independent study and collaborative research with faculty e.g. choosing to research consumer trends during an era of American culture if you’re interested in advertising/marketing.

Professional School – Journalism, Law, Business, Social Work, Public Policy, Museum Studies, Human Resource Management, Speech Pathology, Social Science Education, Sports Administration, architecture, medicine, physical therapy.

Minor or Secondary Course Concentration – e.g. Art History for Museum studies, Biology for health careers, Psychology for counseling, economics or business for marketing.

Pursuing training and/or certification through summer programs e.g. an Interior design course at Pratt, Microsoft certificate at a computer training center, a filmmaking workshop at NYU.

Joining professional groups or associations as a student member, reading publications and attending meetings e.g. a student interested in an advertising career might join the American Advertising Federation as a student member.

Using Campus Organizations to develop skills valued in the job market e.g. writing a column on contemporary music for the Skidmore news if you’re interested in an entertainment writing career.