Why people’s jobs don’t match their degrees.

When you have just graduated high school, the world is before you. You have all of your dreams and aspirations ready to go. You look at your parents and say things like “I want to major in acting. I want to be an actress” or “I want to go into photography” or maybe “I want to major in a foreign language”.More than likely your parents stare blankly back at you with doubtful looks.

But you didn’t care back then. You had no fear about stating these things then, because they were purely, simply, exactly, what you wanted to do with your life.

Then you graduate with those degrees and feel dismayed because all of the “now hiring” signs are not looking for a photographer, an actress, or a specialist in foreign language. So what happens?

These same people go on to get jobs waiting tables, being a sales clerk, or punching cards behind the desk of some government job, because those places were “hiring”. The job made money, the money paid the rent, and that was the main priority.

Thus, we have an entire society of people who “have to have a degree” but they almost never work in their degree field.

What’s wrong with this picture? Well aside from the discussions we could have about businesses who require you to have a degree, then don’t care what your degree is in, mainly we need to talk about why people don’t choose the things they want AFTER college the way they did before.

Ignorance? Fear? Practicality? Responsibility?

There is nothing irresponsible about pursuing the career you want instead of just pursuing anything that pays money. In fact, pursuing money above all else, is the exact kind of mentality that leads to criminals. Set your priorities towards what really matters. You may need a job to pay the rent, but you aren’t doing your family any favors if you come home every day miserable because you just spent 10-12 hours doing something you hate.

If you got that degree in acting, see if you can’t make a career of that. You don’t have to be a starving artists. Keep the day job, but be looking for ways to create yourself a career that is fun for you AND makes the money you need for your family.

Looking to be a photographer? Who says you can’t open up a website where you sell your photographs? That doesn’t take anything away from what you’re doing now, but it allows you to be doing something you love. and who knows? As that website grows, maybe you can reach a point where that is your main career. Really, it is possible. IF you work at it.

The point is, as you look at your career, stay in what you’re doing if it is what you WANT to be doing. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to pursue change (responsibly) 🙂