Discussion Post: Preparing for a Career
Thread: Assume for a moment that you are writing a cover letter for a resume. How will you present your History degree so that it will catch your prospective employer's eye? How will you "sell" both yourself and your degree? You have long heard that History degrees or Liberal Arts degrees qualify people only to work at fast food joints. Nonsense! History graduates may start out in entry-level jobs with salaries below that of nurses and engineers, but the average History student sees his or her salary double within ten years. Nurses and engineers will not see that unless they have advanced degrees. Furthermore, the typical history graduate usually makes salaries that exceed $75,000 by mid-career, especially if they move into managerial positions. And make no mistake, Historians make great administrators and company managers because they are trained to see the "big picture" and have a solid understanding of human nature. Such cannot be said for business majors or psychology majors who lean heavily to one side or the other of that equation.
You job in this discussion post is to write a preliminary cover letter for a job of your choosing. Convince your prospective employer that someone with a history degree will meet their needs. Then, write a response to a fellow student, making recommendations on how they can improve the "pitch."
This is an incredibly important exercise that will produce something you will use after you graduate. You may also see a similar assignment one day when you take the Senior Capstone course, HIST 491.
The response must include a reference list. One-inch margins, double-space, Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.