Expert: Christine Fader - 5/26/2010

Question
I am looking for career change but need some alternate avenues to explore. Recently, I went to a career counselor at a community college who recommended a variety of programs to me. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to grasp my hesitation to enter these areas of study because (1) the market is over-saturated with people graduating from these recommended programs and; (2) I am pushing 40 and feel my age would be a definite hindrance given the fact the market is over-saturated with qualified individuals (e.g. graduates of legal assistant, IT help desk specialist, office assistant programs etc.) and more experienced individuals.
I possess a B.A. in history with a minor in English and an 8-month IT certificate from a community college. Despite placing hundreds of well-made resumes over the years, I have been unsuccessful in securing employment in anything but poorly-paid and generally unsatisfying service work.
I would like to pursue a career that would be unique with the opportunity to earn more than minimum wage. I considered pursuing funeral director but upon looking further into the field, I was disappointed to learn that it is more of a sales position (complete with quotas) and frequently a manipulative, underhanded sort of sales type of work. I have moral reservations about pursuing such a line of work on that basis.
I am very willing to go back to school but I need some direction. I have taken various personality/career tests and really don't think they give any definitive or unique path options.  On-line searches haven't really yielded any more "unique" career options.
In a nutshell, I like to work with things and tend to be competent with word usage. I enjoy analysis and processes. I do not like conflict or competition. Is there any hope for me or should I just suck it up and continue in a life of drudgery at my McJob?
Thank you for your time,
Helene

Answer
Hi Helene,

Figuring out what to do with your life is hard at any time, but it can be especially difficult when you've already had some life experience and know that there are realities that need to be taken into consideration, along with the dreaming.  I understand your frustration with career and personality tests--they can sometimes prove useful for some people but they are also inherently generalizing you into a category and that doesn't work for everyone, nor do they help when you want to blend a number of different interests and skills and realities (which is the case for most of us).  

I don't know what your past work experience has been (that affects what you can do immediately from where you're at) and a degree is great but also doesn't "train" you to do something specific.  So, it can be very difficult to know what you're qualified to do and sometimes for employers to understand what your skills are.

You might want to look at the book:  The Canadian Grad and Student Job Directory.  It's put out every couple of years and you can look up your degree at the back and it tells you about organizations who have tended to hire people with that degree, and very little related experience.  It can sometimes be a good starting point to find out "who wants me and my history degree?"

One point I would make also is that unlike universities, community colleges in Canada are not funded to provide programs to train people unless they can PROVE that their graduates find jobs in those programs...so if you have consulted with a community college advisor and they have suggested programs, it's because there are jobs in those fields--and enough of them to support them continuing to offer that program.   Yes, you may compete with younger gradutes but you have extra life and work experience which should only prove to be an advantage, not a disadvantage.

I work daily with university students and one of the things that history students (indeed, graduates from many arts programs) are able to easily connect with is occupations related to communications.  Because your degree involved a lot of information synthesis, analysis and writing, you have definite skills in that area and that meshes easily with jobs in public relations, publishing, editing, publicity and promotion, education program coordination in non-profit agencies, historical interpretation or administration in museums, research assistant for television or radio shows, marketing, etc.  

Since you live in Canada, I can recommend two websites for you that would harness the skills you have from your history degree (especially if you articulate those skills on your resume) and might give you some hope of getting out of your "McJob" as you called it (although don't discount your previous experience, no matter what field it's in as it can all help you, if communicated strategically).

Try:

jeffgaulin.com
mediajobsearchcanada.com

for a host of jobs in communications fields.  You may also want to re-structure your resume so that you look more like where you're going, rather than where you've been (especially if you don't want to end up appealing to the same kinds of employers you have done in the past).  Instead of traditional sections like "Work Experience" on your resume, you might choose to instead have "Related Experience" or "Communications-related Experience" instead and list paid or unpaid roles where you've done writing, speaking, training, administration or other skills related to communications.  

Also, lots of history grads end up working in government organizations (federal or provincial or municipal) in planning departments (social policy planner, education policy planner, hospital impact analysis specialist etc.), policy departments (policy analysts, policy developers), immigration departments (settlement officer, program coordinator, immigration assessor) because their analytical skills and writing skills are very useful.  Check out:

www.jobs.gc.ca (federal)
gojobs.gov.on.ca (Ontario provincial - search for your own province's site)

Your IT skills would be an additional bonus that would make you stand out from other candidates but if you don't want to do that as your primary job, then you want it to look like a bonus, not your main career identity.  So don't give it all the front space on your resume.

If you're wondering why I've leapt on your history degree and have travelled down that road, the reason is that your questions are valid but complicated to answer in this forum.  It's difficult to help you move forward in any individualized way in terms of career direction simply by writing to you so I am giving advice based on what you already have...and where in the occupational world you might fit quickly in a job that's more appropriate to your education and without having to re-train.  Figuring out what to re-train in and what might work for you in terms of a satisfying job is a much more complicated process that I can't really do here.  

I know you said you've had well-made resumes that you've sent out in the past to no avail.  Because you've not gotten the results you wanted, I think that there's something amiss with either how you're presenting your career identity on your resume (i.e. do you look like too many things?  do you look like a McJob on paper, istead of what you want?) or where you're choosing to apply (i.e. only internet job postings, or jobs that don't really fit your experience/education correctly).

I think that your next best step might be to have someone scrutinize your resume again (and you can do this yourself too) and really look at where you have skills (from education, paid work, volunteering, clubs, community groups, parenting etc.) that you actually WANT to use.  You might have some really great and want-to-do-more experiences that have had nothing to do with your paid work and if they are buried in your resume or not even on there, then employers won't see that you fit those related jobs.  If what you're highlighting is all the stuff you hated doing and never want to do again, then that's all employers see and bingo...you end up back in the same old un-satisfying job again.

Figure out 1-2 categories that those skills you WANT to use fit under (e.g. "Communication Experience" or "Administrative Experience") and spend lots of space in your resume on those experiences (even if there's only one entry!) and minimize the descriptions and space that your less-fun, less-relevant jobs take.  Amplify the space your degree takes by including relevant courses, good marks on courses (if applicable), titles of relevant essays, etc.  

When you look at yourself on paper, you want to look as much like where you're going (i.e. a liberal arts grad aiming for a communiations career) as you possibly can.  Then, it's easy for employers to see it and for you to believe it's possible.

I hope this helps give you some ideas.  I know I haven't answered your questions directly but I don't think you should just "Suck it up and continue a life of drudgery".  You do have options -- some you can pursue immediately with a bit of re-thinking of how you present yourself on paper and some that may require some more introspection and exploring.

If you're looking for lists of unique career options, you might also want to try:

cooljobs.com (has some typical and some really "out there" types of jobs!)
or books like:
Careers for History Buffs (there's a whole series you can find in larger bookstores including: Careers for Talkative Types, Careers for Introverts, Careers for Gourmet Lovers, Careers for Kids at Heart, etc.)  

also try:
Great Jobs for History Majors

I hope this gets you re-motivated!  Hang in there.

Christine
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Christine Fader
Career Counsellor & Author
www.careercupid.com