30 in 30: Consider All Your Options

When you rely exclusively on campus recruiting and your college career center, the post-college job market can look incredibly narrow. Recruiters from certain industries (e.g., finance, sales, consulting) tend to flock to career fairs far more than others, and career services often have their own set of established connections and job tracks that don’t represent the broad swath of employment options. Before you do anything else, take some time to consider the broad spectrum of jobs that you could possibly have. Who knows—you may even realize you could get paid to do something you actually like!

Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen Noodles, Rent, and Resumes, agrees: "When job hunting, recent grads need to get over the fantasy of immediately landing their dream job," she told us. "This is smart advice regardless of the economy. Consider something outside of your major. For example, an English major who wants to be a journalist may want to apply at newspapers and magazines—but also consider things like copywriting, editing or teaching. Few graduates get their dream job right off the bat. And with the economy the way it is, sometimes having a job that’s not spot-on is better than having no job at all. And it’s important to remember that any entry-level job is only temporary."

But it's also not just about settling. It's about realizing that you may actually be able to get paid for doing something that—God forbid—you really like. To get the wheels turning, here’s a smattering of potential jobs. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg: Professional Blogger, Internet Entrepreneur, Franchise Owner, Accountant, Investment Banking, Public Relations (PR), Non-profit Fundraiser, Sommelier, Dog Walker, Astronaut, Website Programmer, Advertising Salesperson, Civil Servant, Photographer, Fashion Buyer, Car Reviewer, Chef, Video Game Tester, Travel Writer, College Student Adviser, Interior Designer, Journalist, Musician, Personal Assistant, Pharmacist, Advertising Sales, Radiologist, Alaskan Crab Fisherman…

For more ideas check out p. 77 of Gradspot.com’s Guide to Life After College.

Looking for a job in the new year? Be sure to stay on top of all the essential job-hunting tips from Gradspot's new series, 30 in 30: The Insider's Guide to Job-Hunting in '09. If you'd like to share your own tips with the Gradspot community, email 30in30 [at] gradspot dot com with your tip, your occupation/industry of interest, and your name as you'd like it to appear on the site.