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There are many and varied benefits to a Liberal Arts education in today's world of work, not least the ability to do just about anything you choose. These stories - from current UT students, alums, employers, and recruiters - each celebrate the value of the Liberal Arts degree in a different way. What they collectively demonstrate, however, is how to capitalize on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained from a Liberal Arts education and internship experiences in order to carve out a successful, fulfilling, and sometimes life-changing career. We hope you find them both informative and inspirational. If you have a personal story you'd like to share please contact Elizabeth Alexander.

E Meserve

Class of 2009 geography major, Elizabeth Meserve, shows how it's done -- achieving that "dream" job, one success at a time. Read more...

liz

An exercise she learned in one of LACS' career education courses inspired English major, Liz Aiello, to change the way she viewed herself and, ultimately, led to a new way of attracting attention from employers. After registering for Dr. Kate Brooks' English Major in the Workplace course, Liz learned to think of her career in relation to "chaos theory" and the butterfly effect - with very positive results Read more...

beckner

While in high school, Lisa Beckner discovered a love of history, so deciding what to major in at UT seemed pretty straightforward. However, working after school for her father, a doctor, also sparked a strong interest in healthcare as a profession. Soon after starting college, Lisa realized that her passion for history and healthcare were compatible. By adding pre-med to her liberal arts degree plan, Lisa has found a way to prepare for medical school. Read more...

burkin

You may not have realized it, but Liberal Arts Career Services offers for-credit career education courses. Economics major Adam Burkin has completed two of them – The Economics Major in the Workplace, and Nonprofit Consulting: An internship alternative – both of which have helped Adam discover much about himself, the value of his major, and the skills and talents he is able to offer a future employer. Read more…

Three years after graduating UT as an English and Latin major, and having recently graduated from Stanford Law School and taking the Bar Exam, Sean Rodriguez is now clerking for a federal judge who deals only with antitrust, securities, and life science patent litigation. He emphasizes though that there is no prerequisite or a single path to go to law school, rather it's a degree open to any sort of academic background.
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When economics major Katherine Moore heard about an opportunity with Media Plus Consulting in Brussels, she didn’t think she stood a chance of being interviewed as most of those jobs tended to go to established researchers with master’s degrees. But Katherine’s impressive performance not only led to a position working for them in Asia Pacific and Australia, but took her to Africa and Europe. And that’s just for starters!
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Annie Painting had planned to get her Master’s in Social Work after graduating as a Psychology major in 2002, then go into mediation work after that. But after receiving regular promotions while working as a hotel bartender during school, Annie realized she could carve a satisfying future for herself in the hospitality industry. Until recently she was the Banquet Manager* at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. Annie credits her liberal arts education and psychology major with providing many of the transferable skills needed to succeed in past, present, and future roles.
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"Follow your passion" is advice that can sound scary when you're in college and everyone is pressuring you just to "get a job." But after realizing how important it was for her to work with young people, UT alum and sociology major Jenifer Michelson De Atley is now doing a job she loves -- as program coordinator for YouthLaunch's No Kidding program.
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As the number of college graduates increases and you find yourself competing for jobs with students who have equally good if not better GPAs, it can seem challenging to differentiate yourself from the crowd. For English major Elizabeth Brogan this was a cinch. After reading her résumé, recruiters wanted to hear about her experiences as a Disney princess.
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Alum Neha Mehta walked straight into a business analyst position with major consulting firm Deloitte & Touche after graduating in economics and government. Two years later she was promoted to consultant within their Strategy & Operations Group, work that she describes as fulfilling, challenging, and “a lot of fun.”  Yet Neha might not have realized how accomplished she was at tackling client problems, had it not been for a “sneak peak” look at the world of business consulting.
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Things change, including career choices. When Jason Joiner discovered close to graduating that his original plan to become a meteorologist wasn’t truly the career path he wanted to follow, it struck him “like a ton of bricks.” But he soon turned that problem into a personally-fulfilling position at a leading networking firm in Austin, thanks to the skills gained from pursuing his English degree
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Tony Gaston, Jr.

Economics major Patrick Foley thought he'd work in consulting or banking after graduating college. However, experience gained during a summer internship at the US embassy in Stockholm has since broadened his career aspirations.
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Like many Liberal Arts students, Tony Gaston was disappointed at not getting admitted to his first choice, business school. He quickly realized, however, that he could not only accomplish the same career goals with a psychology degree, but the Liberal Arts experience could make him even more marketable.
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UT alum and CEO of Enspire Learning, Bjorn Billhardt, believes that being a Liberal Arts major is directly relevant to running a dynamic, highly successful company. That's why he is aggressively hiring Liberal Arts majors, particularly, to fuel his company's growth.
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There's a question that every Liberal Arts student hears, and probably dreads. The one that asks you to explain, “What are you going to do with that?” Find out how Kimberly Garza’s English and Spanish majors, combined with a prestigious magazine internship, helped her land a first job out of college that has taken her career – literally -- sky-high!
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Ready to make big changes to public policy after graduation? Why not begin with classroom. Teaching positions are available with simultaneous certification programs through Teach for America, Texas Teaching Fellows and others across the nation. Learn about how Andrea Martin, English and Government major, got accepted for Teach for America and how she intends to impact education as a corps member in St. Louis starting this fall.

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As a recent CNBC.com article affirmed, to succeed in a tough economy college graduates need to demonstrate to prospective employers that they bring something concrete to the table - such as organizational leadership, internships or other, tangible work experience. There's no shortage of that on sociology senior, Lisa Newhouse's resume, which makes her a competitive candidate for jobs offered at the Nonprofit & Public Sector Career Fair.

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As a senior economics student at UT, Mustansir Jeevanjee is currently applying to a number of top consulting companies. Find out how he has prepared for the intense case study interview process and how his economics courses have prepared him for a future in management consulting.
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Leah Finnegan

You'd expect the editor of the Daily Texan to be a journalism major, right? Or, at the very least, belong to the College of Communication. In which case you might be surprised to learn that the current incumbent, Leah Finnegan, is an American Studies major.
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Bill Bacon

The focus of Bill Bacon’s research concerns the way consumers spend their money differently in New-Urbanist retail developments compared with traditional “big box” developments. His studies are not in business, economics, or even architecture, however. Bill is an anthropology and history senior who regards his Liberal Arts education as having helped him develop a fresh perspective on urban planning.
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Kevin Kelra

Certainly, having a Liberal Arts degree prepares you perfectly for today’s world of work. But what Hisham Srour has also discovered is that his Liberal Arts education has helped him develop social and moral values and “find himself” as a person, qualities that he believes will help make him a better lawyer.
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Academics are, of course important. But to land yourself a role you’ve long desired, don’t overlook the many other experiences that help you develop and refine the transferable skills that today’s employers are looking for. Find out how this advice, from Ali Puente Douglass, is moving her steadily towards her long-term goal of shaping public policy.
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Every day events can sometimes have a huge impact on your choice of career. Johan van der Walt's "aha" moment came as he was driving through an impoverished community in South Africa. This fired up his desire to work in international development , with the longer-term career goal of becoming a diplomat.
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Gemma Thompson

You don’t have to be a business major to work for global investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs. Gemma Thompson should know. She is not only a campus recruiter for this blue chip organization, but has parlayed her own Liberal Arts degree in Modern and Medieval Languages into a position within their Human Capital Management Division.
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As a freshman, government major Stephen Myers didn't have a detailed career plan. Four years on he still doesn't know where his Liberal Arts education and eventual law degree will take him. But he has an unshakeable belief in the power of individuals to change things, a desire to serve, and a set of "soft" skills that differentiates him from other seniors with the same degree and GPA.
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In the search for a fulfilling career we too often focus on the “what” whilst neglecting to consider the “who” and the “where.” Not Psychology and History graduate, Kendra Crispin. Realizing that her career needs to fit who she is, she’s taking a strategic approach to her career goals.
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Kevin Kelra

With three prestigious internships under his belt it’s not surprising that Geography and Mathematics senior Kevin Kalra has several, plum job offers to consider once he graduates. Find out how he acquired those internships and why Kevin believes it’s not just what you know but who you know that cements long-term career success.
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lawson

There's more to benefiting from the student experience at UT than coursework. Did you know, for example, that there are over 1,000 student organizations that you could join on this campus? In the College of Liberal Arts the most impactful of these organizations is the Liberal Arts Council (LAC). Lawson Bishop, the president of LAC, found that service has benefited his UT journey in more ways than one.
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