Studying the humanities isn’t often associated with cutting-edge technology or modern coursework. But that doesn’t mean literature, history and the arts are outdated. Humanities majors can be found throughout today’s most modern jobs.
Popular Jobs & Careers in Humanities
If you’re looking to start a career in media, marketing, law or politics, the humanities are an ideal place to start. (And in many cases, it’s essential.) It’s also an expanding field: the number of liberal arts and humanities associate degrees are increasing at a faster rate than all other areas of study. If you’re curious about where today’s humanities majors are working after they graduate–here is a list of jobs they’re uniquely suited for.
Social Media Specialist
Americans spend an average of three and a half hours on social media every day. Because of this, multinational corporations, local businesses and government agencies all rely heavily upon social media platforms. It’s now become their primary tool to communicate with their audiences, generate interest, and manage their relationships with the public. There’s never been a better time to become a social media specialist. These professionals do far more than post videos, images and text messages—social media specialists are responsible for monitoring their organization’s online feeds, identifying the needs of their audience and collecting feedback for managers.
Relationship-building is an integral part of the job, which makes humanities majors uniquely suited to this career. (You can get a head start on building your writing skills with our developmental writing course.) Entry-level social media specialists can expect to earn about $56,000 when starting out, and there is a lot of room for upward expansion and growth. Social media managers often make $70,000 and up, while Vice Presidents of Social and Digital Media typically make $125,000 to $200,000.
Content Strategist
Online marketing has leveled the playing field for many companies, and corporations and local businesses alike now use digital content to reach their audiences. Because of this, the role of a content strategist continues to broaden. You can find them working in advertising, public relations, and marketing. Content strategists plan campaigns to increase awareness about a company or its new products. They also use a range of analytical tools to quantify the effectiveness of their messaging. Like social media specialists, this is a growing field in both the public and private sector.
Most content strategists get their start producing material for companies or government organizations. Writing is an essential skill, making this career ideal for humanities graduates. Staying on top of trends and developing a strong understanding of messaging techniques is also very important. As they grow in their career, they begin to plan campaigns and manage the content creation developed by their teams. Content strategists who work in advertising often earn an annual salary more than $130,000; those who work as marketing managers can earn as much as $140,000.
Lobbyist
Politics and government affairs affect everything we do, and it’s never been more important for companies and communities to build relationships with local, state, and federal agencies. This is the principal job of a lobbyist. These professionals heavily research the issues and agendas of legislatures and stay informed to learn how current events might impact the companies and organizations they work for.
Primarily, the job of the lobbyist is to communicate: contacting legislators, attending meetings with representatives and their staffs, and preparing materials to advocate effectively for their organizations. This kind of work takes strong written and oral communication skills, which humanities majors get years of training in. Salaries for lobbyists can vary widely, but the median pay for lobbyists and political specialists in 2020 was $125,000 per year. (Get started learning the principles of government with our American Government course.)
Translator
As more businesses, communities and government activities are becoming more international, there has never been a greater need for interpreters and translators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects these careers to grow by 24 percent in the next eight years—much faster than the average. Translators work for government agencies and international companies, but also for schools, hospitals and conference centers—the list of companies and venues that require their services continues to grow.
Many translators also work remotely and are self-employed. All translators need impeccable language skills, making a humanities degree ideal for preparing anyone who wants to join this fast-growing career. While the median salary for translators is $52,000, that number continues to increase as demand for translators continues to rise. Some earn as much as $100,000, especially if they are certified by the American Translators Association.
NLP Specialist
If you’ve ever asked Alexa to set a timer or had Siri reply to a text message, you’ve benefited from NLP, or Natural Language Processing. Tech companies from around the world are working on bridging the gap between how people naturally communicate and how software can interpret these communications. While this new technology requires a high degree of programming and computer science, it also requires a deep knowledge of language, linguistics, and communication.
Earn Credits with StraighterLine for Your Humanities Degree
Many tech companies look to humanities graduates to help them produce better, more robust NLP tools. In addition to tech companies, you can find NLP specialists working in national security and health care. It’s a field that continues to develop, but NLP specialists can expect to earn between $50,000 and $100,000, depending on the nature of their position and who they’re working for.
