What kind of jobs should I look for with a general arts degree?

Question

I graduated last May with a degree in studio arts (general art degree, however I focused on sculpture with wood and photography). I am lost as to what career I should steer toward. I ultimately want to do something creative, perhaps make a product (functional art) of some sort, or something artistic. Any job ideas, or where can I start applying?

Answer 1

Go back and talk to your adviser. He or she will actually have resources for you in finding a job.

Only you can know what sort of career you want. A general arts degree can help you in any art field but limit you in the lack of a speciality.

Sculpture with wood and photography sounds like fine arts to me, like art for art's sake. There's not a lot you can do functionally with something that specific. With that you're best option may be to constantly and obnoxiously show your portfolio to any and every gallery you can travel to easily.

Answer 2

General Studies is, of all the “useless for employment” degrees, one of the most useless. All it tells an employer is that you are indecisive and cannot make up your mind. That you are not passionate about anything. Colleges only offer a General Studies degree to kick out students who have accumulated enough credit to graduate but who have not declared a major to make room for someone with a little more passion for something, anything. In getting a job, there are a few jobs where they want you to have a degree but do not care in what. Like for selling insurance. But beyond that, it is of little more value than a high school diploma. Conceivably a General Studies degree could get you into graduate or law school but even at that, law and graduate schools want to see people with passion for something and General Studies does not send that message to them.

Answer 3

Hate to tell you this, but you had better practice saying "Would you like fries with that?"

Then use your leisure time to do what you enjoy, if it's art.