4 answers
Alexis
Student
Roseville, Michigan
1
Question
Asked
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How to find a job in my field after I graduate college ?
I am going to major in linguistics and I think it will be kind of hard to find a job in that field. I plan to learn multiple languages but what can I do with that degree?
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4 answers
Rebecca Tang
Banking
2398
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. There are many linguistic related careers.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Would you consider to be a translator, journalist, escort tour guide, hospitality management, foreign language teacher, etc. You can find out more linguistic related careers online
2. Find out more on these careers and identify the related careers
3. Seek guidance from the professor. Speak to alumni who are working in these careers.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore any intern opportunities working in these careers.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Below are my suggestions :
1. Would you consider to be a translator, journalist, escort tour guide, hospitality management, foreign language teacher, etc. You can find out more linguistic related careers online
2. Find out more on these careers and identify the related careers
3. Seek guidance from the professor. Speak to alumni who are working in these careers.
4. Shortlist 1-2 careers you would like to pursue
5. Explore any intern opportunities working in these careers.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
May Almighty God bless you!
Wong Loke Yuen
Head of Programme cum Senior Lecturer
645
Answers
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Alexis. One of the best things you can do is to get practical experience before you graduate. This could be internships, part-time jobs, research projects, or volunteer work. For example, you could help with language research, tutor students in languages, volunteer for translation or interpretation programs, or assist in speech therapy clinics if your school has one. You could also explore jobs in technology, like working with language-learning apps or natural language processing projects. These experiences give you skills employers want and help you figure out what type of work you enjoy.
Another important strategy is to network with professors, alumni, and professionals. Many jobs come from connections, not just online applications. Professors can tell you about internships, research projects, or job openings. Alumni can share their career paths and introduce you to people working in linguistics. Joining professional organizations is another way to meet professionals in your field. You can also attend conferences or events, or reach out to people for informational interviews to learn more about different careers.
It's also helpful to think broadly about the types of jobs you could have. Linguistics graduates work in education, translation, speech therapy, artificial intelligence, etc. Learning multiple languages can make you especially competitive for jobs in translation, interpretation, language technology, or international work. Even jobs that don't require a linguistics degree often value your research, analytical, and communication skills.
Moreover, you should make a strong resume and online profile. Highlight your language skills, research, and any internships or projects you've done. Also, a professional LinkedIn account can help recruiters find you and show your skills to potential employers.
Planning ahead now will make the transition from college to work easier and more successful. Best of luck!
Another important strategy is to network with professors, alumni, and professionals. Many jobs come from connections, not just online applications. Professors can tell you about internships, research projects, or job openings. Alumni can share their career paths and introduce you to people working in linguistics. Joining professional organizations is another way to meet professionals in your field. You can also attend conferences or events, or reach out to people for informational interviews to learn more about different careers.
It's also helpful to think broadly about the types of jobs you could have. Linguistics graduates work in education, translation, speech therapy, artificial intelligence, etc. Learning multiple languages can make you especially competitive for jobs in translation, interpretation, language technology, or international work. Even jobs that don't require a linguistics degree often value your research, analytical, and communication skills.
Moreover, you should make a strong resume and online profile. Highlight your language skills, research, and any internships or projects you've done. Also, a professional LinkedIn account can help recruiters find you and show your skills to potential employers.
Planning ahead now will make the transition from college to work easier and more successful. Best of luck!
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Alexis !
Your question is a reflection of why I always advise students to choose a career - or a niche within a field of work - so they will know exactly what type of job they will be aiming for.
During your Bachelors Degree path, your professors should discuss the various positions one could obtain with a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics. As well, along the study for this subject, it is supposed to prepare you for a career so if this has not been provided to you by your senior year in college, your best bet would be to visit the office of one of your professors for information about local jobs where you can use your degree. In addition, your campus Career Center may be very helpful for this.
If you are still not sure by your Junior year in college, consider going for a Masters Degree to advance the knowledge and focus on a specialty beyond the Bachelors level. You can teach English as a Foreign Language with a teaching certificate. You can also work as a translator, lexicographer, copywriter, editor, or technical writer. A master’s degree in linguistics significantly expands career opportunities and often leads to higher paying and more specialized roles. It is typically required for academic positions such as a university linguistics professor or researcher, where a PhD may also be necessary.
I would say that you shouldn't worry or give up on this path, but realize that your academic investment may have to extend beyond a Bachelors Degree. No one can choose a niche for you, that would be something you'd have to decide on and prepare for.
As far as "how" you would find a job after you graduate, you would look for jobs online at Indeed and Linked In and other employment websites. You would visit the Career Center on your campus, consult with your Linguistic Department staff and professors, look at job websites for positions with the State of California since you're not far from Sacramento, visit your public Library to see if they know of any openings for your field of work, and also look on your local Department of Labor website for positions that fit your qualifications.
Explore all the different positions you could have, what the qualifications are and make very strong connections with the people in your Major department once you start school. Soon after you start, you will get the answers to this and many more questions so it's really not something to worry about. Keep in mind what Linguistics is - Linguistics is both theoretical and applied, with research methods ranging from fieldwork and experimental analysis to computational modeling, and it intersects with disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, computer science, and education. It is the scientific investigation of language as a structured, formal system, encompassing its sound systems - phonetics and phonology, word formation, sentence structure, meaning, and context dependent interpretation.
Linguists analyze how language is acquired by individuals, processed in the mind, and used in social and cultural contexts. The field also explores language change over time (historical linguistics), the relationships between languages (comparative linguistics), and the cognitive, biological, and computational aspects of language. The study of Linguistics does not include learning foreign languages. So become more familiar with whatever you will be majoring in and that can help make the employment concerns more clear. A suggestion I could make because I am from show business, is that you could probably be a very good Dialect Coach for actors in the film and television industry with a degree in Linguistics.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Your question is a reflection of why I always advise students to choose a career - or a niche within a field of work - so they will know exactly what type of job they will be aiming for.
During your Bachelors Degree path, your professors should discuss the various positions one could obtain with a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics. As well, along the study for this subject, it is supposed to prepare you for a career so if this has not been provided to you by your senior year in college, your best bet would be to visit the office of one of your professors for information about local jobs where you can use your degree. In addition, your campus Career Center may be very helpful for this.
If you are still not sure by your Junior year in college, consider going for a Masters Degree to advance the knowledge and focus on a specialty beyond the Bachelors level. You can teach English as a Foreign Language with a teaching certificate. You can also work as a translator, lexicographer, copywriter, editor, or technical writer. A master’s degree in linguistics significantly expands career opportunities and often leads to higher paying and more specialized roles. It is typically required for academic positions such as a university linguistics professor or researcher, where a PhD may also be necessary.
I would say that you shouldn't worry or give up on this path, but realize that your academic investment may have to extend beyond a Bachelors Degree. No one can choose a niche for you, that would be something you'd have to decide on and prepare for.
As far as "how" you would find a job after you graduate, you would look for jobs online at Indeed and Linked In and other employment websites. You would visit the Career Center on your campus, consult with your Linguistic Department staff and professors, look at job websites for positions with the State of California since you're not far from Sacramento, visit your public Library to see if they know of any openings for your field of work, and also look on your local Department of Labor website for positions that fit your qualifications.
Explore all the different positions you could have, what the qualifications are and make very strong connections with the people in your Major department once you start school. Soon after you start, you will get the answers to this and many more questions so it's really not something to worry about. Keep in mind what Linguistics is - Linguistics is both theoretical and applied, with research methods ranging from fieldwork and experimental analysis to computational modeling, and it intersects with disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, computer science, and education. It is the scientific investigation of language as a structured, formal system, encompassing its sound systems - phonetics and phonology, word formation, sentence structure, meaning, and context dependent interpretation.
Linguists analyze how language is acquired by individuals, processed in the mind, and used in social and cultural contexts. The field also explores language change over time (historical linguistics), the relationships between languages (comparative linguistics), and the cognitive, biological, and computational aspects of language. The study of Linguistics does not include learning foreign languages. So become more familiar with whatever you will be majoring in and that can help make the employment concerns more clear. A suggestion I could make because I am from show business, is that you could probably be a very good Dialect Coach for actors in the film and television industry with a degree in Linguistics.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1085
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Alexis,
It's good that you are thinking about possible career paths with a linguistics degree. Linguistics is one of those majors that at first glance don't lead to a clear career path. Some would probably characterize it as a "useless" degree because it seems too academic. That's not really true though, you may just have to find your own career. Is it going to be easy? Maybe, maybe not. But you will not only learn languages but also understand the "mechanics" of languages. You may want to carefully consider which languages you want to focus on and if you can maybe do a minor in something "practical".
Linguists find employment as technical writers, copywriters or copy editors, as translators or interpreters. Adding something "tech" or medical or legal as a minor might be useful in this field. Technical or medical translation e.g. is a thing. Forensic linguistics is a thing. Hospitality is another field where language skills are valuable.
If you enjoy teaching, you could become a language teacher or aim to go into academia (very difficult).
You could become a speech-language pathologist. If you are technically inclined, you could also become a computational linguist and e.g. work in AI.
Knowledge of foreign languages is also valuable in the military, in diplomacy or in the FBI and CIA.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.lsadc.org/careers
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/linguist-job
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/foreign-language/foreign-language-field-of-degree.htm
It's good that you are thinking about possible career paths with a linguistics degree. Linguistics is one of those majors that at first glance don't lead to a clear career path. Some would probably characterize it as a "useless" degree because it seems too academic. That's not really true though, you may just have to find your own career. Is it going to be easy? Maybe, maybe not. But you will not only learn languages but also understand the "mechanics" of languages. You may want to carefully consider which languages you want to focus on and if you can maybe do a minor in something "practical".
Linguists find employment as technical writers, copywriters or copy editors, as translators or interpreters. Adding something "tech" or medical or legal as a minor might be useful in this field. Technical or medical translation e.g. is a thing. Forensic linguistics is a thing. Hospitality is another field where language skills are valuable.
If you enjoy teaching, you could become a language teacher or aim to go into academia (very difficult).
You could become a speech-language pathologist. If you are technically inclined, you could also become a computational linguist and e.g. work in AI.
Knowledge of foreign languages is also valuable in the military, in diplomacy or in the FBI and CIA.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much, Karin!