Eckerd alumni share career experience at Think Outside the Major

CPS Event: Think Outside the Major

Wednesday, March 1 @ 7pm in Fox Hall

In the wake of the economic downturn, liberal arts colleges across the United States have been called upon to defend the interdisciplinary, holistic educational model that drives their curriculum, classroom, and co-curricular activities. A recent study on the economic value of college majors (Carnevale et. al, 2015) paints the situation in stark terms, suggesting that students majoring in career-oriented fields such as engineering or business are likely to earn $10,000-$20,000 more than

peers majoring in arts, humanities, and the liberal arts at both entry-level and mid-career stages, and stating that “majors with weak connections to the labor market—humanities, liberal arts, social sciences, and arts majors—comprise only 20 percent of college-educated workers.”

The study, which focuses almost exclusively on the economic outcomes of college majors, supports the conventional wisdom that liberal arts majors do not offer a ready path to meaningful and rewarding careers.

Think Outside the Major, a panel discussion in which Eckerd alumni will share their journeys from major to career, offers a constructive response to this prevailing wisdom, showing how our graduates have leveraged liberal arts skills and capabilities into a diverse and fulfilling careers.

The panel will feature three alumni, accompanied by mentors who have helped them navigate the journey from major to career. Panelists will include:

Dr. Elaine Raybourn '85 (Visual Arts). As a Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, Dr. Raybourn leads research investigating the learning experience design of immersive transmedia ecosystems to support informal learning, ubiquitous computing, and the anthropology of next generation learners’ interactions with future learning technology such as personal assistants for learning (PAL). She shares a bit of her work in this TED Talk. Dr. Raybourn brings with her Dr. Harry Ellis, Professor of Physics at Eckerd. 

Elaine O'Hara '99 (Creative Writing). President and Co-founder of Brimstone Original Specialty Foods, a women-owned company, PEL graduate Ms. O'Hara oversees the brand development, marketing, and sales of a line of shelf-stable, all-natural pepper jellies available at Publix and other stores throughout the Southeast. Ms. O'Hara's company was profiled in a Small Business Development Center video. Kurt Forster, Florida Small Business Development Center Consultant at the Pinellas County Economic Development Office, will accompany her.

Rachel Rhodes '09 (International Business). After serving for three years as a Sales Support Representative at Tech Data, Ms. Rhodes took on the position of Sales Trainer, responsible for training new employees in computer systems and sales. She also served as Eckerd's Director of Traditional Events from September 2008-May 2009. Ms. Rhodes will be accompanied by Bob Jozkowski, Assistant Professor of Finance at Eckerd.

Together, panelists will explore such questions as: What impact did your major have on your career? What were the most meaningful learning experiences in your education, and how did they influence your life after graduation? What advantages do liberal arts graduates have on the job market, and how can new graduates make the most of these advantages?  The focus of the conversation will be on how alumni have forged meaningful, if sometimes unconventional, career paths that embody the interdisciplinary critical thinking and self-reflective capacity that liberal arts training is meant to nurture.

The evening will also include time for audience reflection and questions and answers with panelists. Refreshments will be served prior to the start of the panel.

The panel is part of the College Program Series, and is co-sponsored by the Program for Experienced Learners, the Office of Career Services, and the Office of Advancement.