In 2007 Paul Anderson graduated from Gustavus with a B.A. in history and minors in studio art and Scandinavian studies. If you assume Paul then entered law school, graduate school, or teaching, or faced dismal employment prospects, you would be wrong. Over nine years he has had a varied and rewarding work experience, most recently within the creative industry, currently at the branding firm Latitude.
Paul knows firsthand and is a wonderful example of what career counselors, liberal arts professors, humanities graduates, history majors, and employers know well—that these days especially there is often no direct path from a particular major to a particular career.
As Paul sagely observes, “In all my classes at Gustavus I had to think critically, write a lot, ask meaningful and insightful questions, and manage multiple things at once. I think today more than ever, choosing a major shouldn’t be about choosing a career. I’ve worked in sales, the study abroad industry, for the Federal Government, and now in the creative industry. My history degree from Gustavus has prepared me for everything that has been thrown at me” (emph. added).
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Greg Kaster
Professor of History
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