Dear Worried,

Stop worrying. The liberal arts degree is one of the most valuable foundations of knowledge that you have for your adult life. If you have used your mind wisely—if you have made the most of your college experience through what you’ve learned in and out of the classroom—you will contribute in any job you seek.

As a liberal arts grad, I asked the recruiter for Hallmark if he thought I was less prepared because I had majored in liberal arts instead of business. "I don’t care if you majored in music," he said, "I want to know that you’ve learned to use your mind, that you’re a creative and able thinker, and that you can identify and solve problems."

If you major in liberal arts, try to get a good sense of the business world through your part-time job and summer internships or elective coursework. Lori Cowen," managing editor for Prentice Hall," majored in psychology but also received a certificate in business by taking five evening business classes through her university’s School of General Studies during her last four semesters. Conversely, if people major in business or engineering, they should try to round out their education through learning more about politics, art, or literature.

Dear Sweaty,

You’re not alone in your concern. In fact, a recent survey found that fear of speaking publicly ranks as the number one fear of most people! But you will probably be speaking publicly in most any job you take, so if you just try to suffer through the semester and hope never to have to do it again, you might find that you are making it more difficult for yourself in the long run. Here are some tips on improving your public speaking skills now:

• Know your material (but don’t memorize a script). Rather, jot down key words and phrases on notecards that will serve as "memory joggers."
• Maintain eye contact. While you appear to be contacting personally with your entire audience, you can pretend you’re having a conversation with one person at a time rather than a large group of people.
• Speak up and speak out. Don’t talk to the podium or your slide projector. Also work at varying your pace, volume, and pitch. Most important, watch out for audible pauses—the um’s, uh’s, so’s, and you-know’s that distract the listener.

Practice these tips in front of a mirror or a friend. If you get the chance, videotape yourself so that you can see firsthand how you sound and what your hand gestures and movements look like. Are you speaking too fast? Are you maintaining eye contact or looking down at the floor? Work on improving any distracting patterns. After practicing and actually giving a presentation or two, you’ll notice dramatic improvements in both your technique and comfort level. That way, when you go out into the workforce and your boss asks you to deliver a 10 minute presentation at the monthly meeting, you will be able to come through.

Dear Aspiring,

I’m proud of you for being realistic about your time limitations while maintaining your awareness of the need to build skills in college that will help you be as marketable as possible when you graduate.

The most important sign of marketability is learning to use your mind, which you are achieving through applying yourself in college. Employers and graduate schools look for this quality above all others. If fact, a recent Census Bureau study found that when making hiring decisions, employers are looking at your attitude, communication skills, and experience—more than even your grades and your school’s reputation.

As you mention, it is a huge advantage to have strong leadership and teamwork skills, which can be realized through the job you currently have. Think about how you work with your coworkers. Do you help them to be more effective? Are you patient explaining what you know to others even if it’s not required? Have you been able to exhibit leadership to your peers and management through the quality of your ideas or your actions? If not, take the opportunity to build your teamwork and leadership skills on the job you already have. Perceive yourself differently and you’ll find that without it costing you any more hours in the week, you can become an effective team player and a valuable leader. You may also have the chance to exhibit the same skills in your collaborative courses where you work with other students in small groups.

Dear Conflicted,

Your college education is a valuable investment in your future. The number one advantage college affords you is the chance to open your mind for the rest of your life—to learn, to grow, to challenge yourself forever. I’m with your parents. The most successful people make the most of their education while having a personal game plan for their career and future goals. Don’t worry if your school doesn’t foster this as much as you’d like; universities in general don’t view career development as their role. However, it is your responsibility. You can draw on the rich resources of your university—the career planning and placement center—and your community to get the career perspectives you need to build your qualities as a well-rounded, well-educated professional.

You’re focusing on the right issues. You’ve accomplished something that is important in college: you’ve become an analytical, independent decision-maker. Good for you!

Dear Carol, What is happening in the job market today?

You may have heard the expression, "Nothing is permanent but change", and nothing could be more true about today's workplace and employment environment. Adults today are living and working longer than any previous generation. Individuals will change careers, not just jobs, an average of seven times during the course of their working lives. Many workers will not be permanent, full-time employees - the trend in employment today is toward short-term contracts, temporary work, home businesses and consulting.

The business environment in America has changed - corporate mergers, a volatile economy, and company downsizing mean people must take responsibility for their careers. The "graduation to retirement" positions of the previous several generations are disappearing, and there are no guarantees for job security. As a result, people must continually acquire new skills and experience to be marketable in these uncertain times. In addition, they need to know how to package and market their accomplishments to potential employers and clients.

Dear Carol, What is a Professional Career Portfolio?