1127 Park Street -- Grinnell, IA 50112-1690
Phone 641-269-4940; FAX 641-269-4946
Contact Us
| |
1127 Park Street -- Grinnell, IA 50112-1690 Phone 641-269-4940; FAX 641-269-4946 Contact Us |
|
|
American
Studies
|
German
Choosing your major was one of the most significant decisions of your college career. Your passion for German is one you share with your peers, professors, and alumni/ae. Students choose to major in German for different reasons. Read some of the reasons alumni/ae chose a German major: Alumni/ae
Comments "I was really interested in German and knew I wanted to live in Europe." "I majored in German because of my background as a first generation American of German-Austrian heritage. My major gave me a deep appreciation of the culture and literature that was my heritage and helped me to understand my parents better." "I chose German because I had taken German in high school and I wanted to study abroad while at Grinnell." Faculty
Comments "What type of student should major in German? Anyone who is interested in language and culture. Also anyone interested in Europe." You will use the skills you develop as a German major every day in whatever environment you decide to work. Alumni/ae and faculty offer their thoughts about the kinds of skills a major in German will provide: Alumni/ae
Comments "Thinking, analysis, writing skills" "My German major helped me develop the obvious liberal arts skills: reading, analysis, comprehension. It also gave me a closer attention to language." "My
major developed my ability to write and to express myself well.
As a Montessori teacher when it comes to communicating the concepts
of Montessori to parents, my training in language has really
helped. People have always commented to me on how well I write.
I write for our newsletters and brochures as well as prepare
lengthy letters to the parents of our students." "I learned about another culture and understanding differences." Faculty Comments "An understanding of German history and culture and fluency in the German language." German majors have selected a wide variety of careers from Montessori teacher to attorney, from hydrogeologist to professor. As you can see from the following list of alumni/ae job titles of German majors, you are not your major! Alumni/ae
Job Titles Montessori
Teacher How will
you decide what kind of career to pursue? Will it follow your
major? In what way? Both alumni/ae and faculty emphasize the
importance of researching different kinds of careers. There are many ways to research career fields of interest to you. The most common way is to complete an internship. Alumni/ae who have held internships or participated in career previews have lots of advice to offer. Alumni/ae
Comments "Definitely figure out whether you want your major to be directly applicable to your career. If not, take some complementary courses - political science, for example, or even another language or culture studies." "Be open-minded when looking for a job after school. I never really planned to work in German." "Don't
miss the opportunity to do an internship. Perfect your language
skills; go to Germany. The ability to communicate with people
in different languages -- effectively - is so important." "If you decide to major in a language, be sure to study abroad so you can immerse yourself in the language." Faculty
Comments "Take advantage in particular of internship opportunities offered on programs abroad. This is a good way to make contacts and experience. Seek out summer internships in companies that trade with Germany." If you are thinking about graduate school, there are graduate programs in the field of German as well as other professional degree programs. These links provide more information about the different paths you can follow: graduate school, jobs, or other paths. The following are first-hand accounts of the experiences of alumni/ae after Grinnell who have graduated with a German major: Alumni/ae Comments "I went into graduate school in German studies first, but then with humanities jobs very scarce chose law as a back-up and a way of keeping my options open." "Some
family members had been in journalism and I thought it might
be an area of interest. I started at the ground level. It's a
good field for someone with excellent writing skills. My first
job out of college was working as a prep cook." "I think my career chose me. After working on the East Coast, I came back to Grinnell for a month. I always knew I had a knack with kids. While in Grinnell, I did an internship at the college preschool with Carol Nielsen. When I got back to Colorado, I learned about Montessori through a friend and volunteered in an inner-city school. This led to my current job." Faculty
Comments "Our majors have gone into many different fields, some in which they use their German and some in which they don't. Careers open to German majors are thus careers open to any liberal arts graduates. Those in which students can use their German would be particularly in the fields of international law and international business. Also teaching and government." Of course, Grinnell's German Department provides advising as you consider questions about your major, internships, gaining experience, and making career decisions. The departmental web page also offers detailed information about the German major, outlines requirements for its completion, and lists courses. |
| Back to CDO Home Page | Career Development Office (career@grinnell.edu) Steve Langerud, Director 1127 Park Street -- P.O. Box 805 Grinnell, IA 50112 |
Back
to Grinnell Home Page |