Success as a humanities scientist: Get out of the comfort zone with the right attitude!

The best starting position

We don't need to talk about the fact that starting a career is often difficult for humanities scholars. What to do to be successful? Quite a number of humanities scholars who are about to enter the world of work ask themselves this question. But success is also a question of your own attitude.

But what we should talk about are the possibilities with which you, as a humanities scholar, move into the best possible start position, because here many students and graduates do not exhaust all resources.

What can I do?

Getting to grips with the demands of the labor market at an early stage is the most important foundation that can be created as a budding humanist. Of course, this is best achieved through practical experience.

These can be internships, but also working student jobs, student jobs at the university or freelance work for editorial offices and cultural institutions. You don't do yourself a favor, however, by simply "enduring" these experiences

The economy is not your enemy

Instead of openly and curiously exploring their opportunities and abilities, many humanities scholars view the economy more as something like an opponent, a system in which you “unfortunately” have to be accommodated at some point to earn your living. Only those who take their experiences seriously and above all reflect on them can really benefit from internships and part-time jobs.

It is said that spiritual scientists are good at reflecting. This may be true of the content of the study - but if it is a matter of clearly identifying one's abilities, many become unsafe

Checklist Wissenstagebuch

One possibility for an intensive discussion with one's own knowledge is, for example, a science journal. It offers the opportunity to regularly reflect their own knowledge, to consciously name knowledge sources and thus to document and sharpen their own profile in the long term.

• What did I learn in my next job, internship, club or even traveling?
• Whom did I meet?
• Did I enjoy the activity?
• What could I use the knowledge for later?
• What sources did I use to adapt to the knowledge (books, Internet forums, colleagues)?
• All these are questions that play a role in documentation, because it creates the experience of an added value to filter.

Success is also a matter of attitude

Those who know the status quo of their knowledge and can name their own abilities have already created a good foundation to argue, for example, in the application process, why one is suitable for the place where the job is written. In the end, it is not just about convincing the opposite of why you are suitable, but why you are simply the best candidate for the job. And this is precisely where a tactic begins, which is suspicious for many intellectual scientists: to sell well.

Especially young professionals are hard to convince themselves. Too loud were the voices that screamed from the first semester on, that humanities scholars will have a hard time, and anyway: who needs humanities scholars? But those who do not believe in themselves will not get one HR can convince yourself. When in doubt: Fake it till you make is! That means: You pretend to be self-confident until you are self-confident at some point. With the idea of ​​slipping into a role, “selling” works better.

The song of Vitamin B

Why are there so few humanities scholars on professional networks like XING? Many probably think "This somehow has nothing to do with me, this is another world" or "I don't know anyone." It is often personal and professional contacts that open up new opportunities and opportunities and can even lead to a job at the crucial moment.

While building a personal network costs time and effort, it pays off in the end. XING does not only offer the advantage of staying in touch with the people you've come to know (keyword praxiserfahrungen!), But is also a good platform to draw attention to your own abilities, knowledge, degrees and interests. Here one can purposefully influence what image one wants to give in public.

Leave the comfort zone

Gathering experience experiences, reflecting on your own knowledge and your own abilities, standing up for yourself and cultivating your own network - everything sounds quite simple. Nevertheless, many spiritual scientists are unfortunately very hard in these disciplines.

It is not without reason that passion for the subject and the feeling of self-realization are frequently cited as motivations for spiritual studies. Whoever wants to make a career is likely to choose other courses. It is also perfectly fine to go out of personal passion when choosing the course of study. After all, you are only good at what you really like. Nevertheless, the economic aspect of an apprenticeship can not be entirely covered. Here, it is easy to leave the comfort zone of your own studies occasionally in order to set the course for a successful professional future.