Careers

Mexican American and Latina/o Studies is inherently a multidisciplinary field, meaning that your classes will incorporate readings and methods from a variety of disciplines that have all been brought to bear on the issues that impact Latina/o communities across the United States. This also means you will have plenty of practice intellectually engaging with a variety of subject areas, making you...let’s all say it together...WELL-ROUNDED! You’ll hear this phrase a lot with regard to any liberal arts major, but we promise you, it’s a real thing. Companies like to mold young employees at an entry level and tailor their skillset to their organization’s particular aims. As a MALS major, you’re automatically a more malleable candidate than someone whose undergraduate focus might be thought of as too narrow or too technical.

But what jobs can this get me?

We are going to make a wild assumption and say that if you’re even considering majoring in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, then it’s not just about the money for you. That being said, we would like to assure you that majoring in the liberal arts does not doom you to a life of poverty, despite what your parents and friends may have told you.

What’s that? An academic department talking about money?!

Here in Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, we are not afraid to keep it real with you. We know that your generation is a practical one that is awake to the economic pressures that lie in wait post-grad. Moreover, we know too well the sacrifices many of you and your families have made to get you here. So, with that being said, we are going to share some of the careers that our alumni have gone on to have:

Director, City Finance
Teacher
Community Organizer
School Principal
Attorney
State Representative
Director, Legislative Budget Board
Legislative Director for State Representative
Budget and Policy Analyst, Dallas County
Medical Access Program Manager
Founder of Siete Family Foods
Television News Anchor
Director, Medical Center
General Counsel for Public Transit
Senior Vice President, PepsiCo
Director of Development

What you likely have in common with many of our alumni is that your interest in Latino Studies has to do with your desire to improve your community. We believe change for our communities can be affected in a variety of careers, from politics and nonprofits to law and business. Through special class visitors, regular public programming, and other events and initiatives, we create opportunities to introduce students to industries that are both familiar and new. Our hope is to expand your idea of what your professional life can look like beyond college and expose you to fields you may not have thought of in relation to Latino communities.

Resources

Liberal Arts Career Services provides resources for career exploration, application material and interview preparation, and job and internship searches. Students can also meet with a career coach to discuss specific goals and questions.
Interested in law school? Aspiring law students can find information on upcoming pre-law events, financial resources, UT Law Fair, and resources for researching law schools through Liberal Arts Career Services.
Thinking about an MA or PhD program after graduation? Liberal Arts Career Services graduate school resources can help you learn more about liberal arts advanced degrees, prepare for an eventual application and navigate the application process.
Take advantage of campus-wide career resources, programming, and services to help you make decisions about your future, from major to career, by reaching out to Texas Career Engagement.

For more information contact our Senior Academic Program Coordinator, Luis Guevara, at lvg@austin.utexas.edu.