Careers

A Bachelor's or Master's degree from the Faculty of Linguistcs, Literature and Cultural Studies is a professional qualification. The manifold professional opportunities that arise from studying linguistics, literature and cultural studies are, however, not obvious to many people at first glance. The following information is intended to assist you in preparing for professional life and to enable you to identify your own areas of interest and competence.

Table of contents

1. 1. Competencies in demand
   2. Figures, data, facts
   3. Employers and areas of activity
      1. Classic
      2. Save
      3. 'Something with media'
      4. Close to the subject
      5. Idealistic
      6. Exceptional
   4. Practial experiences

Competencies in demand

The study of linguistics, literature and cultural studies is less focused on the professional qualification in a specific business sector than are, for example, medical or legal studies. Rather, it conveys numerous important skills that are desired and required by employers in all sectors, for example:

• Independent, structured, methodological way of working
• Interdisciplinary thinking, working and communicating
• Analysis competence and solution orientation
• Flexibility and creativity
• Research capabilities
• Foreign language skills

Graduates of linguistics, literature and cultural studies are particularly in demand in the fields of communication, and project, cultural or event management.

Figures, data, facts

Contrary to common clichés, humanities scholars have good career prospects in the private sector as well - from small agencies to DAX companies. Accordingly, their unemployment rate of 2.6% is only 0.2 percentage points higher than that of university graduates in general and significantly below the national average.1 Moreover, 90% of the graduates find a job that matches their qualifications, i.e. that also challenges them intellectually and pays them accordingly.2 This is also reflected in the average starting salary of humanities scholars, which ranges between 33,500 and 39,000 euros, depending on the degree and the size of the company.3 It must be noted, however, that scholars in the humanities need a little more time and self-initiative than other university graduates before they find an adequate employment.

Employers and areas of activity

Graduates of the degree programmes of the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies are successfully working in the following areas, among others:

Classic

• Agencies: advertising, press and public relations, eCommerce, translation, (business) consulting, and coaching
• Companies: international relations, corporate communications, social media, PR, SEO, translation and interpreting, technical writing, personnel management

Save

• Public service sector: officer/administrator, personnel management, in cultural departments, in education as lecturer or teacher, in educational planning

'Something with media'

• Publishing houses, print media: proofreading, editing, translation, PR
• Journalism: feuilleton, economy, sports, foreign correspondence, science communication, online journalism etc.

Close to the subject

• Universities: teaching and research, administrative positions
• Cultural institutions (museums, theatre, opera): museum communication, project management, or production
• Libraries: specialist departments

Idealistic

• Politics: translation and interpretation, press and public relations, consulting and coaching, intercultural communication
• Non-profit organisations, foundations: fundraising, project conception, application, science communication, PR, intercultural education

Exceptional

• Software companies: design of educational software
• Criminal investigation department: forensic linguistics
• Speech therapy: clinical linguistics

Practial experiences

Graduates of linguistics, literature and cultural studies will rarely find job advertisements looking specifically for a German or Slavic scholar. Therefore, students should sharpen their profile at an early stage and identify and develop their personal skills and preferences. Already during their studies they can create their individual activities and professional profile through stays abroad, internships and further training. TU Dresden offers a wide range of continuing education courses that are free of charge for students - for example in the form of the Career Service.

You may find numerous examples of possible career and life paths as a graduate of the Faculty SLK in the alumni portraits.

Footnotes

1. cf. Zeit Campus, Sonderheft Berufseinstieg 2018, 01/2018, p. 102.

   ^

2. cf. ibid, p. 105.

   ^

3. cf. ibid, p. 102.

   ^