Originally Posted by
darkcser
This is a pretty good suggestion -if you live close to a college or university you can check their libraries or student centers to see if they need tutors in particular subjects. A grayer area is "reviewing term papers" for money.
This has probably been mentioned but have you considered temping? We occasionally have temps here to watch the reception area, and answer phones. It's not glorious by any stretch of the imagination but it could open up some networking opportunities or you may discover something you find interesting.
I had a friend who graduated from Harvard (Classical Studies), and she temped for a couple of years while completing a Masters (something bio/chem/medical related) at BU before joining the Air Force (they had a deal where they put you through med school if you served them for 3 years after or some such deal). Hmm... See? It could be worse!
Might also want to ask yourself if some other field holds interest for you outside of your major. Good communication skills are always an asset regardless of what field you are in. It can be really difficult to find a decent job with a liberal arts degree so you may want to learn something a bit more applied like finance or something technology-related. Business analyst and technical writer often place a fair amount of emphasis on clear and precise writing.
I run across a fair number of people with music majors and other liberal arts majors when I go through resumes for developers (computer programmers). It might be that I've been in the field for a while, and tend to take things for granted but it seems that it doesn't take much (given decent intelligence) to be a passable QA or developer these days. Hmm... maybe I should write a book "How to become a passable programmer in 30 days"...
Actually I have a proposition for you (Trinie) -no, not that kind of proposition. If you did reasonably well on your SATs or GREs (let's say 1250+ for SATs and 1900+ for GREs), willing to sign a NDA, and are willing to take the time to learn something new, I will attempt to teach you how to become a passable C#/T-SQL developer in 30 days.
This means I will explain concepts that I feel are relevant and useful day to day, and give you exercises to do on your own. You will need a computer of your own, be able to download, and install programs on your own. I also require that you have basic computer skills like knowing how to operate Word and Excel. In return you will not share any material I give you unless I give you my explicit permission as per the NDA. You will also of course be providing me with feedback on what can be easily assimilated and what can't -and give me permission to use any of your questions and/or responses if I choose to do so. This will be a commitment of sorts since I won't waste my time with someone who is not willing to put in the effort.
Keep in mind this is to make you a passable programmer -not a great or even fair one. People in the know may call you a script kitty or the like but my goal is to make you be able to create simple applications that interact with files and databases at the end of this. Think of this as Cliff Notes to being a developer of sorts.
I'll open this up anyone but keep in mind the the score requirements, and the commitment to actually put in the time and effort. In the unlikely event I'm swamped with responses I will filter with a questionnaire and wait list. Offer is only good for a limited time since my attention span is fairly short.
Don't know how well this will work but might as well as do something constructive for a change.