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Art majors have a wide range of career paths to take, and should try to investigate the possibilities while they are still in college. That way, if they decide they want to teach, they might end up taking extra education classes or dual majoring in education. If they want to go into art therapy, they can take some psychology classes and see if they want to go in that direction.

I believe that art majors need to decide early on if they want to simply make a living off of their artwork, and if so what kind. Can they make a living going to art shows and marketing their art on line and at shows? Are they willing to make the sacrifices they might need to make if they can't make a living of off their work right away?

Do they want to go into graphic and commercial art? If so an art major should take classes in that area to make themselves more marketable to employers after graduation.

Teaching can go in two directions: teaching art directly or teaching art history. If an art major wants to teach art history, obviously classes in education and in art history would be necessary, if not an advanced degree after a bachelor's.

There are so many career possibilities for an art major, its important that the person explore the options available prior to graduation so they can make themselves more attractive to perspective employers. Some possible jobs for art majors include
1. Art teacher
2. Art history teacher
3. Web site design
4. Interior decorator assistant
5. Cartoonist
6. Merchandiser
7. Art critic
8. Arts fund raiser
9. Art appraiser

I would suggest doing your research and possibly meeting people who are working in the field you're interested in. Ask them what they like about their jobs and what they don't like, and how they prepared for their work in the field. Hopefully if you prepare yourself before graduation, you'll be well on your way to a successful career in art!

Learn more about this author, Helen Richardson.
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