Jobs for Debaters

There are several jobs that debaters tend to go on to:

• teaching high school and coaching HS debate
• coaching college debate as a graduate assistant
• coaching college debate with an MA or Phd (more the later than the former)
• being a lawyer (next step LSAT and law school)

Most tend to go into academia (PhD or high school level teaching) or go on to be lawyers. Oddly very few tend to go onto two obvious ventures they seem well suited for (to me this is more a function of recruiters and human resources:

• public relations executive
• internal communication
• technical writing
• online content editor
• book editor/book editor assistant
• market research
• investment consultant
• trainer
• life coach
• career coach
• legal assistant
• management consulting
• non-profit advocacy
• non-profit management
• public speaking consultant
• web programmer/developer
• technology consultant
• entrepreneur
• professor of public administration (natural fit)
• professor of non-profit management
• professor of mass communications
• professor of anthropology

I hope this list of jobs for debaters has been helpful. I think creating a portfolio (the online portfolio is very popular these days via blogs for writers or flickr for artists), networking, husselling (by asking questions of people who hold the job you want), and getting experience whether via internship or volunteering is the best way to get your foot in the door. Finally, this resource from the University of Georgia called “What do I do with a degree in communications?” may be helpful as you search for a possible career path. It also includes a list of suggestions for getting your foot in the door via an entry level job.