What can you do with a degree in Anthropology?

In her graduation profile Chloe Chaobal ‘20, listed under Future Hopes and Plans: “Moving to California, and then who knows what the future holds! Hopefully it will involve podcast or film and eating lots of food.” What better hopes for an Anthropology major? Chloe had created podcasts for the Anthropology department while she was here, and then she set out to make good on her future.  She packed her gear and left for the Golden State, like young people have done for over a century.  Arriving in Huntington Beach she took a job working at a drive-in movie theater company. “The company did these pop-up events all over the OC in the parking lots of various malls.” 

Chloe had built and maintained a network of contacts and connections through family, friends, colleagues, and common  interests, and was able to use those to her advantage. She writes that through a connection she was “able to apply for a production assistant job with a company based in LA and owned by Sony Music. I started out working part-time, but now I'm picking up more shows, and I'm working my way towards being a producer!” Currently,  she’s “working as a production assistant for a podcast series called Spectacle: An Unscripted History of Reality TV. The podcast goes into the history and cultural significance of reality TV.”  You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, and the series has reviews on Vulture and Huffington Post. She is also working as a PA on another series called The Doodler,  a true-crime podcast about a serial killer (the project is a collaboration with the San Francisco Chronicle and Ugly Duckly Films). Chloe says that she feels “very blessed to work with some really experienced journalists on this show.”

“I miss Vermont all the time! Sometimes I wish I stayed there because I miss my college friends, but I'm also super energized about the work I'm doing and the opportunities. I miss taking classes and spending time in the anthro department!”  

Thinking about building a network you can rely on after graduation as Chloe has done? UVM Career Center has many resources to assist students in the how-tos of developing networking contacts through the “4-Year  Path To Career Success” https://www.uvm.edu/career/4-year-path, and through the use of alumni networking in Catamount Connect  https://uvmconnect.org/ .