A post by Jeffrey Cohen highlighted all the “hidden jobs” that exist on a college campus, but are often overlooked. People always think of the professors and maybe the advisors or admissions staff that students interact with before enrolling, but the university is an enterprise that employs almost all manner of jobs. Campuses have lawyers, accountants, nurses, salespeople, purchasing agents, maintenance engineers, transportation coordinators, event planners, graphic designers, campus ministers, recreation leaders, security officers, athletic coaches, mental health counselors, landscapers, and plumbers. Major campuses are a mini-city with the breadth of jobs found within the town.
It’s not just colleges that have a hidden layer of work that is accomplished. Google has far more than software designers. The local bakery has someone doing its books. The veterinarian has canine physical therapists and marketers. Sports teams have a full complement of positions. And so it goes.
Cohen’s premise is that by not highlighting the hidden jobs, students remain focused on the common industries and may miss out on internship and employment opportunities in unrealized areas. They fail to see how skills can transfer to different sectors, thus limiting their career prospects and mobility.
It’s likely you are or know someone who is employed in a “sub-field” that isn’t the most obvious application of their college major or the expected location where one would be expected to work. Highlight those variations and open up the world of possibilities for others.
Cohen was inspired by the book “Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn’t Matter and What Really Does” by Ned Scott Laff and Scott Carlson, 2025
