5 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Recent College Graduate

To avoid a post-commencement faux pas, consider these expert-tested do’s and don’ts when speaking with a recent grad.

“What Can You Do With That Degree?”

No one poses this question to electrical-engineering students. But ask a roomful of liberal-arts folks if they’ve heard it and every hand goes up. It’s frustrating for them. A better question might be “What have you learned that will help you do what you enjoy?” Today’s economy is rapidly evolving, and many new grads will end up as freelancers or entrepreneurs and perform jobs that don’t exist right now. Ultimately, what really matters is whether they have developed the critical-analysis skills to help them succeed.

Katharine Brooks is the director of liberal-arts career services at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of You Majored in What? ($26, amazon.com).