It's Not Too Late to Choose Business

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From start to finish, it takes Calabro about 18 months to put together a book, since she typically interviews 60 people. "You need a cross-section of the folks in the corner office but also the rank and file," she says. "With Pep Boys, I interviewed the guys who change the brakes." Calabro started her post-college career as a copywriter. After about 10 years, she went freelance, did some promotional writing, and then segued into writing books, starting with young adult novels and working her way into corporate histories.

So why do companies want books written about them? For one, they're relatively cheap marketing materials. The books can also serve as a reminder to the public that the company has a clean history and a proven record of success, especially important since the Enron scandals of 2001. Or companies can create a book as a turning point, to show revitalization and/or rebranding.

Not all corporate historians are self-employed. They can work as both in-house staff members and outside freelancers. For historians who work in-house at a large company, job duties often include running a museum, maintaining and building archives, conducting research, and doing some marketing work.

Most corporate historians have advanced degrees and years of work experience. So for students interested in the field, a smart place to start would be in the corporate-communications office of a company or at an outside business. It's also helpful to take business classes while in college and to strengthen communications skills through writing and public speaking courses.

The Major: Art

The Job: Art Advisory Services

Clients who use wealth-advisory services usually have a diversified portfolio made up of real estate holdings, stocks, mutual funds, and, often, art. Hence, many companies that offer wealth-management services are focusing some attention on the art world and hiring employees with that type of knowledge.

Citigroup (C) has been operating its extensive art-advisory service since 1979. The private bank employs advisers with expertise in various types of art, including Asian pieces, contemporary works, and jewelry. Advisers do research and help clients decide which pieces would be most beneficial to add to their collections and which to sell. Advice on each purchase or sale is conducted in the context of financial markets and personal financial affairs, giving clients the benefit of financial knowledge as well as artistic expertise. Citigroup can also catalog pieces in a photographic database, handle insurance needs, and give advice on estate planning for clients with extensive collections.

Smaller companies without art advisers often hire employees with art backgrounds and contract out work when necessary. Lexington Wealth Management, based in Lexington, Mass., recently hired someone with an art-history degree. Though that wasn't the only reason he was hired, his background certainly helps him speak with clients who have collections, says president Michael Tucci. Lexington also outsources art appraisers on a case-by-case basis.

The Major: Psychology

The Job: Consumer Psychologist

Who determines how package design affects product likability? Studies consumer response to advertisements? Focuses on buying-behavior trends? The answer is the consumer psychologist. Consumer psychology is the "study of human responses to product and service related information and experiences," according to the Society for Consumer Psychology.

That means consumer psychologists work in a variety of settings to help companies and other organizations figure out how to make their marketing strategies most effective. They work at advertising agencies, universities, research firms, and courts, among other settings. In a court, a psychologist can be an expert witness in a trademark-infringement case, whereas in an ad agency, a psychologist can show findings on the effectiveness of different commercials, according to Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society.

For the most part, a Master's or PhD. is needed to practice as a consumer psychologist, however, an undergraduate degree in psychology is a smart way to launch a career. Most consumer psychologists earn advanced degrees in marketing, management, or advertising. Academic positions at colleges would most likely require a PhD. (According to the Society for Consumer Psychology, the following schools have some of the best marketing PhD. programs: The University of Florida, Columbia, Northwestern, Penn's Wharton School, the University of Texas, and Ohio State.)

The Major: Philosophy

The Job: Compliance Officer

Corporate ethics have been a hot topic since the Enron scandal of 2001, hence compliance is one of fastest growing fields on Wall Street. Though most current available jobs are in the middle or senior level, there are some entry-level positions out there, says Jack Kelly, managing director of Compliance Search Group, an executive-search firm that specializes in compliance. "They would make sure brokers aren't taking advantage of clients, not calling up an unsophisticated client just to make commission," Kelly says.

Entry-level candidates should look into regulatory agencies—such as the New York Stock Exchange, the Securities & Exchange Commission, or local exchanges—or a company such as Merrill Lynch (MER) or Morgan Stanley (MS). At such companies, employees would be charged with oversight of certain areas with regards to rules, regulations, and ethical standards. Pay would run about $55,000, plus bonuses, in New York. Pay varies in other parts of the country, Kelly says.

Compliance work is often done by people looking to go to law school or get into the law-enforcement field. Business coursework is also helpful for the job, since it's very legal-, audit-, and risk-based.

Gordon is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in New York.