Sitting in a claustrophobic cubical for eight hours sounds like hell. You don’t need to be a creative wiz to agree. Post grad life tends to lead people down this path: Answering phones, getting an entire office coffee, walking your boss’ dog … you know the drill. Your average nine to five is about as basic as you can get. But if you dig a little deeper and find something you really, really like to do while in college, the stars just might align and you’ll be happier than ever to be doing something worthy of dedicating those student loans and all-nighters to. We sat down with five University of Oregon class of 2014 graduates who are doing some awesome things post grad, and have gone down an interesting path to get there.

Art Major Gone Designer: Jeremy Bawcom

Biggest piece of advice: “Kill yourself during undergrad so that you’re prepared for a successful job afterwards.”

Liberal arts majors tend to be the outcasts in the world of college degrees. The idea that there is no career objective for those who pursue the subject is misconstrued and misunderstood. Jeremy Bawcom, a student in the five-year Bachelor of Arts program, knows this stereotype is simply BS.

Bawcom came to college with no internship experience and the intention of becoming a graphic designer. Eventually, he got fed up with the required computer design programs and changed his major to art history.

“The value of an art education is taking abstract ideas and communicating them in a way that is interesting and engaging,” Bawcom said. “This is the kind of process that you can use across different disciplines.”

As a sophomore Bawcom was appointed secretary of his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta. His organization and attention to detail did not go unnoticed. An advisor to Bawcom’s fraternity connected him to a multi-purpose design firm, Revoalution, that was looking to hire. He has been working at the firm for two and a half years as a print production specialist and will continue the job post grad.

Preserving Castles Abroad: Emily Vance

Biggest piece of advice: “Take risks, they always pay off.”

It took Mississippi native Emily Vance five-and-a-half years to get her undergraduate degree. She dropped out twice. She changed her major twice. Needless to say, she was in no rush to figure things out overnight.

The two times Vance dropped out from the University of Mississippi, she pursued paid internships with The Student Conservation Association, leading to her most bizarre experience – traveling to Cape Cod to work on a restoration project on a historic cranberry bog, removing invasive plants so the cranberries could grow properly.

Vance will be graduating from University of Oregon’s two-year historical preservation graduate program this spring.

This summer, Vance will be traveling to Edinburgh, Scotland, to work for the National Trust for Scotland after joining International Council on Monuments and Sites, a competitive cultural restoration program. Essentially, her job will be to preserve eroding castles.

Making Hipsters Look Cool Since ’12: Kate Schnabel

Biggest piece of advice: “When applying for a job, know what you’re applying for.”

Kate Schnabel has seen the show that satirizes nature-loving Portlanders play out for the past two years. What started out as an internship on the set of Portlandia – picking up trash and making Starbucks runs – is now her full-time job working as an assistant to co-producer and mentor Kevin Sullivan.

Schnabel started her college career at Oregon State University as a bio-chemistry major. Both of her parents are pharmacists, so it only seemed natural that she do the same. A film history class inspired her to major in cinema studies, but after sitting down with an advisor, Schnabel was convinced that UO would be a better fit for her academic goals.

Schnabel locked down her internship with Portlandia through the cinema studies internship development class, which is run by advisor Shauna Riedel-Bash, whom Schnabel has grown extremely close with over the years.

“I would really credit my success to her,” Schnabel said. “She goes above and beyond. I wouldn’t have a job without her.”

Her favorite thing on the job is working with the celebrity guest stars and purchasing “swag” for each celebrity’s hotel room. Some of her favorites were local Kombucha and soy candles – clearly fitting for the show.

Speech Pathology: Shannon Propst 

Biggest piece of advice: “Don’t have any regrets. These four years will fly by before you know it!”

Communication Disorders major Shannon Propst moved across the country from Bel Air, Maryland, to play lacrosse. Clueless as to what her major would be, an unexpected road lead her to speech pathology.

Uncertain of what to pursue, Propst asked her advisor, who recommended Propst take classes her lacrosse teammates were taking.

“So I took a CDS class my sophomore year,” she said.

The first class she took was communication disorders and their portrayal in the media.

“The media sometimes puts a bad stigma on a person with communication disorders, when really they just have a difficult time communicating how they feel,” Propst said.

Last summer Propst shadowed a Maryland speech language pathologist who works with autistic children. Now, she aspires to do the same.

Next fall, Propst will be attending grad school at Loyola University to get her masters degree.

Science or Bust: Chad Adamson

Biggest piece of advice: “Consistent sleep is vital to cognition.”

It seems as though Chad Adamson doesn’t sleep, however. He has two majors: biology and human physiology. And he also has two minors: Spanish and chemistry. He’s participated in three alternative spring breaks through the Holden Leadership Center across the country, he’s a biology peer advisor, studied Spanish in Spain and neotropical ecology in Ecuador … and more. Headed to the University College London to complete his Master’s in Global Health and Development while also preparing to take the MCAT and applying to med school — Adamson is the superman of sciences.

Because of the others students in his majors are equally passionate about their work, Adamson is motivated to do more.

“A majority of students I encounter are absolutely passionate about their desired professions and engage in a plethora of different, interesting extracurricular activities,” he said. “This further motivates me to have success in these fields, regardless of the amount of stress I encounter. There are so many teaching, mentoring and laboratory assistant opportunities within these departments that allows for students to own in on their skills and further develop an academic fluency in these subjects.”

For students who aspire to be doctors, Adamson suggests that students get involved with activities that they are passionate about.

“I would encourage students to partake in intellectual pursuits and extracurricular activities that fit their interests and skills. Being pre-med should not define the individual, but rather define a subset of classes that must be taken to satisfy medical school requirements,” Adamson said.