If nothing else, get a job that makes you happy with the degree you’ve earned.

Too often students graduate only to realize they might not get their sought-after job and forget one important idea: with a diploma, they’re open to a wide range of opportunities.

So instead of immediately filling out a job application to McDonald’s after graduation, consider what the professional world might entail outside of food service.

For example, there’s a stigma associated with psychology majors. Naysayers claim this diploma is only useful to frame on the wall, and all those with this degree are destined to be mailmen or work as baristas at Starbucks.

But they’re wrong. A degree in psychology — or any other field of study — tells employers that they’re hiring a hardworking professional. It signifies the degree holder is a part of a group of Americans who have the drive to educate themselves. It makes the degree holder more of an asset in the workforce and gives them the upper hand in choosing a more fulfilling career.

In 2008, about 50 percent of Americans weren’t happy with their work environment, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. People from all demographics surveyed were upset with their managers, didn’t care about their company and felt disconnected from their duties.

This means workers are unhappy, causing them to perform poorly at their jobs and make less money, according to James K. Harter and his research team at Gallup. They estimate Americans’ detachment from their jobs adds up to $300 billion lost annually.

That said, keep yourself open to other job options outside what other people think your major is “intended” for. When things change, make sure you have a front-row ticket to the best show of your life.

My sister graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in child psychology. According to the useless-degree stigma, she shouldn’t be making much money or having fun while doing it.

Today, she gets paid to skydive, manage professional athletes and even go to popular music festivals like Coachella. She’s an athlete marketing coordinator at Red Bull, one of the furthest things from being a child psychologist. While her annual income may not number in the six figures, she still makes darn good money, especially considering the amount of happiness she derives from working full-time.

Just because your initial hopes might fall through, doesn’t mean you have to work in a cubicle at a job you hate. It means you look somewhere else along the horizon. Don’t limit yourself to one set path to professionalism. You need a plan “B” to go with “A,” so put time into planning out a number of routes to success.

In other words, don’t have one dream job when you can have two or three or as many as you can imagine.

Think big and have fun doing it.

Paul Smeltzer can be reached at [email protected] or @smeltzerwave on Twitter.