<p>I found my passion in administration when I was elected to presidential position of my school’s chapter of the Circle K International organization.</p>
<p>Currently I would have no time to major in business/administration/finance, and after this semester I realized I had no interest in pursuing higher mathematics or science in any shape, way, or form.</p>
<p>Some of the most enjoyable classes I have taken were anthropology and political science, but I continually see hate coming from many communities about the likelihood of me starving to death or working at McDonald’s or Starbucks if I were to major in those disciplines.</p>
<p>So… why? Why wouldn’t I get a job with those majors?</p>
<p>You would likely need an advanced degree to get a good paying job in one or both of those majors. I knew someone with a bachelors degree in political science who ended up working for a senator in NY before moving on to graduate school, so it is possible to get a job but it will be highly competitive. The stronger the school’s program in those areas, the better off you are. Also, the more internships/work experience you get while in school, the stronger your resume will be. However, there aren’t a ton of well-paying jobs in those fields without an advanced degree so it is considered a bigger risk than say, a career in healthcare.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say the general consensus is hate, but rather a fear that all of your time, hard work, and money will go into a degree that won’t produce many job opportunities. Graduate school doesn’t guarantee anything either, but if you are passionate about your field then it may be worth the risk to you. A lot of people forget too that you may find work in related areas or even different fields after your training in poli sci or anthropology. If you get a solid education, you won’t be limited to work in politics; you will have developed other marketable skills and experience as well. And just because you go to school to learn one field and end up working in another field doesn’t mean the education was a waste - no one can take those skills and experiences away from you, and no one (not even you) can predict where your interests will be in a few years. You can always go to graduate school for something different, as well (such as psychology, marketing, business management, etc.).</p>
<p>“Some of the most enjoyable classes I have taken were anthropology and political science, but I continually see hate coming from many communities about the likelihood of me starving to death or working at McDonald’s or Starbucks if I were to major in those disciplines.”</p>
<p>Well you certainly appear to have the rhetorical skills of a politician. But I want to turn this around on you. Tell us how you would plan to get a job with those degrees. If you have a passion for administration, how does a degree in the discplines you mentioned put you to the top of the list? And what do you want to administrate? A school district? The motor vehicle agency? EPA? Enjoyable classes are nice, but your question suggests you haven’t haven’t research your opportunities.</p>
<p>“A lot of people forget too that you may find work in related areas or even different fields after your training in poli sci or anthropology. If you get a solid education, you won’t be limited to work in politics; you will have developed other marketable skills and experience as well.”</p>
<p>That’s basically what I’ve been wondering and is the main source of my conflicting emotions about getting a job. To be honest with you, I’m looking for breadth in the skills I learn so that I could basically get a job wherever I wanted. Working in politics seems interesting… to a point. I don’t think it’s something I’d like to do for the rest of my life; especially in the United States.</p>
<p>So with this in mind, and knowing that I <em>could</em> most definitely get a job in a different industry with any degree, all I really have to do is make myself marketable? So…</p>
<p>-Internships
-Desired skills (Like programming, for instance. I have interest in that, although I dislike higher mathematics immensely.)
-Experience</p>
<p>Something I do on a regular basis is hypothesize, criticize, and try to find correlations between data. IE: yesterday I found myself wondering which ethnic demographic uses the most amount of birth control.</p>
<p>That’s fun to me.</p>
<p>If a major or job involved that kind of work, that’d be pretty cool, man.</p>
<p>Hellius, your thinking is good in regards to contemplating what may make you more marketable. Among the majors my son (a junior in HS) is considering are history and poli sci and he recognizes the need for additional skills which will make him more attractive to potential employers. </p>
<p>You mentioned programming and higher math. I am in IT but not a programmer. However, I have taken a number of programming classes. I don’t really see programming as higher math and I have taken quite a bit of mathematics and statistics in my life. I actually think your enjoyment of hypothsizing and trying to find correlations between data is a good skill when doing programming. If you are good at logic, you can program. And computer knowledge in today’s world is key.</p>
<p>Sounds like you have a plan. Good luck.</p>
<p>I have never seen a job advertisement that said “Wanted: B.A. in political science”. It is also very hard to get a job working for a senator - you would need to have connections to get this type of job. I majored in political science, undergrad, and it was the worst decision of my life. Also, with many liberal arts (soft subjects) it can be very difficult to find employment. Many people I know who majored in things like religion, anthropology, womens studies, etc. are now on food stamps and living in poverty. Even having a useless degree on your resume can lead to it being tossed into the wastecan. For years, I have never put political science on my resume, I just put bachelor of arts. I only tell the employer about it, if they ask.</p>
<p>If you enjoy certain studies, you should minor in them, not major in them.</p>
<p>Well, that is only one experience. No, jobs will not say: “Wanted, X Degree.” The job search will never be that easy, and shouldn’t be expected to be. And not everyone gets what they want - that’s the hard truth. But it doesn’t mean it is by any means useless to try. I have a degree in psychology and I am a human resources manager - not in poverty.</p>
<p>I’ve known quite a few successful poli sci majors (don’t know any anthropology majors). And the one that worked for a senator did NOT have inside connections - that person did attend NYU, which is prime placement and heavily recruited, and which is why I also said the strength of the program can be very important. That individual might not be a typical example, but they did work darn hard to get there (coming from a small, unimpressive town and high school) and has found quite a bit of success. </p>
<p>No degree is useless if you know what to do with it. If you treat it as just a piece of paper, then sure, you won’t be too successful in marketing it. With a BA in psychology and management work experience, I am in a very flexible position to attend graduate school for psychology or business (I am particularly interested in marketing, consumer behavior), or to progress with my company into higher management positions, maybe even obtain an MBA someday depending on where my future takes me. Or I could go in an entirely different direction - I’ve acquired some good leadership qualities and business skills that will only help my resume.</p>
<p>Hellius - it sounds to me like a career in research (graduate degree) may be of interest to you eventually if you like to ponder questions and find your own answers. And don’t forget, just because you start out working in one field does not mean you are limited to that forever. You could go back to school, or attend graduate school, even 5 or 20 years from now. You can switch career paths. Network heavily so you are aware of different opportunities around you.</p>