Help deciding double major, and whether or not it's worth the time.

doowstados
Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:51:10 +0000

Hello all,

Let me start this thread off by saying I have no idea where this thread should go, so I put it here.

Anyway:

I’m a 60 unit transfer student attending CSU Fullerton next spring with a major in History. After a lot of consideration and many hours of research, I have come to the conclusion that I am utterly confused and don’t know what to do with myself in this situation.

With the current economic condition and the job market the way it is, I’ve made a late realization that a degree in History from a state college is not going to be worth very much in terms of hire-ability. I declared this major with the full intent of teaching high school and eventually moving on to obtain my doctorate and profess. I still wish to follow this plan.

With all of that said, the job market for History teachers is saturated because of old teachers wanting to add more to their retirement plans and holding on to their jobs for dear life. Because of this, the outlook for me is bleak. I am considering a double major to improve my job outlook in the private sector until I can find a job teaching in my area. I do not want to move out of Southern California if I can help it. In addition to this benefit, I will be able to get credentialed in another subject, something highly desirable by schools hiring teachers.

I’m considering a double major in Finance, Economics, or Political Science. It will take me between two and three semesters extra to graduate with one of these.

I have also played around with the idea of switching majors to Economics and minoring in History, but I don’t think this is possible because I was accepted for transfer as a History major.

Any advice is welcome. My main questions are:

1) Is a double major worth it? History majors aren’t exactly in high demand.
2) Which of these majors pairs with History the best? I don’t believe ANY of them have overlapping courses.

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