Im in high school. I’m considering either Global studies as a major (I’m not sure if that’s the same thing as international affairs, but I’m considering that, too), how long do they typically stay unemployed after graduation? and how does it compare to majors such as Biology (I’m not considering biology, I’m just comparing it to my brother in law because he got a BS in biology and spent 6 months unemployed, although part of that time was spent on his wedding)…Is a BA in global studies generally useful?
Global studies & bio have in common that they are very general majors that a lot of students take without knowing much about them. In both majors, the people who have the most success work hard to get internships / summer jobs in relevant areas, starting in the autumn of the first year of college (b/c the good ones go early). The name brand of your college can make a difference as well.
There’s no good way to answer this, because it depends on way too many factors. Namely, what did the person do while in college? If they spent their college years doing internships, networking, and otherwise setting themselves up for life after college, then they likely won’t be unemployed for too long after college. But if they didn’t do anything like that, they’d have a harder time finding a job initially. That isn’t to say that they wouldn’t find a job, just that they’d have a harder time and may be unemployed longer than someone who was taking initiative while in school. Then again, they may get lucky and the person who took initiative may get unlucky. There are really too many factors to predict something like this for a typical student.
OP, you’ll be fine in whatever major you choose as long as you make the most of your time in college (via internships, networking, etc) and market yourself well in the job search. It’s also important to realize that most people end up in a job unrelated to their major. The exceptions here are the people who studied more vocational majors like nursing or engineering.
As for the usefulness of global studies, it’s your typical non-vocational major: It allows you to apply to jobs that require a bachelor’s degree, and doesn’t lead to one particular career. The vast majority of majors are like this, so going based off of that it’s as useful as any other non-vocational major is.
OP, nowadays it seems as though it’s not the major you choose that makes it easier for you to get a job in the future (unless you’re dead-set on engineering), but rather the work you put into it. I’m a Global Studies and English double major specializing in Literature and the Culture of Information and possibly minoring in French. This may appear all over the place, but I’ve definitely found my niche in my university (which is a very large public school) and couldn’t be happier studying in what I’m passionate about. I’ve interned for journalism networks, worked with the marketing department of technological companies, and have served my time doing on-campus event-planning activities. All of these are what truly build your character and help you develop you interests as a college student. Rather than worry about the income you’ll be making once you get out of college, I suggest you choose what subject you find yourself most interested in and explore career options while in undergrad to develop a more focused understanding of what you really want to do. I’m currently aiming to work in international business, so at the moment I’m applying to study abroad in Switzerland and I’m looking at opportunities to work for companies that have an overseas reach. I nearly came into college studying Mathematics/Econ because I thought that was where the money was at, and I’m infinitely more happy knowing I’m studying something I have a true passion for. Companies that are hiring are more interested in relevant, previous experience than the diploma you walked out of college with.