<p>I’m definitely an English/Social Studies person. </p>
<p>Math is easy, but a pain.
Science drives my brain insane.</p>
<p>If those are the only subjects likely to earn you a sufficient job in the future, what is the point of having English/Social Studies majors anymore? And if you disagree with my claim, what actual, reasonable careers exist for people that have majored in English/Social Studies?</p>
<p>Ha, I’m a double English/History major. I’m planning to be an English teacher but was also considering being a guidance counselor or working in a non-profit Jewish organization, for whatever that’s worth.</p>
<p>I see; teaching seems to be in the “Reasonable Top Ten Careers” list for almost every English major I know.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t mind the idea of becoming a teacher; teaching could actually turn into a hobby of mine eventually. However, people continue to jeer and mock me for planning to major in English, calling the idea “stupid” and “already integrated into the math and science majors”. Their mockery hasn’t affected my love for the language whatsoever, but it IS lowering my self-confidence. I don’t excel in any of the four core subjects; it’s just that Language Arts happens to come off as an interest of mine.</p>
<p>If you’re any good with technology, publishing is an interesting career for an English or communications major. The publishing industry is shifting to a more digital field, so having knowledge of computers and stuff would give you a leg up while doing the things you love.</p>
<p>No one can predict the future employment market. For better or for worse. So ultimately, you have to go with what you enjoy with some pragmatism thrown in. And ‘sufficient’ is a very personal value. Depends on the lifestyle you want/expect. </p>
<p>An English major gives you excellent writing skills so think pr, corporate comms, copy writing, journalism, publishing (as per avita01 above), local or fed government, politics.</p>
<p>With grad school you could do teaching, social work, speech therapy, tesol, law, educational admin, linguistics.</p>
<p>Then there’s all the jobs where your major doesn’t matter (so much)- law enforcement, military</p>
<p>Remember too that there are far more majors in social science subjects than you’ll have experienced in hs. Try and read a little bit about them and see what you think. Anthropology, psychology, philosophy, history, area studies e.g. Latin American Studies, Literature, Politics, International Relations, Languages, Linguistics, art history, archaelogy, classics, hr, business, advertising, journalism, religion etc</p>
<p>I got out of school with a degree in Classics and got a clerical at a software company, then wrote promotional copy for a vitamin company, then did admin work at a government agency related to grants, now work in fundraising for a medium-sized nonprofit.</p>
<p>My sister graduated in history, became a paralegal first for a nonprofit then for a law firm, then went back to law school and is a lawyer herself.</p>
<p>My other sister has a degree in art history, worked as a receptionist for an accounting firm, then something for a nonprofit, then something in finance, and is now a high school teacher.</p>
<p>My other other sister was a poli sci major. She worked in a store for a year or so and is now the office administrator for some kind of medical trade group.</p>
<p>You find different things to do. Most people do it by working not-very-good-paying not-very-exciting office jobs for a little bit while they feel out what’s out there and what they’re good at. It’s not as simple as you get your degree, walk into an office, and based on your degree they give you a specific job right away. It’s not really even that simple for STEM fields, although it is a little easier.</p>
<p>Look at this chart:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-Degrees_that_Pay_you_Back-sort.html]WSJ.com[/url”>WSJ.com]WSJ.com[/url</a>]</p>
<p>English and history do not so bad in terms of salary, both out of school and into mid-career. Engineering does much better, nursing does quite a bit better, business and marketing do only a little better, chemistry does a little better but biology does a little worse, as do such “practical” majors as Healthcare Administration and Hospitality & Tourism. History majors end up making about the same as Business majors by mid-career. </p>
<p>Be prepared to temp for a while out of school, but also be prepared for not-terrible earnings potential, especially as your life progresses. </p>
<p>Anyway, don’t worry about dipwads at your high school. They don’t know anything about college or careers or anything else. Just remember, high school ends. It feels like forever, but none of these people are going to matter in a very short while.</p>
<p>@avita01 I can’t say that I’m into technology at all … I’m taking Computer Science this year, and there’s not yet been a moment where I’ve found the class enjoyable: not because the atmosphere’s bad, but because the subject itself doesn’t appeal to me. Journalism (my second best bet) is also something I’m not interested in. (Sorry for being so picky …*)</p>
<p>@highland_poppy Thanks for all the great recommendations! I think I’m going to pass on linguistics and politics, but editing sounds like a great idea (if teaching doesn’t work out)! Psychology I’m still pondering about, but I might just change that into a major instead of a minor eventually.</p>
<p>@NavalTradition Wow! What sharp job alterations! I’m definitely aware that I’m not going to be able to find a proper job right off the bat, but thanks for sharing your story (and knowledge); my confidence has gone up tenfold!</p>
<p>I agree with NavalTradition, if you really love the field, you’ll find a way to make it work and use your majors to your advantage.</p>
<p>There’s always Law School!</p>
<p>Don’t listen to that proletarian babble about the liberal arts. It’s not like a bachelors’ in math gives you a significant set of skills that sets you above everyone else in the job market. Resume power discrepancies aside (of course), a smart history/English major with critical thinking abilities should be capable of acquiring the same professional skills that someone with a more “useful” major already has. </p>
<p>However this does depend on the level of the education you’re receiving. Generally, this argument holds less truth the further you deviate from a “prestigious” education; a community college education should be more skill-focused, for example.</p>
<p>“proletarian babble”-wow, aren’t you full of yourself? Because STEM majors are obviously inferior…</p>
<p>It’s about statistics really. What’re your chances of getting a good job? This actually matters more if you go to a prestigious school because you’ll have lots of loans to pay off. That being said, law school could be a good option if you’re a strong student.</p>
<p>Law school is a terrible option right now and unlikely to get any better anytime soon.</p>
<p>Great point. Still I’m wondering what other options to suggest to OP.</p>
<p>take quantitative classes, ideally up to statistics with multivariate regression, multivariate calculus, and linear algebra.</p>
<p>that way, whatever you major in, you will have considerably less difficulty applying to a variety of professional and social science grad schools.</p>