Hello,
I am trying to decide on an undergraduate major. I do not enjoy math or science and I really do not want to teach. Any search that I performed on the subject of non-STEM majors produced mainly suggestions for teaching majors.
Besides the non-STEM/teaching requirement, I would really like the major to have a relatively easy time in finding employment after graduation and have a starting salary of at least 37,000.
If you feel you know of a major that fits most, if not all, of my requirements, please list those majors. I am having a really hard time deciding on a major and my advisor is of no help. Basically, I am willing to transfer to a new institution if my current one does not offer the major I seek.
Thank you.
Many college majors (including many science majors) are not strongly associated with particular kinds of jobs (outside of academic jobs in the subject). What they really do for the student is (a) give practice in learning new material and solving various problems that s/he may encounter, and (b) indicate to others that the student has succeeded in (a). Such generalized skills and knowledge are highly valuable long term in one’s career (due to the way jobs change, being good at learning something new and solving new problems is very valuable), but understandably may not be optimal for finding jobs at employers that was specific skills right now for the short term.
What subjects are you interested in?
Human Resources Manager is an occupation for which 2012 and 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics data (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm and http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000) actually show notable growth between 2012 and 2014.
Pay reported by some people working in that field is shown at https://www.payscale.com/gigzig.aspx#/US///Human+Resources+%28HR%29+Manager. All of the those with “Human Resources,” but not “Assistant,” in their title reported earning at least $38,000/year.
It’s possible to get a degree in Human Resources Management, and I suspect this is the route to better starting pay in the field. Pay and other details for such graduates is at http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_%28BA%29%2c_Human_Resources_Management_%28HRM%29/Salary. The salary range for the 25 people there begins at almost $39,000. I would conjecture that at least one of the 25 is in the early part of their career.
Different types of business majors would fit your criteria. Finance and marketing are high paying majors! Try not to pick it just because it’s high paying but it is a good perk.
If you like writing, think about technical writing. Little known secret: Tech writers make as much or more than some engineers. Your major can be whatever you want. Just add a minor in CS. Then after you get your degree, pick up a certificate in tech writing. It’s not glamorous or sexy work, but it pays well.
http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Technical-Writer-l-Silicon-Valley,-CA.html
If your goal is simply a starting salary of around $37K, most majors will get you there. [This WSJ study](WSJ.com) used Payscale, which is flawed in many ways, but some majors with a median starting salary at or over $37K include sociology, anthropology, English, political science, international relations, geography, and economics. ($37K is sort of an arbitrary number; is there a particular reason why you picked that?)
What is a “teaching major”? You can teach K-12 with a variety of majors, including most of the STEM majors. And most people who major in the humanities or social sciences don’t end up teaching.
Majors alone don’t give you a “relatively easy time” finding employment. It’s your experiences and persistence, as well as the resources available to you, that does that. If you gain internships while in school and your college has a good career services office with some decent recruiting, finding a job can be pretty smooth.
What are your interests?