<p>My D is very, very good in math/science, but she decided that she does not LIKE math or science … so she did not major in a math or science area. She got an interdisciplinary degree in Medicine, Health, and Society. After graduation, when she couldn’t get a job, she was sure she had messed up. She started working at Starbucks last July, and kept sending out resumes. Yesterday, she got a wonderful job doing exactly what she wants to do (healthcare consulting). I have always believed that pursuing what you want to pursue will pay off … IF you work hard and have faith in yourself. I know too many people who hate what they are doing. I would rather my kids try to make it doing what they want. If it doesn’t pay the bills, THEN they can regroup and figure something else out.</p>
<p>Kelsmom’s s story and her daughter’s perseverance and success is something I will share with my kids and their friends. Our S and D have majored in areas they love ( Philosophy and English), but are realizing the job process may be slow and arduous. Many of their friends are “defaulting” to grad school, because they simply do not know what to do. To be honest, I think a lot of students think “why should I work at Starbucks when I have studied so hard”? Kelsmom’s daughter demonstrates how important it is to hold onto your goal, but work while you search for the job you want. Like many previous posts, we have always told our kids to do what you love and love what you do. Congratulations to her daughter and the great example she, and I am sure many others can show to this year’s graduating class!</p>
<p>Kelsmom - Great news!</p>
<p>I often hear quotes like, “If you choose what you love…you will never work a day in your life…”. That can be true. But often the grad will need to be patient with Starbucks stints and/or times of low cash flow. Of course in this economy that can be true for any major. </p>
<p>We’ve seen some talented musicians/actors struggle just to cover basic expenses. (Some others do fine, especially if working for the school district as main gig). That’s ok as long as they knew what they were getting into, without unrealistic expectations.</p>
<p>Sometimes what you love and are good at in college doesn’t translate to the working world. I majored in advertising but discovered in my early jobs that I was a good writer but I that I hated change and lacked vision… You can’t excel in advertising if you’d rather everything stay the same all the time! I switched to public accounting (I had nearly failed my accounting classes in college), which fits my personality much better and it’s worked out for the best. But I never would have guessed that in college.</p>
<p>
Is that really the question, though? Do most graduates with “unmarketable” majors end up earning low wages in a related field, or are they forced to take unrelated positions?
That isn’t hard to understand, but it is hard to put into practice. The question in the thread title is vastly oversimplified. How many college students really know whether they will find a major enjoyable?</p>
<p>Considering that my D was certain she wanted to work in the business end of music … I can say SHE certainly didn’t know in college what she would find enjoyable in terms of work. She studied MHS because she found the courses extremely interesting. She interned at a music management company and an independent record label for 1-1/2 years while in school. She was so sure she wanted to work in that industry. She was on the board of the music group at school, negotiating for artists, setting up concerts, etc. She had a radio show and interviewed unsigned Nashville artists. In her internships, she did work that a paid person would do … including handling artist websites. </p>
<p>Then she graduated and didn’t have a job (which she knew was possible, given that the music industry is a “right place, right time” industry). She had some time to reflect … and lo & behold, she realized that as much as she loved the industry, it was not for her (for some excellent, well thought out reasons). She started to consider opportunities that fit with her academic interests, and after many months it worked out for her.</p>
<p>I work with an English major who does insurance underwriting, among other group insurance consulting responsibilities. She enjoys her job. One of our insurance reps is a lawyer. Our 401K consultant is a lawyer, as well. </p>
<p>Life is not cut and dried, and we might as well spend our time pursuing what makes us happy.</p>
<p>The other problem is that the market changes so quickly and often a student may pick something “marketable” that isn’t so marketable when they graduate. I went to college in 2004, near the tail end of the 1990s period of prosperity. Many of my friends majored in finance or business administration with the intention of going to work in financial services on Wall Street. Nobody anticipated the bank crashes and collapse of the housing market which happened shortly after I graduated. A lot of my friends weren’t able to find jobs for 6-12 months+ after they graduated.</p>
<p>Now the hot field seems to be statistics…which just happens to be where I concentrated a lot of my efforts in college (I was a psychology major, but I had a particular interest in statistics). Data mining and being able to use statistical programs are in high demand now. I only developed those skills because I was interested in psychological research and you need them there, and I happen to really like applied math; I had no idea they were going to be “hot” now that so many firms have found ways to get data from their consumers.</p>
<p>Maybe in a few years the hot skill in demand will be French language skills because the French economy booms and they buy half of Europe. Or remember how China and India exploded and suddenly Chinese was a huge language to know? Maybe next time it will be Portuguese (Brazil), or maybe the Latin American market will blow up (Spanish). The potential reunification of Korea may make Korean language skills even more important.</p>
<p>So it’s kind of difficult and sometimes pointless to select something only because it’s marketable, because we have no idea how the world is going to change even in just the 4-5 years we spend earning a degree. I think a student should pick something that they like and then think about ways that degree could be practical. For example, I was a psychology major and people harsh on psych majors all the time. However, business people like psychology majors - we learn about organizational behavior, why people make the decisions they do (which could translate into "why people buy our stuff, and how to get them to do that more), we learn how to write and present information in front of large groups, and we learn data analysis skills. You can translate those skills into a job IF you recognize that they are there and learn how to write about them.</p>
<p>However, if a student has thought really really hard AND visited career services and still can’t think of a way a certain major can get them where they want to go…well, then perhaps they shouldn’t choose that. Also it’s still true that there are certain jobs that require a certain amount of background knowledge. If you want to create software for Apple, you should probably do computer science, lol.</p>
<p>The ideal answer would be “both”. What you decide to major in will probably change during your four (+) years in college, however, I think this is a question to seriously be considered. I believe your vocation should lend itself to your strengths, some of which may be academic others maybe due to character, habits and inclinations. If what you enjoy is not easily turned into a vocation or will result in living virtually in poverty then I would suggest looking for another direction which will provide an income and be at least somewhat rewarding. Turn your fun into a hobby. I believe the days are gone when a degree, any degree, is enough to propel you forward in any career you choose. When I was young (30 years ago) I knew a Plant manager at the factory my father worked for who had a history degree. Twenty years from now when today’s graduates will be in those positions I doubt that will be the case. We are past the days when college is cheap enough to merely go there for the fun of it or for mere enlightenment. At $25K per year for even an in state education (even if you don’t pay full fare somebody is footing the bill so you owe them at least the effort to be productive for society) we no longer have the option of not using college to prepare ourselves for a productive future.</p>