<p>So here’s a debate:</p>
<p>If you held only an undergraduate degree, which of these three similar mided majors would be most useful in any and alll aspects of life: English, History, or Anthropology?</p>
<p>This may seem random but I am very curious about what you all think.</p>
<p>No wrong anwers today.</p>
<p>Three-way tie for third place.</p>
<p>There’s basically no difference. English might have a slight advantage, but you’re still not going to make six figures.</p>
<p>History</p>
<p>“Study the past, if you would divine the future”</p>
<p>While it may not be thriving as much as more technical areas, anthropology is a growing field from what I have read. Many corporations are hiring anthropologists to study consumerism and to make products more marketable to their target audience. If you’re interested in that aspect of anthropology, you could pick up a few business courses and get yourself an internship with a company. Forensic anthropology is a strong choice, if you don’t mind a bit of bio and chem. If the more “traditional” idea of anthropology appeals to you, it might be a good idea to round out your education with a minor or second major in a foreign language. This will make you a more attractive candidate for digs or other projects abroad. A lot of people think that Anthropology isn’t a very marketable major, but if you specialize in a subfield of Anthropology and show that your education is applicable through internships, you have a higher chance of landing a job. </p>
<p>English and history could work too, and there is always the possibility that you could get your master’s in education. If you major in English, and you’re concerned about practicality, you could always focus on the communications end of English instead of literature.</p>
<p>From a job point of view, they’re about the same. These majors develop transferable skills, but then it’s up to you to transfer them, either getting further training via a graduate degree, or by getting an entry-level job and taking advantage of your employer’s training programs to work your way up.</p>
<p>My best friend in college freshman year majored in anthropology, then got an MA in it. She has worked for decades for EDS and its offshoots. At her employer, she learned about computers and she specializes in devising systems for companies and users in a variety of fairly unusual parts of the world.</p>
<p>With an English or History BA, you could teach in a private high school; anthropology is generally not taught on a hs level. Public hs teaching generally requires an education credential.</p>
<p>From a “whole-life” point of view, each of these majors is very enriching, and which one a person would pursue would depend on his or her inclinations. I majored in English because I had always loved literature and my literature courses–high school history, not so much. In the second semester of my senior year of college, I had to take a history course to fulfill a distribution requirement. It was an absolutely fascinating course that changed my sense of the field. If I had taken it earlier, I might have majored in history or taken many more history courses.</p>
<p>Wow, all 3 degrees are utterly useless. But if I had to pick my poison, I would go with English this way you could teach English or even ESL.</p>
<p>…I’m an English major with a job three months after graduation…</p>
<p>… and I’m another English major who had a job lined up two months before graduation…</p>
<p>What kind of job?</p>
<p>Magazine editorial. Exactly what I wanted.</p>
<p>^^ I got a job at a marketing firm, but I’m Fulbrighting instead.</p>
<p>I’d like to thank the people who actually believe there is any value in a degree in English etc. I do agree that the above 3 majors are not the best from a career stand point, but they do have a lot of potential!</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree.</p>
<p>From a career standpoint, it depends on the field you want to go into and how creative you are in putting your major together, developing the skills you’ll need in the workplace, and marketing yourself.</p>
<p>Perhaps you meant to say from a salary standpoint, these three might not be the easiest to milk for the big bucks.</p>
<p>Did well with my English degree. Worked in marketing communications–responsible for direct mail (travel brochures) from inception to distribution–including copy, design, purchasing, printing, etc. As a matter of fact just about everyone in the department had English degrees with responsiblility for advertising and public relations, etc.
Now much of the promotion is done on web pages, too…but I’m sure it is still the responsibility of marketing communications people. All the technological skills I needed to understand print production I learned on the job. What I gained from my English degree was the ability to write and editweel, and an analytical approach to probelm solving.</p>
<p>Later went into teaching and was able to parlay my BA in English into an additional teaching certification after getting a masters in Elementary Ed.</p>
<p>Anthropology student, was offered a job BEFORE graduating in 2009, aka the worst part of the recession. Turned it down for grad school. I might be biased, but my vote is for anthropology.</p>
<p>Follow your heart in what you want to do. Only you can make yourself happy with what you do with your life. I use to make a six-figure salary and hated my career. Now I’m going back to school for Anthropology and History and very excited about my “new” future. There are many things you can do with all the majors you said. You can make six-figures, but make yourself happy first and foremost. Amazon.com sells several books on the subjects…look under “Great Jobs for Anthropology Majors” and etc. Anthropology seems to be a better “subject” if you live out West vs in the Midwest or East Coast in the US. Good Luck to you on your decision.</p>
What kind of job?
Did your college help set that up?
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