<p>bostonman, colleges offer 2 types of degrees under one roof. This leads to confusion because back in the day they used to be offered at different schools; you went to one type of institution for job training, another for the classic “college education”. Some degrees are vocational in nature – accounting, engineering, nursing, etc. People with these degrees are prepared for jobs in their field without grad school (although some switch and do something completely different). On the other hand there are liberal-arts degrees.</p>
<p>Without the distinction in mind one ends up with mixed metaphors. Asking “what do I do with a major in sociology” is applying a vocational-education measure to a liberal-arts pursuit, and is somewhat akin to asking “how many inches in a cup of water?” None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields; an undergrad degree in an area such as English can be helpful for jobs that tend to require a lot of writing. But that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major.</p>
<p>History, poli-sci, archeology, you name it. People with these majors can get good jobs too, but it takes more than just the degree. Good grades and involvement in leadership activities is important, but the key that is needed for these majors are internships. They set you apart from the 1000’s of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships. Other companies are impressed by the internships and take a much closer look at you.</p>
<p>People with liberal-arts degrees are NOT doomed to flipping burgers. Most people in management positions came up from these majors. One issue when answering questions like the OP asked is that most HS students (and unfortunately many college students) are just not yet informed about all the jobs that are out there. They can name only a dozen or two jobs, so they have no idea of how people enter career fields they don’t even know exist. This narrowing of focus means kids talk about the same few jobs as if that’s all there is – lawyer, teacher, accountant, doctor, investment banker, etc. Almost any career field is open to the liberal-arts grad outside of the ones that require specific training (engineering, nursing, etc), and even for these you could go to grad school or take post-college classes (eg. becoming an RN) if you really wanted.</p>
<p>The OP needs to take the broad approach; say to yourself “I’m going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?” I would suggest the OP read 2 books. The first is “Major in Success” and explains with many stories how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. The second book (more general, but along the same lines) is the bible of the job-hunter, “What Color is Your Parachute”. This book also helps you discover what your interests are and how to determine where out in the working world you can do it. I also suggest using the resources of your career center. First explore what you like to do, then identify career areas where you can do it. At that point you continue your preparation & exploration by joining clubs, getting internships, etc.</p>
<p>BTW I want to add that the steps above (career exploration, talking with alums, and <em>especially</em> internships) are more important to your future success than for some other kids. Accepting at face value your statement that you’re going to an average college, you are at a disadvantage compared to those at highly ranked schools. There is in fact a strong debate about whether attending a good school actually changes a student in a way that wouldn’t have happened if they went to Average U, or whether just getting accepted into a good school (and then sticking with it to get a degree) is a sign to future employers that the person has a lot of potential. In essence the colleges have already done screening in a way employers can’t --examining SAT scores, reading essays, looking at letters of reference, etc. In Economics this is termed “signaling” and was the subject covered by a Nobel Prize a few years back. What this means to you is the diploma from Average U won’t carry the same “wow” factor, so the other factors you bring to the table (again, the most impressive are internships) can sway the decision.</p>
If Leisure Studies majors can find jobs, you can too. Psychology is one of the most popular degrees, it sure wouldn’t be if there were no jobs available. </p>