So I started out pre-med but dropped that so now im an anthropology major. But I don’t think anthro will get me a job so I’m considering going into business (probably finance)
When I read about business, finance, marketing, etc etc online or anywhere or when I read the class descriptions for business classes, my eyes just glaze over. Everything seems boring. One time I asked my finance/marketing friend why shes studying business and she just said she liked money. So to all the business majors out there- do u guys actually enjoy business and find it interesting? Why did u guys choose ur major?
I know youre supposed to major in something that you love but the only classes that don’t make my eyes glaze over are the sociology and anthropology classes. Im probably going to double major in a social science but I just want to also prepare myself for a future career
Sometimes when you follow your passion it leads to Starbuck’s or Walmart.
What career interests you? For a sociology or anthropology major there is academia which requires a Ph.D. and a limited job market or perhaps an MSW to be a social worker.
exactly why I don’t want to “follow my passion”!!! I want to have a career that I enjoy or at least tolerate but also pays well, but I think of those two things, I’d be more focused on having a career that pays well over a career that I love.
I don’t think I want to go into academia and I definitely don’t want to try for a PhD. I want to major in something that can get me a job out of undergrad, but I’m also open to going for a masters. I also do not want to be a social worker. idk what careers interest me tho. When I google different careers and what people do, I cant see myself anywhere. I don’t like desk jobs but I feel like I’d tolerate it if the pay was good and there was room for advancement. And I don’t see myself as a leader- I’m more or less shy around large groups. Im more of a oneonone type of person but I could also work in small groups. I feel like a lot of jobs could apply to this in so many different fields so idk where to go. Business, it seems, is the most broad and applicable to most careers.
I think sometimes you have to compromise between your true interests/passions, and what will make you enough money to survive. For me, I wanted to make money to support my passions/hobbies of driving nice cars (possibly amateur racing), djing, traveling, etc. However, making money doing these things is very hard especially with no start-up money. Therefore, I’m going into finance which I’m “fine” with, and seeing if maybe I can find a job in a place that interests me a bit more (biotech, energy, or real estate finance would be cool).
In addition, you can always do a major + minor, or a double major.
I agree with @philbegas If earning a living was not an issue I would have majored in history. Instead I took as much history as I could at college while majoring in business (and I continue to read history books for pleasure as an adult). But as an undergrad I did enjoy the business classes so it was not a hardship at all for me to major in accounting.
I can say that I have found my business career to be interesting, challenging, and rewarding. I’ve worked for and with some wonderful, hardworking, and brilliant people, I have had many interesting challenges, and I’m always learning new things. And I’ve been able to balance work with a happy family life. Is every day at work exciting and wonderful? Definitely not. Are there some pressure filled times? Definitely. But I can’t imagine too many professional jobs that will be perfect every day. All in all, no regrets.
You need to figure out a career that will interest you and make you employable. If business courses bore you to tears, then think about other options. If you considered pre-med then what about some of the allied medical fields (ex. speech pathology, OT, PT, PA) or nursing? Do some research, try to shadow people in different fields, talk to people in career services at your college, and find a path that gives you that happy balance between earning a living and enjoying your career.
Yep, you have to be realistic. You have to look at employment statistics for your sector, preferably in places you want to live if you can find that data. BLS is great once you understand how to sift through all of it.
If you want a major that will leave you with good job options then you can’t beat engineering. Computer science is also said to have great job options.
I know you need to major in something ‘practical’ and I agree (says the girl who plans on majoring in English) but don’t major in something that you hate just to get a good job. There is also always the option of getting an MBA and finding a niche area of business that interests you.
Anthropology/sociology can be combined with a statistics minor (or even a couple classes beyond intro to stats). Statistics will make the difference in terms of job market placement. Target a specialization within the American population (ethnic, regional, demographic…) Use your electives to take a multimedia communication class, a couple Business/marketing classes and a couple economics classes. Craft your resume to emphasize your knowledge and understanding of specific socio-economic segments as per your sociology concentration as well as your statistical and analytical skills.
Then, use your career center to find an internship in business/communication/marketing, starting this Fall for the summer after sophomore year, same thing for summer after junior year (looking August-October for selection). @juillet probably has other ideas.
This is a very persistent myth, but college graduates don’t end up in food service or retail very often. Only a small percentage of college graduates are underemployed, and when they are, they most often end up in office/white-collar jobs that simply don’t require a college degree. Only a small fraction end up in food service or retail.
It’s also not true that sociology and anthropology majors have limited job prospects. It’s simply that most of the jobs these majors do are not necessarily directly related to sociology or anthropology. You have to be more creative and don’t let your mind be limited only by the connections you can see.
Majors alone are not what gets you a job - skills are. A sociology or anthropology major who learns statistical analysis or computer programming, and/or who interns at a business two or three summers, is a valuable asset.
You can have a long and prosperous business career with ANY major - I know lots of social science and humanities majors who work in regular 9-to-5 jobs. The possibilities are endless - the things MYOS mentioned, human resources, marketing, communications, PR, sales, program management, user experience/human-computer interaction, really anything. Heck, you could go into finance or software development with the right SKILLS.
You don’t need to figure out your career right now. What you can do is develop skills and pursue internships and part-time jobs that help you develop experiences that make you marketable.
The unemployment rate for business majors (6-9% for recent grads, 4-6% for grads with 5+ years out of college) is actually not meaningfully different from the rate for sociology majors (8-10% for recent grads, 6% for experienced). And computer science and engineering are actually in the same general pot (in the 7-9% range). It’s really salaries where these majors differ, not employment.