Hello all, I am currently a junior in high school and have been intensively considering different degrees and paths to pursue in college. I have often been finding myself end up back at International Affairs (IA) and Political Science (PS) as I was heavily considering a job as a diplomat. My question pertains to what I would pair with either IA or PS to have a fallback on?I have seen people write about themselves being stuck with a degree that interests them though the job market in that field is not hiring. I have taken many rigorous courses in my school but with no focus, and I’d like to devise a plan before my senior year to give me time to alter it accordingly. Continuing with high school, I have been strongly considering courses at my local community college for senior year (as to what effect they’ll have, I do not know), and possibly applying for an internship with my local congressman as my mother knows him personally. I have also been studying Spanish for four years in school now with outside studies on both Russian and Mandarin Chinese, but I am uncertain as to the value of a major/minor in a language would be. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
I think a lot of college students are unduly focused with this idea of something to “fall back on.” Don’t get me wrong - I am a huge proponent of the Plan B. But there’s this idea that, you know, I’ll major in my real interest and then I’ll add another major that I can “fall back on” in case the first one doesn’t work out. It’s not really like that, though - because it’s not just a major that gets you a job. A computer science major who has never written a real line of code or programmed anything that worked is not a CS major you want to hire. You want to hire the CS major who actually likes CS and spent his free time programming little apps or her summers interning as a software developer or IT or whatever.
The other thing is that you can’t predict the future. CS and engineering jobs will probably continue to be strong and in-demand. But in 2004, when I started college, finance and real estate were two fields that were hot and then blew up. (Law was another one). I don’t think many people predicted in 2004 that in 4-5 years those fields would be a lot less attractive to young professionals looking to move into the upper-middle class. Nor did most people foresee tech taking over the way it has - the first smartphone hadn’t debuted, and social media didn’t really exist.
I’m not saying don’t add another major or think about a Plan B, but your Plan B doesn’t need to be so disparate from your Plan A - and you should focus primarily on what you actually like to do. For example, political science pairs really nicely with applied math and/or statistics, which is in high demand these days. Having those skills can help you break into the IA or poli sci field but could also help you pivot in case those markets go south or you decide to change careers or need to do so. Economics or business (which are related but distinct) are two other areas that can be in high demand but also pair nicely with IA or poli sci and can enhance your career prospects both inside and outside of that career, as long as your quant skills are good.
And additional languages are very valuable, particularly critical languages like Mandarin Chinese and Russian.
if you are good with languages, what about being a linguist for the government. It would give you the international affairs but give you an actual skill that is much needed today. Good Luck.