<p>Hi, my names Greg and i'm finishing up my Freshman year of college with a 3.8 GPA as an undeclared major. I graduated high school in 2010 with a 3.6 weighted GPA, a 1770 on the SATs and 4 AP credits to my name. </p>
<p>This year i've been attending a small private school in Pennsylvania called York College of Pennsylvania. The school is selective enough and has a very reasonable price tag and I am very happy here. But lately i've been doing some research on what I will major in. As my current financial situation stands, i can't see myself being able to be financially independent after graduation making less than 40K a year, a large sum given the economy.</p>
<p>So, one of the fields I have been looking into is Human Resources/Labor Relations. They pay very well and the job looks interesting, plus my Mother works for a non-profit organization and can probably get me an internship in this field.</p>
<p>However, some schools such as Penn State offer a specific degree in either Labor Relations or Human Resources, whereas my school just has the typical business degrees such as Managment, Marketing, Accounting and Finance. While I love my school, I am certainly not going to put my future at risk just to have a good time for 3 more years but at the same time I don't want to transfer unless necessary.</p>
<p>Given my situation, do you think a transfer for a more concentrated degree is necessary?</p>
<p>Don’t transfer. I think it would be silly in your situation. If you are interested in labor relations, just make sure to take all the courses in that area available at your school (not just HR or labor relations, but anything regarding labor or management. If there is a minor, specialization or concentration in labor relations/human resources available, try to take that as well. Bottom line - your specific degree in undergrad isn’t that important particularly if you want to go into HR, and you aren’t putting your “future at risk.” Do your research projects in your business classes related to labor/HR, write papers on labor/HR related subjects when you can. All of this can be listed on your resume as academic experience related to the field you are truly interested in. If you are really interested in continuing your interest in labor relations after getting your undergrad degree, definitely go into a grad program within labor relations/HR.</p>
<p>jyu - if you are still around - I graduated from York. I have a question for you - can you afford to stay for an extra year? It sounds like you love it there (I know I did…) and if you can afford a fifth year you might be interested in doing their Baccalaureate & MBA Dual Degree Program with a concentration in HR. I think Hostler is in charge of it, if you know who he is. His office used to be in the LS building, not sure if he has moved or not. I had a few friends who did that program and loved it. If you’re interested I’d ask about it sooner rather then later because you start taking those MBA courses during your senior year so that you can finish everything in 5 years total.</p>
<p>If you can’t do that or aren’t interested in getting both, you could declare a major in Management with a focus in human resources. They basically then include the courses for the HR minor in your management degree. Or you could just major in business admin and minor in HR.</p>
<p>Who is your advisor?</p>
<p>Business courses at York can be tough… there are quite a lot of projects and you will get a ton of experience for when you are ready to join the “real world” like the rest of us. :)</p>
<p>Human Resources Management minor includes: (18 Credits)</p>
<p>Principles of Management (MGT150)
Organizational Behavior (OBD225)
Human Resource Management (MGT220)
Human Resource Development (MGT315)
Labor Relations (MGT330)
or
Employment Law (MGT420)
Recruitment/Selection of Human Resources (MGT435)</p>
<p>Stay with what you have. Keep in mind, a college degree in Managment, Marketing, Accounting and Finance CAN be as competitive as a guy with a High School degree and 4 years full time work experience who didn’t spend a cent on tuition but made money instead. So don’t be surprised if you lose this dream job to a non college student.</p>
<p>@peterhax Although I would like to think that you’re right, I don’t think you are. This isn’t the 1960s when you can just graduate from HS and then start working. In 2013, No one will hire you with just a HS diploma.</p>
<p>I know friends who start off in high school jobs such as fast food and retail, and do well enough in 4 years to climb up to assistant manager. Some of these leadership positions also require classes sponsored by the company itself so that can educate these guys on business and marketing. Point I’m trying to get across, is that having a degree is only half the battle; work experience is just as important even though many college kids believe a degree alone will guarantee them high checks once they graduate.</p>