Human Resources dev. vs psychology vs political science majors

College Majors
1

<p>Hey! I'm first semester sophomore, and I'm at crossroads trying to decide on a a major...and possible careers. Last year I was an econ major, but I was struggling with that and I don't like the subject anymore :/ I hope you guys can help steer in in some direction...</p>

<p>My dream job would be to work in D.C. for the state dept or anywhere else that would allow me to become a diplomat or ambassador. I did my research and found that becoming a foreign service officer is a long , tedious and competitive process....and it's pretty unlikely I'd get the job unless I'm really set on it lol...but as much as I'd be interested in it, that's off the table now. Going to law school is off the table for me, but I might reconsider that again.</p>

<p>So for now I have 3 careers in mind:</p>

<ol>
<li>Government/Diplomacy</li>
<li>Human Resources </li>
<li>Counseling</li>
</ol>

<p>Human Resources (HR)
I'm still not 100% sure about Human Resources...but Ive heard that the market for it is hot and I might be a good for it. I'm just worried that I might find it boring or that I might not have thick enough skin to fire people if my position involves that kind of work. I'm also a type B personality soooo Im also not sure if HR is more suited towards high strung type A's. I have excellent communication & people skills so I hope this will work towards my advantage? I'm also creative.</p>

<p>However, I think going into HR is a good plan B option for landing a job after graduation?</p>

<p>** Counseling **</p>

<p>I've considered becoming a counselor/therapist and getting a master's in Licensed Professional Counseling (LPC) . It's pretty much a notch down from a psychologist because you can't do testing and evaluations, but I think you can always go back to school to earn the credits to become a psychologist. ** However**, I have my reservations about this career because I heard therapy is a lonely profession and emotionally draining. don't have thick skin so I feel like a job like that may negatively affect me, but I can't be sure because I barely know what it's like. I wouldnt mind being a high school guidance counselor but I don't think there are too many job openings (?)</p>

<h2>If I majored in psychology I could still do counseling and maybe HR. But with psych it's hard to find a job with only a BA. But if I majored in HR Dev. it's too specific and I feel like I won't have as many options. Is a degree in HR a waste?</h2>

<p>my school also offers marketing but I'm not that interested in it....but I am creative + think outside of the box?</p>

<p>I wanna apologize for being all over the place...i have many interests but for as long as I could remember I always leaned towards government work/ foreign policy. But I'm afraid of majoring in Poli Sci ... help please?!? </p>

<ul>
<li>I will make to sure do the proper networking + internships....I heard a degree is what you make of it but I scared that's partially BS lol...</li>
<li>My school offers a minor in management through its business school and I think I might be able to minor in Arabic or middle eastern studies if i wanted to...</li>
</ul>

<p>Any thoughts, comments or input would be highly appreciated...Thank You!!!</p>

2

<p>I have a BA in psychology and I am currently employed as a human resources manager.</p>

<p>Many entry-level HR jobs prefer those with HR or business degrees, but once you start gaining experience, it doesn’t matter what your degree is - just whether you can do the job. I actually fell into my career without having ever considered it. </p>

<p>I attended college with the goal of pursuing graduate study. After graduating with my BA I decided to take a year off and save up some money, so I got a job immediately as a sales manager at a retail store. A few months later I was having some health problems, just as the HR position opened up at the store. Desperate to get out of merchandising and sales, I applied and my psych degree was a help in obtaining the HR management position, where I have been for over a year now. </p>

<p>Yes, HR requires excellent organization skills. You need to be very consistent so that all employees are being treated the same way in terms of policy enforcement, and you have to follow up in a timely manner. It requires good record keeping, and lots of memorization and understanding of company policies and employment laws. It also requires excellent communication skills so that you can help your employees and sway managers to make good decisions.</p>

<p>Many HR people think they are there just to support the company. I am there to also support the employees - if the management is wrong, I will tell them and I will support the employee. If the employee is wrong, then I support management. To be good at the position, it requires a high level of personal ethics and strength to stand by them in tough situations.</p>

<p>If you pursue a BA in psychology you can still take some business and HR courses and pursue HR if you change your mind about counseling. And if you major in HR you can minor in psychology to fulfill requirements for grad school in counseling if you change your mind about HR. </p>

<p>Counseling is a high-reward profession with high burn-out rates, but you do not have to choose a career for life - many, many people change careers throughout their lives as they acquire new skills and better networking, and often do not need to return to school to change careers. I could move into different management roles, such as operations or marketing strategy, but I would like to move up in HR. From my research, it is a fast-growing career and honestly, not a whole lot of competition when you’re starting out. Many of my peer HR managers at other stores and at the entry-level assistant positions don’t have the ambitions, skills, or other necessarily qualities to move up in their careers. Many people fall into the HR entry-level fields without really considering it a career - and few see themselves working their way up to HR region managers, directors, etc., which is where the money is at. However, in HR, the further you work up the chain the less employee interaction you might have - you’ll instead be managing the HR assistants and managers, who spend the most time with the employees while you work primarily with other managers to develop policies and recruitment strategy, etc.</p>

<p>I’ll stop here before I end up writing a book. If you have any other questions about majoring in psychology or working in HR, feel free to message me. I hope I have clarified a few things for you.</p>

3

<p>Sorry for the super late reply…and sorry for not replying to the pm you replied back to me eons ago … :smiley: Thank you so much for the detailed and very informative response. I really appreciate it. I know being detail-oriented + organized are important traits to have on the job, but would you describe the work in HR to be very clerical/administrative …or boring? Do you find the work in HR enjoyable?</p>

<p>I’m surprised to learn from you that the competition to move up in HR isn’t very keen although I knew that HR provides many advancement opportunities…but realistically speaking, doesn’t it take a lot to work all the way up to become an HR manager/director (I’m sure there’s regional ones too?)…I can imagine that the slots in those areas won’t open up very fast …b/c they’re so limited and ppl stay up there for a long time? Please correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, btw counseling is officially off of the list for me :slight_smile: </p>

<p>As for majors, maybe I’ll get a minor in management or HR? but if i decide to major in poli sci, then I’m sure I could market that degree ( + its writing component) i hope…</p>

4

<p>It depends what industry you work in. In retail, turnover is high, and from what I’ve seen most big managers/directors only stay in their positions for 2-3 years, then move on to different areas of the country to learn different HR laws (which can vary greatly by coast), or to different industries (such as learning how to work with unions after being at a non-union company), or move to different areas of management altogether. </p>

<p>I’m getting the sense that this is true in other industries beyond retail, which is why you can potentially move up quickly - quickly being 5-10 years, but given the salary of a regional manager/director, that’s not so bad. But you are limited only by your motivation and personal skills. </p>

<p>Also, there are other areas of HR that pay well that aren’t necessarily management. HR consultants and generalists at the corporate level make good incomes, and although they manage cases, they are not “managers” in the same way that a regional manager manages policies and strategies. </p>

<p>I’ve been in my HR role for about a year now and I’ve seen a few new HR regional managers, a new HR director, several new consultants and generalists - I’ve actually known very few to remain in their position more than 4 or 5 years, which can be due to the reasons I stated above, or personal reasons. I tend to search HR professionals on LinkedIn and see their progression, and that same holds true for many of them - once you’ve learned to do your job well, and the majority of the challenge is gone, it’s time to move up or over to expand your expertise and find a position that is more fulfilling, or pays better, or whatever it is you’re searching for.</p>

<p>As for PoliSci, you might want to search past threads about the marketability of that degree. I know it can vary greatly depending on what it is you want to do with it.</p>