<p>Quick background, Im a third year poli sci major. I chose poli sci two years ago for what I now realize were silly reasons (I won't bore you further but part of it has to do with it being easy and trying to get a high GPA for law school). However, in the last year I've realized I have no desire to study law (again won't bore you with why). Poli Sci is also extremely easy and to prevent myself from graduating nearly two years early I added an accounting minor. </p>
<p>Now here's my dilemma: If I stick with just the accounting minor, I worry that my job prospects after college are around 0. Political science at the undergraduate level is basically useless for anything except pre-law. Also, its not much better for those going into poli sci at the graduate level because the math/stats skills needed are not taught (or taught very little). Here are my three choices:</p>
<ol>
<li>Complete college in four years with a political science major and accounting minor. Hope to get my foot in the door and then get an MBA (I hope to eventually go into business consulting or something related down the road). </li>
<li>Complete college in fours years but load up on some extra math classes and statistics classes to at least show employers I'm decent at math (i.e. multivariable calc, intermediate level stats, diff eq, linear algebra). This seems to be the biggest worry employers have about social science majors since I know people in STEM that go into fields totally unrelated to what they study simply because of their math/engineering skills. </li>
<li>Switch my major to econ (if I can I would have to petition I think) and stay an extra year. </li>
</ol>
<p>I know I screwed up and I just want to know how I can get back on track?</p>
<p>Complete college in 4 years. Most states require at least 150 hours of education to sit for CPA. There are many Masters programs which you can do this.</p>
<p>My D graduated with a poli sci/public policy double major, minimal math, and got a good job as a research analyst with a company in DC post-graduation. The company has nothing to do with politics, as it happens. But she leveraged good internship experience, her school’s alumni network, and her own strong interview and interpersonal skills into a good job. Also she had very good grades (Phi Beta Kappa). I am going to assume you have high grades, since you say your major is easy for you. She did not take ANY math in college (there was a “quant” requirement, but not all of the classes you could take to satisfy it were math or statistics classes). One year into her job she has been promoted to a manager spot, so she is now managing a group of research analysts.</p>
<p>She did say when she was job hunting (and earlier when internship hunting) that she lost out on a couple of opportunities because she didn’t have a stronger statistics background. So adding a few classes in that area would not hurt you. However… I don’t think the employers care about high level math classes. They are more interested in practical applications (statistics, survey design, etc.) for the types of jobs you are talking about. I wouldn’t dive into higher math classes, I don’t think that adds skills that are so valuable for consultants, research analysts, etc.</p>
<p>I would NOT switch majors and take an extra year. Most employers are not too pumped up about your major for the types of jobs you are talking about. Econ will not open a ton of new doors, especially without more internship experience to go with it. </p>
<p>You haven’t mentioned if you have internship experience. That is a huge help in finding a “real” job post-graduation. My D did some summer internships, spent a semester interning with a large government agency on a semester program with her school, and also got a 10 hour/week intenship for a semester at a government organization near her LAC (they advertised it in the career office at her college). None of them were consulting or business internships, but they still helped her build various skills she could show on her resume. If you don’t have internships you are running late – you may want to look for one you can do during school next year part time, or look for a part time job that uses your accounting skills if you can find something (part time job that builds real business skills is every bit as good as an “internship”, don’t worry about what they call it).</p>
<p>I agree with kayf. I also think you might be overestimating the difficulty of finding a job with a political science degree, as I’ve not encountered that issue myself. My degree was anything but easy, but I got strong research, writing, and communication skills that I was pretty easily able to market when I graduated to a wide array of industries. My friends from my department are all successfully employed. I’m not sure how much more useful an undergraduate econ degree is by itself, but I think as long as you are doing well none of your options are bad ones.</p>
<p>I also agree with comment of intparent as to looking for jobs – and an accounting minor will be very helpful. OP can look for jobs while applying for Masters programs.</p>
<p>Graduate in four years; you’re much better off using whatever money would be spent on year #5 on a master’s, CPA, or MBA.</p>
<p>Also, a lot of students conflate ‘good job straight out of undergrad’ with ‘good career prospects’. I know a lot of people who worked in retail for a few months, then got a starter job, which lead to another good job. People work for temp agencies, get placed, and work their way up. </p>
<p>My strong suggestion to anyone who does not know what to do with their life is to work for a few years (at least three). Develop a career of sorts, figure out what you like, what you dislike. Develop a network of contacts. Once you’ve figured out what direction your career is going in, and what (if any) further education you need for that career, get that education.</p>
<p>Get out in time and work on courses for getting your CPA., stats ,etc. You don’t even need to have anything as a minor, just have the courses and the knowledge.</p>
<p>Interesting. I know a recent Yale graduate who got her degree in Political Science and is working at an investment banking firm in Manhattan. I wonder how she pulled that off.</p>
<p>S2 also got his undergrad degree in Political Science. He had job offers based on his research and writing skills, and also based upon some of his internship experiences (he did logistics and communications for a couple of political campaigns).</p>
<p>However, he instead decided to get his MPP …and while there he also strengthened his quant/stats and analytical skills. Again, he worked some excellent internships. He graduated a couple of weeks ago.</p>
<p>A poli-sci degree can have lots of applications, even outside the subject matter. My daughter earned a BA in poli sci, did an internship with a theatre company and now has a solid position at a major Manhattan talent agency, representing film, TV and stage actors, and working among people who have degrees in such far flung disciplines as economics, French and theatre. A Liberal Arts degree is very versatile.</p>
<p>I am very happy for those whose children have found great jobs after graduating with Poli Scie, Social and Behaviorial Sciences majors, Humanities major, and, yes, it does show that it is possible for this to happen regardless of the lack of a directed degree. But the fact of the matter is that statistically, it will be more difficult for those with certain liberal arts majors to find living wage jobs, jobs that are considered traditionally career stepping stone, than it is for, say STEM, Comp Sci, Accounting, and other directed majors. It is a fact of life. </p>
<p>So when a student who is a poli sc major wants to know what he can do to beef up his resume and his transcript so he can UP his chances in getting such jobs, taking courses in econ/accting/math/stats/computers can do so. Getting a second major or minor is not really necessary, but getting enough training in some of these disciplines so that consideration for jobs that include those skills could make a difference.</p>
<p>Taking the extra math-focused courses makes sense. Changing majors from poli sci to econ doesn’t. An applicant can demonstrate skills to a prospective employer without needing to show a major or even supporting coursework.</p>
<p>Could you graduate in 3 years, and use the fourth year to get a masters in accounting and get the 150 hours you need to sit for the CPA? Or have you considered applying to the joint JD/MBA programs?</p>
<p>I agree with the don’t stay an extra year. </p>
<p>I don’t think it matters if you load up on math courses, unless your grades/academic record are in need of remediation. Then it makes sense, somewhat.</p>
<p>The best thing you could do is to begin getting ready to interview next year with companies that visit your campus looking to hire people. I think this is the number one mistake made by undergraduates…that is, they let all the opportunities slip by because they’re uncertain about what they really want, and, guess what??? its May of senior year and all of the companies that visited looking to give jobs to people were done in February, or earlier. When you let that happen you’re now at the mercy of your contacts and acquaintances. If they happen to work at large, attractive employers with really good jobs, they’ll have trouble getting you in the door to interview since the cycle is complete for that year.</p>
<p>Start looking into things now and early in the fall so that you aren’t left in the dust.</p>
<p>i agree with those who say “git 'er done”…doing in a way that adds the most to a possible resume and hit the ground. If you are missing gaps in your resume, fill them on the fly. I was a poli sci major and I went where I wanted to in life, but the BA was secondary to the experiences. I managed to squeeze in during college and shortly after.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else here. Get your Poli Sci degree with your minor in Accounting. Then get your MBA if you want. You should be fine. Also, don’t beat yourself up; I wouldn’t say you “screwed up” as you say. Part of the college experience is exploring different interests and figuring out what you want to do afterwards. You sound like you have your head on straight, which leads me to believe that you seek out and find opportunities for employment. Good luck!</p>
<p>I can’t edit the above, but meant to say “you will seek”, not “you seek”. :)</p>
<p>Also wanted to add: If you do want to go for your MBA, don’t feel like you have to do it right after graduation (unless you really want to.) See what job opportunities are out there first; this will allow you to make a more informed decision.</p>