<p>So basically I'm combining all of these majors: International Relations, Sociology, Social and Public Policy, Urban Studies Poli Sci and Cultural Antro into one, with my official majors being IR and Soc. I am not sure what I want to do with this. Maybe work with the UN, start a non-profit, do policy work, who knows. I do know I want to help people, but I don't want to be a social worker. If I do go into this field I would like to get a Ph.D and or a JD. However I am worried about being able to find a job that pays a salary where I will be in the upper middle class. ($75,000+) </p>
<p>So should I switch my major to something like sports marketing. I love sports especially baseball, I would love to be the Marketing director of an MLB team or something. That's like a dream job. If I did this I could volunteer on the side to satisfy my desire to help people. The only problem is that I feel like I have this calling to like have a career in Social Justice or something. </p>
<p>What should I do?</p>
<p>Also anyone who has majored in IR, soc, Social and Public Policy, Urban Studies, Poli Sci, Cultural Antro.....what is your profession (and if you don't mind me asking what economic class would you categorize yourself as) /what graduate degree are you working on?</p>
<p>I’m an IR/econ major (finishing up my 3rd year of undergrad, so no career prospects yet).
Should you switch your major to something like sports marketing? Probably not. You are more likely to find a job in your field if you keep with your IR/soc majors. The likelihood of you becoming the marketing director for an MLB team is a lot less likely than finding a job doing something in social justice. Marketing by itself might be a good career to look into. I’d suggest to do something like IR and marketing double degree. You can specialize in international business…maybe look into microfinance? Going into economics is another option. That’s the main reason why I have economics as another degree - average starting salaries for economics majors after graduation is 45-50K, which is just as lucrative as accounting, finance, or other business disciplines. With economics, you can double major in something in the social science department (international relations or sociology) but also ensure a greater likelihood of getting a job after graduation since money is your main concern. A minor in any business subject might help your degree be more marketable.
I don’t know what other subjects you are interested in though. good luck</p>
<p>if you can get a federal government job with a career ladder to a GS12, you can be making $75k in 4 years (in the DC area, 7/9/11/12 at 43k/51k/63k/75k). A lot of entry level government jobs only go to 11, but some go to 12, and a few go to 13 and higher. A 13 makes $90k in DC.</p>
<p>I was an IR major and I am getting a graduate degree right now in a security studies type program, doing government internships. Working towards the national security type fields.</p>
<p>federal government pays according to a “general schedule scale” or GS scale. You can enter at a 5 with a college degree, a 7 with a degree and a 3.0+, a 9 with a Masters (and higher with a JD or PhD). You can see the pay tables here: [2011</a> General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay Tables](<a href=“http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/indexGS.asp]2011”>General Schedule)</p>
<p>each job has a “maximum” that you can get promoted to without competing against other people. Most go to 11, some to 12, and a few to 13 and higher. So, if you come in at a 7, and your job has promotion potential to a 12, you go 7 (1 year), 9 (1 year), 11 (1 year), 12 (forever, or until you apply for a different job). Once you hit a level for more than a year, you get “step” increases, which you can see on the link as well. It’s something like 1 year each for the first 3 steps, then 2 years for 4-6, and 3 years for steps 7-10.</p>
<p>Great explanation of the (godawful complicated) federal pay system.</p>
<p>I don’t think “most” federal jobs ladder up as high as 11. At least, not in my agency. There are a lot of positions that top out at 7 or 9, even in the professions. Also, not all GS-7 postings accept “Superior Academic Achievement” (3.0+) as a qualification - all of them I’ve seen in USFS require a year of graduate education.</p>
<p>Still, $50,000 is not at all a bad salary straight out of grad school.</p>
<p>I would suggest looking for opportunities through the Pathways Program (new name for SCEP and STEP) to get your foot in the door.</p>
<p>I should also add that the best way to get a high-level job in the government is to start at a lower level. VERY few people are hired “off the street” straight into such vacancies - they’re almost always filled by internal promotions because that’s how the civil service system works. The hardest part of a government career is getting your foot in the door.</p>
<p>So if you can’t find an 11/12 ladder position right away, take a 9 and wait for the next higher-level opening. Just one year at a 9 qualifies you for an 11 job.</p>