<p>...with a dabbling of math classes more outstanding to employers than another Business major? That's what I read in here: Study</a> Hacks Blog Archive Want a Job? Don't Major in Business.</p>
<p>The blogger says: Heres my unconventional formula for really impressing employers: choose a classic liberal arts major, then take 4 - 6 math courses on the side. When I say a classic liberal arts major, I mean the venerable subjects like literature, history, or english.</p>
<p>b ump</p>
<p>Yes. From my own experience as a classic liberal arts major I’ve found that I’ve been able to build a more interesting “brand” to market myself with than if I was a standard business major. Of course I’ve taken as many professional courses as possible to supplement my Sociology major (even though the socy courses have been given me far more perspective at my internships than the businessy ones).</p>
<p>As with anything, if you have a major that you like you’ll do well in the classes and will be able to effortlessly apply what you’ve learned to any profession. I’m still in college but have been successful at obtaining excellent internships, expanding my network and finding good job options for post graduation.</p>
<p>^What kind of interships?</p>
<p>After my freshman year of college I got an internship at the Mayor’s office of a major west coast city. Currently I’m interning with Corporate Communications and IT at the headquarters for a major global retailer. They offered me a mid-level job for after graduation, even though I’m a junior.</p>
<p>I’m still debating about whether to return to this same position over the summer (which pays surprisingly well, is independent, and gives me the opportunity to work with the top-most executives in the corporation on a daily basis) or take a pay cut by working for a global pharmaceutical company in Operations Management (I want to go into healthcare admin)</p>
<p>Both of these internships were obtained through networking more than anything else. With the retailer one, I sent a very general email to an alum from my college that used to be the head of College Recruiting and is now a VP. We met and chatted for about 15 minutes and she hired me. Similar thing with the pharma job.</p>
<p>The OP was completely right. As long as you have a “brand” and a story to tell, coupled with at least an assortment of practical courses, you should have no problem as long as you know what YOU want to do (don’t major in/go into a field you don’t like just because it’s “expected”) and aren’t to shy to go after it.</p>
<p>Time and time again I hear of people who are essentially “carbon copy” applicants to very competitive jobs, thinking that there’s some kind of formula. Recruiters arent stupid and unless you’re a total genius you need to have something distinctive about you and a personality above all else. Being an English major who happens to have keen business skills gives you a greater perspective than one who only stuck to one kind of courseload throughout college.</p>
<p>What if one doesn’t major in the “classic” liberal arts major? I’m a sociology major with a minor in philosophy. I was not aware of this strange combo of math courses and literature being eye-catching, and I’m not saying it isn’t (because it is, once I thougt about it). I’ve taken several logic courses, but I wish I was aware about the math portion.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you’re certain you want to go into. If you want to go into a quant heavy position after graduation then of course you need to showcase your math skills via coursework. I, for example, am fairly average at math (I can get by with extra effort though) but made sure my resume demonstrated the following:</p>
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<li><p>LEADERSHIP: This is perhaps more important than the specific courses you take. Most businesses would rather take someone who is a proven leader and go-getter than some quant genius with no social skills. Sociology/Psych are “people-centric” social sciences, which is a plus</p>
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<li>Most of my sociology courses have been related to organizational and economic theory (focusing on the group and network dynamics in business), so my coursework is more relevant than only focusing on “social problems” style classes. Sociology also gives you an instance of social justice and ethics (VERY important in this era for obvious reasons haha)</li>
<li>DIVERSE EXPERIENCE: My previous internships in government and now in retail may sound unrelated to my long term goal (Health Management) but most employers don’t care about where you worked to be honest, but about what YOU accomplished in the internship that made you stand out. What did you do that someone else in the internship wouldnt have accomplished? How else do you think they sift between all those ibankers and consultants with identical job titles. All of my positions show independence, initiative and a knack for getting quick high quality results.</li>
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<p>Don’t forget LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP! Even though I really liked Sociology when I declared my major, some (pretentious) people told me that I’d never find work outside of McDonalds. But I’ve compensated for the lack of prestige a socy degree has with my other experiences. Hope this helps.</p>