Is there a financially secure non-techie major?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I feel like I'm in need of some guidance. I'm a freshman college undergrad, and my winter break has definitely been relaxing, but talking with friends and family has also made me a quite nervous about my undecided major. I've always been a fairly mediocre (but passable, I suppose) math/science student; I tend to favor the social sciences instead. Currently I'm looking at a psychology or human biology major (hum bio is a nice interdisciplinary program, but I've heard that a BA in hum bio without a graduate degree isn't so helpful in the job market). </p>

<p>I guess what's most worrying to me is reading about people who get BAs in psychology or something similar and then are not even able to find jobs that pay $30k with advancement opportunities. I fear that, because I'm not a true techie and thus won't be engineering/premed, I'll struggle to find a good job without graduate (perhaps law) school, which would pile on even more debt. Any feedback from the sagacious parents of the parents forum would be much appreciated :)</p>

<p>A kinda related article that prompted a few of my concerns: <a href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/FailToLaunch.aspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/FailToLaunch.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Jimmy, as for "financially secure" -- the first point is that nobody has a crystal ball that can predict what you are likely to see in the job market in 30 years, 20 years, or even a decade hence. This isn't to say you can't find a lot of projections ... But I don't know anyone who can guarantee what field(s) will be in demand for your entire career; no doubt some of tomorrow's great jobs don't even exist today!</p>

<p>If your concerns are more short-term so that you'll have a job when you graduate, you need to draw a distinction between vocational majors (engineering, accounting, nursing, etc) and those involved in exploring a body of knowledge like psych, history, etc. None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major or minor is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields. But that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major. </p>

<p>For people who are outside the vocational majors, it's best to think of the career search as something that takes place in parallel with your college education. In college you will sharpen skills in writing, analyzing things you read, making strong arguments, working under deadlines, handling multiple tasks, have chances for leadership in clubs, and so on. Obviously the more you are challenged and the more you participate in your education (as opposed to picking classes with "easy" profs and multiple-choice tests, etc) the more you'll learn.</p>

<p>But in addition to this you need to take steps to identify and prepare for a career. You don't have to plan out your working life for the next 30 years, but you need to take some steps to stand out from the crowd of other grads. As a frosh you're in the perfect place to begin. You should become a regular at your career center. They have workshops, reference materials, interest batteries, can put you in touch with alums, etc. There are also 2 books I highly recommend. The first is "Major in Success" and explains with many stories how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. The second book is the bible of the job-hunter, "What Color is Your Parachute". This book also helps you discover what your interests are and how to determine where out in the working world you can do it.</p>

<p>The next step after you identify some fields of interest, and the most important to finding a job, are internships. They set you apart from the thousands of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships. Other companies are impressed by the internships and take a much closer look at you. Internshipsgive you actual exposure to the job and let you explain to potential employers why you would be a good fit in the career rather than just hoping its right for you.</p>

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<p>I have a crystal ball.</p>

<p>Geriatic nursing. Accounting. </p>

<p>You will never go hungry. And if you play your cards right, you could make big bucks. Nurses (with two-year degrees) make $50k out of the chute. Two years of geriatic experience and you can add to it. Go off and start your own home health/hospice agency and ten years from now you could go well into six figures.</p>

<p>Accountants (non-CPAs) around here, start at $45k. The big firms have international rotations. Combine it with languages and you'll be in demand. Business opportunities will open up. If not, CPAs make $60-$80k with 2-3 years experience.</p>

<p>(There are also specialties in health care accounting/actuarial work.)</p>

<p>You can take care of me when I'm old/or add up what I've got left when I'm dead.</p>

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<p>This might be the first time that Mini and I have been in complete agreement about something... Some friends of ours are Mini's couple -- he's a CPA and she's an RN. They decided they wanted to live in Hawaii, so he took an accounting job in Kailua-Kona, and she walked off the plane in Kona and had a nursing job in less than a week. The perfect portable professions.</p>

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<p>I agree with mini on geriatric nursing; keep in mind that the baby boomer population will be aging in the next 30 years.</p>

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<p>education is another area where the demand will always be there -- especially in the next few decades, with so many teachers retiring. school administrators can make quite a bit of money (top positions pay six figures).</p>

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<p>actuaries, even if you are just fair in math</p>

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<p>Biostatistician.</p>

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<p>This link will be extremely helpful and heartening to you:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/majors/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/majors/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's the list of jobs/further education opportunities earned by students in each major at UPenn. Often, as evidenced by this list, social science majors go directly to work as analysts at firms. Or, they go on to law school or other prestigious graduate programs, and move on to similar high-level work. The common denominator: doing what you do well.</p>

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<p>If you are interested in psychology and interested in working with Autistic kids, see if your school has program in Applied Behavior Analysis and become board certified associate. Salaries for BA level with certification are running between $50,000 and $65,000 depending on experience and part of the country. If no undergrad program exists, then find a Master's level program and go for full certification.</p>

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<p>I totally agree re nursing. Friend's daughter just graduated undergrad this last semester - UT Austin I believe. She starts her first job in three weeks, starting pay is $54K, plus benefits, etc. She's 22... I don't know the exact details - her father told me but I don't know the field so I wasn't really paying attention, but, she didn't have any problem at all fielding offers...</p>

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<p>JimmyEatWorld, if you combine mikemac's advice with that of mini, you will see how a liberal arts major moves into the working world.</p>

<p>A good liberal arts education should teach you to gather information and analyze it for your own purposes.</p>

<p>So, you will be able to look for trends and plan your job search accordingly.</p>

<p>The retirement of the baby boomer generation will have big ramifications for future jobs. All of those family homes will become empty nests. All of those frail elders will need some place to live and receive care. Certain pockets of jobs will be emptied, never to be refilled (software development moving offshore permanently?), whereas others with high retirement rates will present opportunity (?? not sure what this will be).</p>

<p>See what interests you, and then see how it could be a job. Try to find summer employment that will help you find a career direction. Check out job fairs, see who is hiring and try to figure out why.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is your personality. For example, an outgoing, competitive people-person might want to look into sales. Companies are always looking for good salespeople, and the required educational background will vary wildly, depending on what you are selling (medical equipment? spaces in retirement homes? long term investments?)</p>

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<p>A word of caution about nursing. The pay is good for a reason. It's tough work and I've seen more than a few young nurses bag the profession altogether and move on to something else, which can be costly if they already have loans and need to go back to school for something else. My employer has a program where they pay the last two years of college for nursing majors who promise two years of employment. Some literally count the days off on a calendar. For those who do stick it out, it can be a great career, allowing tremendous flexibility and a decent salary.</p>

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<p>As an RN (Retired Nurse), I'd like to point out that, if you hate science, you might not be all that thrilled with your course work.</p>

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<p>"It's tough work and I've seen more than a few young nurses bag the profession."</p>

<p>There are so many kinds of nursing these days, including so many where you don't even have to see patients, that I suspect these "few young nurses" didn't have any decent career counseling. </p>

<p>Heads of geriatric nursing agencies, who never see any patients, make well into six figures.</p>

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<p>Elihopeful - great link! We have two kids. My daughter knew that she wanted to teach before she started college. My freshman college son doesn't have a clue and it's awfully hard for my Engineer husband to see our son going to college without a specific career goal. Son is not real good around blood or any illness so nursing is out, but good to see there are real jobs for Philosophy majors.</p>

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<p>Agree about nursing. The possibilities are endless, you can get a job anywhere at the drop of a hat and it is--dare I say it?-- really rewarding work. Nursing schools are in desperate need of faculty so that's another niche. These are jobs that can't be outsourced to India. </p>

<p>I dropped out of my LAC after a year and a half because I had no direction and didn't want to go farther into debt. At that point Cornell and Columbia both had 2 year programs for a BS in nursing, so I got a few pre-req's and went to Cornell (in NYC, affiliated with med school). It was a great program and the experience I got as a psych nurse made me desirable to grad schools (and more sure of my career direction). Cornell no longer has a program like that, but someone must.</p>

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<p>one thing to keep in mind is that what you study as an undergraduate may or may not directly correlate to your career. I know a professional juggler who has a biology degree and a hollywood film producer who has a psychology degree. </p>

<p>Study what you love and/or are good at. If you want to cover all bases, consider a double degree - one in something you enjoy and the other in perhaps a more practical area.</p>

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<p>If you are worried about future career prospects and income, good, because you should be!!</p>

<p>Finding a job today is difficult as hell if you aren’t in a field that is in high demand (engineering, nursing...etc.). I had huuuuge problems finding a job after I graduated with my undergrad in science (biology). I was unemployed for more than a year, and it took me another year and a half to actually find a job (I was rejected from hundreds of low-income, no-brainer, jobs........which I applied to because I was desperate!). And finally I decided to remove my university education from my resume and I landed a job within 3 - 4 weeks. I had decided to do that because after searching for more than two years for something in the field of my studies, and very few jobs, I had to make money to survive and pay back student loans!</p>

<p>So think very hard about your future! Because many people today don’t realize how hard it is to find a job. Employers want 3 - 5 years experience, or people with Ph.D.'s. If you graduated from an undergrad program (and it’s not in the high demand fields for sure) then good luck!!!</p>

<p>Lets be honest, employers state the degrees they want from an employee, and they are very specific! Never have I seen a job ad where it said "liberal-arts degree" in my years of job searching. Yes, its a very explorative and mind-opening program, but in the real world hard technical knowledge and experience equals cash which equals being able to pay the bills and starting your life as an adult!</p>

<p>I asked several employers why I didn’t get a few jobs I applied to and they told me. "There were hundreds of people that applied, and we chose the one with the highest education and highest experience level". So remember when you are applying to jobs that there will be at least 50 people that have a higher education level and more years experience than you, and there will be at least another 50 (or more) that are exactly at your level. Be prepared!</p>

<p>If you are really worried about career and money then honestly take your time and think of the options that will guarantee it for you when you graduate, even if it means changing your major.</p>

<p>Ironically just on Oprah today they were talking about the economy/class. Currently 1% of the richest people hold 40% of the nation’s wealth, and the other 99% of the population share the other 60% of the wealth. Also 69.2% of the nations population currently has an income equal to/or lower than $34,700/year. If current trends remain the same this gap will widen even further in favour of those rich individuals!</p>

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<p>Yup, the world needs more jugglers and film producers. Given the state of Hollywood maybe that juggling gig has some merit.</p>