I am an Asian Studies major currently at a UC. It's not themost common major or prominent one like Business, Math or Science. Previously I was a Japanese major but I switched it. When I switched it I was going to take lower division courses but none suited my taste so I mostly took general ed and/breath courses for spring quarter of freshman year. This was during winter quarter when I chose to switch out. My parents constantly ask what I plan to do with it. I tell them I don't know and how major does not equal job. They said yes they know that but say I should at least know what I plan to do in the future with it. I still don't have an answer. My mom tells me her customers always ask what my major is and what I plan on doing with it and when she says I don't know or that I don't know they ask why. She tells me how her customers' kids already know what they're doing after a year alone in college. I know these things take time because you'll be stuck doing something for a very long time and if it's not something you like you'll be unhappy. My peers and my TAs and my older friends who are in college or have graduated told me not to worry and to do what I like. My mom then tells me about other majors or other jobs like banking and/business. I have little to no interest in that field. My friend told me that parents are usually like this but once you find a career and settle down they'll stop. my mom also says something about how my friends know what they're doing with their major or what they're doing. She asks if I talked to them about it. I do talk about relevant topics but not what I plan on doing with it.
A lot of people when I meet them on campus ask me what I plan on doing with it. I just say I'm not sure but that I will figure things out. they don't seem to really put a lot of stress or emphasis like my mom does mainly because they're college students like me or were there before. Also that it's a common question with no harm in asking. I met someone with the same major as me and right now her job is working at school. Kind of like admin and/staff. Paperwork and such.
The truth is at college my first quarter of freshman year I took Japanese 1 and then winter quarter I took Japanese 2. First quarter I passed with a B and winter quarter I got a C. I should have done better and there's no excuse for doing poorly even if I had a lot of writing and/work to do for my other three classes that quarter. Afterwards, I quit Japanese and for spring quarter just filled my schedule with breadth and/general ed courses. I managed to get one A and 3 Bs (b or B- or both B-s). I thought of changing my major to English, but I actually decided to stick with Asian Studies. For fall quarter registration, I decided to take up Korean. For fall quarter, I took a lower division for my major and I thought is was interesting. Fall quarter of my sophomore just ended.
My parents stress on not wasting time in college and taking the right courses. they weren't happy with me taking languages other than Chinese but they said it's my choice. I'm afraid to tell them that I went from Japanese to Korean. I felt like freshman year I could have done better even if I was only an average student and one who doesn't really get As except for a few classes in comparison to usually getting Bs and Cs.. Some people say to just use it as a learning experience and the first year is hard because of the huge transitions and it's ok to get Cs which I got two of one from Comparative Politics, a breadth course) if it's not your major requirements and/breadth courses, but when I look at other people they pass their breadth with As and mostly get As on their report card for freshman year. I know everyone is different and we all have our strengths and weaknesses but I don't want to disappoint my parents and I don't want to disappoint myself. There's always trial and error involved in life and I tasted that through Japanese. But I don't waste time like my parents said, but I also want to be able to take the time to study what I really like and graduate in 4 years. She said that other people already figured things out after their first year but I still haven't and I'm a second year who just finished fall quarter. When I turn to other people they bring up how there are people who are older and still don't know what they're doing or there are those who don't know but are doing something that makes them happy, etc. Also my mom tells me to talk to my advisor and maybe they'll help me figure things out. But to be honest, I doubt they can tell me what my career is. That's on me and I honestly am more focused on my degree than a career path as of now because I want to enjoy studying my major right now rather than tied down by what I will do in the future.
To be honest next quarter I am taking a Korean Literature class which counts towards my Asian Studies upper division. There are other classes but I didn't have interest in them so I didn't take them. For my major, there are a lot of career options, but I haven't really researched too in-depth on it. The reason is if I have a career path already set or written down even in my mind, that would limit my options(should I change my career and/job and/major) and what I want to study(also if I want to study more things relevant to the major in terms of courses). I asked people and they said this mindset isn't wrong. in fact they said it's the mindset to have. I know some people say doing what makes you happy isn't the best way to think because what if you end up starving doing a job you like. they would say something along the lines of wouldn't it be better to have a job you're not happy with but ensures you a stable future? I apologize for repeating this but I know my major does not equal job but my mom told me her customers disapproved or discouraged Asian Studies. One even took it in college and later ended up with a job for Hallmark with pay of $17/hour. She said the another person is a grad student with that major right now. I'm well aware that once you graduate college the chances of finding a well paying job are slim and starting out and/the first few years are hard. You don't find a high paying job, you build yourself up that I'm aware of and agree with. I also considered grad school but my mom told me that one I graduate financial aid won't offer as much. What should I do? I know parents are like this because they want what's best for their kids but each time I try to tell her major doesn't equal job she implies it but with different words saying when you graduate you could use your major for this or that? One of my professors said college doesn't teach you how to get a job or how to be successful rather it teaches you how to be a better human being. I agree with this. Sorry it's so long. I hope your words and/insight as well as advice can help me with this. Feel free to offer any criticism.
Whoâs that famous comedian who was an Asian Studies major at UC? She also is a TV writer and actor who makes $$$. She has a huge potty mouth so donât show your mom her standup act. She writes for Fresh off the Boat and acts on American Housewife. She also does standup about her degree and how she makes more than her husband who got a sensible degree.
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I disagree that it is limiting to start thinking of your career path while you are in college, which is what you suggested in your last paragraph. What kinds of job settings do you see yourself in? Taking a few classes that might be useful for a future job might be a good idea. For example, digital media or English as a second language are classes you could explore.
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I think having a good idea of some paths is appropriateâ given the cost of college today. You shouldnât have to have an exact idea but you should at least have 2 or 3 jobs that you could do with the intended major. If itâs hard to think of jobs, it might be hard to get a job in that field. (something like if you see a sweater in mustard and canât find a pair of pant to match thereâs a reason-itâs not easily available). Some fields, like business lend themselves to many jobs. (Thatâs why moms like them). But other fields have fewer jobs, but they might be more interesting. You should talk to someone at the school and find out what they suggest. What fields other than teaching and getting a Phd are available? Whatâs the salary like? How hard are they to get. It sounds like you need to do the research then have a sit down with your mom. Seems like you havenât told her a lot and maybe sheâs picked up on that (the mom vibe?)
My momly concern from what youâve written is that you werenât interested in any of the Asian Studies courses offered spring quarter of last year, and were only interested in one of the offered courses winter term this year. How many courses will you need to take over the following seven quarters? When you look at the courses that have been offered in the last couple of years, how many of them interest you?
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If you come out of college with no internships or summer work experience in an area you are interested in, you will be at a disadvantage. I donât agree with your parents that you are in a âbadâ major, but sticking your head on the sand about how you will support yourself after college is a mistake.
Go to your college career office and ask them about what kinds of jobs or internships you can look at with this major. Consider applying for summer internships in fields with possible jobs. Get going on it, donât wait until late in the spring.
Your mom would probably stop pushing so much if she thought you had a plan.
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There was an interesting one I took this fall quarter. and Iâm taking one I like/am interested in next quarter. I canât see what courses were offered the previous years. We only know the courses for the next quarter once itâs registration time or prior to it a few days when the advisor sends the course listings. I see classes for the major but not the term theyâre offered with the exception of the ones previosuly registered for. Right now Iâm focusing on getting all my general eds/breadth done similar to a lot of the other undergrads because undergrads usually finish those before moving onto divs in junior year usually. And yes thank you. I havenât thought about after college and I am looking into internships which I forgot to mention but itâs hard to find any for the specific major so the most open one Iâm aiming for is communications because I was also told that internships arenât necessarily associated with major if thatâs how to word it.
Sometimes you have to take classes you âarenât that interested inâ in order to move toward graduation. My daughter only had a few choices this fall for upper level classes in her major. She needed 3 more to graduate and several of the ones she liked were offered at the same time and others sheâd already taken. She made it work but I think would have preferred others. Thatâs how it is.
Take the courses even if you donât find them perfect. Make sure you are taking classes that work toward your major. Go ask your adviser what kind of jobs others in Asian Studies have worked in after graduation. You might get some ideas and can better explain to your parents what you are working toward.
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Have you specifically gone to your college career service and met with them? Start there. I have a nephew who thought a post college job would somehow take care of itself, and didnât plan enough or focus on getting internships. He is waiting tables 3 years after graduating after a couple of false starts in âreal jobsâ. The job market favors the prepared. If you are going to pick a major with more difficult employment options, you need to be more proactive, not less.
Youâre trying to tell your parents that âmajor doesnât equal jobâ but Iâm sorry to say it has a pretty big impact. Some jobs are more in demand than others (for example anything computer-related), and some are dying. Def agree with others, you need to get some work experience before you graduate, even if itâs not 100% in line with what your career ends up being. See if you can do research with a professor or something like that.
Tell them that you expect to join a consulting firm working on pacific rim trade and then plan to get your MBA though you are not sure if you would prefer Harvard, Stanford or Wharton.
It should give your parents something to tell their friends.
Iâm confused.
Are you not able to offer career possibilities when your parents ask because you donât know if there are any or because you know there are some but donât know which you would want?
If itâs the first reason (you donât know if there are any) then I can understand your parents concern.
You really need to do some research and figure out some possible career paths and know whether the major will actually help lead you to a career you might enjoy.
If itâs the second, you can list some options and say you arenât sure which you would prefer or if you might even find a better one you havenât yet heard of.
Your parents very likely would approve of the major if they know that itâs going to help you move forward in some sort of career.
The world is globalizing and youâre on the cutting edge of whatâs happening. You can tell your mom and dad, that you donât need ALL of the jobs, you just need one job and/or career when you graduate. That means that you donât necessarily need to focus on C if that doesnât interest you, for example. C may seem great from the outside to pursue as a career, but it has significant problems too. One is the economy is getting ever more fragile and it has a regime that is more stringent and hardline, and allows no privacy â which makes working there potentially problematic.
The best thing you can do is to research what sort of job youâd like to get. Not avoid that research. While I understand your reasoning that to figure out a single career plan might be limiting, research will probably reveal SEVERAL directions that you can take.
For one possible direction: Go to any of the countries that interest you (J or K) either before, or after graduation â or both. Why? Because you will pick up language and cultural SKILLS. You will also make connections for future work.
K or J are great options, and itâs super easy to get jobs teaching English there, as a way to get started in a career. J has the JET program and others. K has a number of programs for English teachers. Once youâre there not only can you teach English but you will come into contact/ network with companies (local or foreign) that need people who can bridge the two cultures and who speak both languages. When your teaching program ends, you will have a job abroad.
That sort of FLUENCY in language and culture is valuable when you return home. The more skills you have in language (especially) and culture, the more you will be able to do in your career. The trick is combining those culture and language skills with another set of skills, such as marketing or law or social work, that sort of thing.
Fluency in Asian Culture is beneficial in â
- Consulting -- cross-border issues
- Business -- all sorts of businesses work cross border
- Writing (technical, journalism, business writing, newsletters on the environment, arts writing etc.)
- Marketing (pick up a marketing course and combine it with a job or internship in Japan or Korea. This is a golden skill set.
- Law -- you can specialize in law related to these countries and practice there or at home, doing deals (keep your grades high and get a high LSAT score to get into a decent law school with law programs in these areas)
- Social work, education, medicine -- anything that Venn Diagrams over J or K or C (if you pursue this) will be happy to have your skills.
- Politics/ government -- think-tank work in DC, work directly for the government, UN work, other international NGOs, etc.
The trick for you is to 1) gain fluency in your areas of study and then 2) gain skills in another area, such as consulting, marketing, development work (fundraising), law, etc.