I am an activist. And I am a marketing major. I am wondering what type of careers I can do with that? I really want to do something with activism but I don’t know what. What are some other majors that would be good with activism? I have also looked at Global Studies, but I am curious as to what else is out there.
Take some statistics and graphic design classes. Volunteer for March for our lives or whatever organization that might need your help, even if it doesn’t totally align with what you’re an activist about. Go to lots of political meetings where people talk and speakers speak whom you do NOT agree with. Use your marketing tools to survey them. Survey people you agree with too. Collect reactions for things you design. Listen. Use criticism to improve. Build portfolio of effective posters, signs, then campaign.
Many activists don’t integrate that with their every day job. Or they do, but in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. For example, I work in tech, but some of the work I do at my job allows me to volunteer in programs that aim to increase the representation of women and girls and racial/ethnic minorities in tech fields, as well as help build features into our products and services that reach these populations. So the fact that you’re an activist doesn’t have to do mean anything for your career - pretty much every career could benefit from someone with an open mind who lots to help people.
Marketing may get you into something called “social marketing,” which are basically marketing campaigns for social/health/community causes. Think the Truth Campaign (against smoking), or public health posters that you see in public places. Lots of nonprofits and government agencies could potentially use someone with expertise in this area to design these campaigns. Or you may find ways to integrate your activism into your every day work - helping companies avoid making mistakes of the kind that Heineken, Dodge RAM, and Pepsi have made recently, for example.
Many social science majors are traditional choices for people with activist leanings - sociology, economics, political science, anthropology. But don’t feel limited to those. You can be an activist with any major, and in fact, we need more people with activist leanings who are in all kinds of careers.