Hello everybody! This is my first post here. I am currently just finishing my first year at California Lutheran University, and I am having a difficult time deciding what I should major in. I have always been interested in foreign languages and cultures since I was very young. Therefore, I am considering a major in Global Studies or Political Science with an emphasis in international relations. I’m also considering a major in Marketing Communications. I’m not sure if I’m interested in the field, but I do believe that my natural strengths tend to line up with those recommended for marketing (creativity, ability to connect with others, good writing skills, etc). Also, I would be able to use my love of languages and cultures. I’m also considering majoring in Computer Science. I think I have an interest in it, and there is certainly a lot of opportunity available in the field. However, math has never been my strong suit, although I would be willing to work at it. I have also considered majoring in a language (either Mandarin or Russian), or linguistics. For this, I would need to transfer. Thank you for your help!
Have you taken any classes in any of these fields? Which classes do you enjoy the most?
There’s also international business and economics which incorporate global issues into their curriculums.
CLU’s Marketing Communication major is “the first of its kind in the nation”. It could be a gamble in terms of how it’s viewed by employers. The communication major might provide broader career options and not funnel you into marketing. The personal strengths you listed are quite general and could be useful in a variety of fields, so narrowing things down to “marketing” could be unnecessary.
Your interest in global studies and political science seems strong. Many students pursuing global studies or IR want/need a foreign language to go along with their major. It looks like the global studies program requires an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language. Perhaps you could minor in a foreign language, depending on your academic background. A foreign language can be augmented by joining a language/culture club, too, so it might not be necessary to minor. It looks like CLU offers French, German, and Spanish. Transferring schools for Russian or Mandarin seems extreme if you haven’t studied either of them previously.
–What is your high school/university background in a foreign language?
I would imagine relatively few students majoring in global studies or poli sci would minor in computer science. That path could set you apart from an employment perspective. It’s not a bad idea to add some STEM skills to your resume. But majoring or minoring in CS depends on your aptitude for CS/math (as well as where you stand with a foreign language).
–What is your high school background in computer science?
–How many CS classes have you taken so far at CLU?
–Would you say that you have a natural interest in the field or are you drawn to it mainly for the job prospects?
Computer science: 70k + with a bachelors immediately.
any of those other majors you mentioned: jobless or unhappy.
Political science has a decline of -2%. Computer science has a growth of 17%.
If you can handle computer science and like it, want money and with a masters can make well over 100k then do it. My mom has a masters in computer science and makes 110k. She makes way lower than most people at her work too, most make like 140k. Your life is too important to settle for a hobby. I love foreign languages and cultures too, but I also don’t want to be broke and end up working something super unrelated.
If you’re not good at math, then marketing is a good option. Think ahead, way ahead, not what classes you’ll take in college. College is 4 years, your salary and financial stability and happiness is forever. It’s scary, but you don’t want to have regrets… Even if you just get C’s in all your computer science classes you will still have a BS and make lots of money and can get a masters way later in life. What makes you happy in college won’t always make you happy in the real world when you realize your passions can’t satisfy your home bills.
Someone above here mentioned international business which is also a great option. Don’t do just foreign language, there’s no jobs for that. You can always make your hobbies your minor which looks good but not as a major…
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@juillet In college I haven’t really taken any classes in any of those fields I mentioned except for intro to communications. Next semester though I’m trying to take a class in each of those subjects to help myself narrow it down.
@Dunboyne I forgot to mention that in high school I took four semesters of Mandarin. My last semester was IB Mandarin. I now feel I have a conversational grasp of the language. I’ve also been dabbling in other languages since I was young. Russian is next on my list to learn officially though. As far as computer science goes, I do not really have much of a high school background in it, although it has always been in the back of my mind as something interesting I would like to try out. I have yet to take any comp sci classes yet at CLU. I would have taken one sooner, but it doesn’t count towards your core classes so I’ve been reluctant to in case I end up not majoring in comp sci (I don’t want to have the credits not count towards anything). I would say I have a natural interest in the field. I’m definitely going to be exposing myself more to computer programming online to gauge if I’m really into it. Thank you for your advice as well 
@violetije That’s some really good food for thought; thank you. What is it that you’re majoring in? Are you minoring in a foreign language?
Yes, take some classes in these subjects. Political science/IR with Mandarin would be a path to consider, but you’d probably want to major in Mandarin being that you’d have to transfer for it, in which case I’m not sure if you’d have time for the course reqs. It’s too early to tell whether you have an aptitude for CS. Take some classes in these subjects!
Work backwards from your goals. Do you plan to go to graduate school? For example, if you see law school in your future, you can major in whatever you want. Choosing a major and minor to prepare for graduate school is vastly different than choosing a major that will land you a job upon graduation. If you want to get a job upon graduation, you should focus on a major and minor combination that helps you build skills. Look at your choice of major and minor as a combination of learning knowledge and gaining skills.
There are three main categories of skills employers look for to fill different types of jobs:
QUANTITATIVE SKILLS
represented by majors/minors/courses and extracurricular/work experience using math, accounting, econometrics, computer science, programming, engineering, physics, other science, data analytics, statistics, budgets, investing, etc.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
represented by majors/minors/courses and extracurricular/work experience using verbal and written skills including speeches, presentations, sales, leadership, management, training, teaching, research, writing reports/articles/research papers, and creating content for online purposes including marketing, social media, digital portfolio, e-learning, etc., plus use of foreign languages and cultural awareness and experience, and demonstration of ability to communicate visually (design, photography, film, animation, PowerPoint presentations, etc.), and looking presentable as well
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
important for every job you can imagine, but the actual software and skills used will vary greatly depending on the job - often what you learn in internships is relevant technical skills - for example, my daughter studies science and works part-time in two labs, and in those labs she has used four different software programs and done data analysis using R - many people also take short online (often free) courses to learn job-specific technical skills, because college courses can be more theoretical rather than practical
Always be looking for what you can do outside of class and your major to gain more skills and experience. What employers want to see are skills and experience. Do internships every summer, and take on leadership roles, related part-time jobs or significant research projects during the academic year. There are numerous online courses available for free or nominal cost that can teach you very job specific computer skills, data analytics, and many other skills. Take on leadership roles that require giving presentations, recruiting new members or volunteers, holding meetings, etc. To demonstrate cultural competence, volunteer with a nonprofit that works with diverse populations, or study abroad.
You want to wind up after four years of college with EVIDENCE and PROOF that you have useful skills. Think in terms of winning competitions that use the skills, getting published, having an online portfolio, doing internships, receiving recognition, etc. If you study a language, be sure to take a proficiency exam to prove your skill level. If your goal is graduate school rather than getting a job upon graduation, then look at grad school admissions criteria to help guide your decisions.
Your major will not limit your career. Two of the most successful people I know majored in French. One is a CFO of an international corporation – after her major, she managed to fulfill requirements for a CPA and became an auditor then worked her way up to CFO. Another one joined the military and has a high rank and prestigious work in France and Africa, because she has the highest level proficiency in French possible, proven through proficiency exams.
There are lots of jobs/careers out there that do not require a specific major, including insurance agent, stock broker, project manager, computer networking, real estate agent, etc. Instead, these jobs require studying for and taking exams to get licenses and certifications. A lot of people are now majoring in various things and then taking short bootcamps to learn programming skills, and getting jobs in IT. Starting your own business is also always a possibility regardless of your major.
If you have specific jobs that seem ideal to you, then work backwards. Look up people online who work in those jobs and see the path they took to get there. Look at their list of skills to get ideas of what you should be working on.
Note that all the majors you are mostly interested in would fall into the Communication Skills category. Make sure that while you are pursuing such a major, that you are also able to show a wide range of how you actually used and demonstrated communication skills. Work on technical skills that supplement those skills. Creating an infographic or PowerPoint presentation on a political topic or global issue requires using software programs, e.g., and helps you create something tangible. Conducting an online survey on an issue dividing society and creating charts to show the results uses technology and demonstrates skills, while involving a topic that interests you.
My point is that your major is only one factor in the equation, and none of the majors will help you get a job if you don’t also develop skills and experience to prove you can be of use to an employer. Any of the majors can work for you if you supplement them appropriately. So evaluate your major options with this in mind.
This is at best extremely reductionist and at worst completely false. The decline or growth of a major reflects the trends in college students’ interests and the appeal of certain jobs on the market, not necessarily what the actual market looks like.
First of all, actual data shows that the unemployment rate for computer science majors (7-9%) is only slightly lower than the unemployment rate for political science majors (9-11%). They also level out after 5 years, so that with 5 years of experience there’s basically no difference in the unemployment rate - both majors are at about 5-6%.
Now, computer science majors do make more money - that’s no secret - but they don’t make $70,000 right out of college unless they’re lucky and have gotten a job at a top company. The average starting salary for a recent grad ( <5 years’ experience) computer science major is around $54,000 a year. Remember that there are a range of CS jobs, and not all of them (in fact, most of them) are not as software engineers at fancy top companies that pay top dollar. Political science majors do start out around $38,000. Mid-career their salary average is around $75,000. CS majors make more mid-career - around $94,000 - but $75K is enough to live a middle-class lifestyle, and studies show that people’s happiness tops out at salaries of around $70K anyway.
Marketing has unemployment rates like computer science (7-9%) and salaries like political science (starting out around $38-40K, averaging around $75K at mid-career or $95K with a graduate degree).
And if we want anecdotal data, I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a PhD in public health and I make over $110K, too. And I’m the low man on the totem pole on my team, too - the senior folks on my team make well over $150K.
There’s also the wonderful logic that if everyone majors in CS, the market will be flooded with CS grads and the salaries will go down. There’s already evidence of the beginning of a bubble in Silicon Valley. (And it’s happened before…look at the dot-com bubble of the 1990s.) There are a variety of different roles in the tech industry and not all of them require a major in CS. I mean, of course if you love CS and want to do that, of course that’s great! But no one should force themselves to major in CS because they think that’s the only way they’ll get work and live a happy life.
This is also not true. The top-paying jobs want graduates with the skills to make elegant, working applications. If you don’t do well in your CS classes, you won’t understand the material. Then when you go do a coding interview, you won’t get the jobs. Software companies don’t want warm bodies; they want people with the skills and knowledge to make wonderful products.
…what? There are tons of people with jobs that require them to work with foreign languages every day. Translators, security specialists, diplomats, nonprofit and NGO workers, international business leaders, interpreters, etc.
I’m not sure when this trend started of thinking the only people who get jobs are STEM majors (and specifically CS and engineering majors). A quick look at the people around you working careers - or a browse through LinkedIn - will show you that’s simply untrue.