Picking a Second Major

College Majors
1

<p>It's doubtful anyone will recognize me, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have posted about this topic before but the context was different so I think it is appropriate to have a new thread on this. </p>

<p>I want to be a linguistics major for sure because I love pretty much everything about language. However, most people know linguistics is not a very secure or high paying degree on its own. Beyond that, I am also a person with a very, very broad range of interests, so I feel it is in my best interest both for the sake of personal fulfillment and for the sake of my career to take on a second major in addition to linguistics. There are currently two majors I am considering that could be used with linguistics or on their own and offer backups if not a more specific, interdisciplinary field. The two majors I'm attracted to are computer science and sociology, thus probably leading to a career in either sociolinguistics or computational linguistics if I can find the opportunity to combine them (or just fall back on one or the other if not). And before you ask, yes, I am decent at math and good with computers - though I do have a tad bit of catching up to do in math because I simply didn't pay attention in high school trig and pre-calc. </p>

<p>Anyway, I was thinking that if I do the sociology route, I may get an MA in political science to strengthen my qualifications and give me a strong background if I can't manage to find a job which incorporates linguistics. I actually really like politics and sociology is a strong undergrad background for that field. If I decide to go for computer science, I'd want to get a masters in computational linguistics to make myself more employable and (more for this reason) just to tie my two previous areas of study together in a more coherent way and better prepare me for the career. </p>

<p>My apprehension about choosing sociology is that I wouldn't be as employable or I'd work in a field that made me miserable, because it would either be academia which is soul sucking, or probably something unrelated that I don't care about. My apprehension about computer science is that it is such a deeply specific and scientific field and lots of people who enter that major have been studying it far more in depth their whole lives and will have a serious leg up on me. It also has barely occured to me that I could or should enter such a rigorous scientific field. Being a girl in a male-dominated major is also another part of the stress. </p>

<p>Any advice?</p>

<p>And PS, thank you for reading my long and detailed problems. :P</p>

2

<p>From my perspective:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Sociology and political science are social sciences, but they are different fields interested in different things. I also do not know that you’ll find an MA in either field employable–if anything, they’ll hire you for the three courses (or so) you’ll take total in research design and methods.</p></li>
<li><p>Computer science is clearly more employable than sociology. But you should also realize that you’ll need to have (or develop) mathematical training and problem-solving skills. You should also note that graduate programs tend to have prerequisite coursework. You cannot waltz into a computer science MS without significant undergraduate coursework in the field.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply, but just a quick comment about your last sentence:</p>

<p>I’ve looked around at such programs and they usually require either a BA/BS in linguistics, computer science, or both, and at least some background in both fields to accept you. So my dual degree would be perfect. I wouldn’t be just “waltzing in.”</p>

4

<p>As someone double majoring in linguistics and computer science, and who is therefore completely and utterly unbiased, you should pursue that!</p>

<p>That said, I’ll give you the same advice I give to anyone considering CS: Don’t do it if you don’t have a genuine interest in the subject. I’ve seen plenty of people fall flat on their face after only picking computer science because they’re good with computers and want a marketable major, with no actual interest in the field…just don’t let that be you.</p>

<p>Besides that, I’m open to talking about my experiences with the two majors if you (or anyone else reading) have any questions regarding that.</p>

5

<p>If you are decent with math, consider yourself lucky in that regard and take computers. Computer experience is useful in just about any field, and in high demand on its own too. I wish I could take it as my secon major but I’m bad at math. As for sociology, I took a course in it thinking I’d like it… And I hated it. Wasn’t what I anticipated at all. After that I haven’t recommended Sociology to anyone.</p>