Should I major in something with limited future job prospects?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Currently, I am trying to decide which major to choose for undergraduate school. Ultimately, I would like to go to law school, however that prospect is a few years down the road. I am torn between majoring in something that I would enjoy but have few job prospects; or majoring in something like business. So here are my possibilities:</p>

<p>1) History- Really enjoy the subject, limited job opportunites after graduation if I decide not to go to law school. (I don't want to be a teacher)</p>

<p>2) Economics- Enjoy the subject as well. I'm concerned, though, about the large math requirements needed for the degree. Math is definitely not my cup of tea, but if I had to, I could most likely make it through calculus and statistics. The possibility of many future job opportunities with economics makes the major a definite possibility. Just concerned about the math.</p>

<p>3) Business Administration and Management- Probably not my first choice. Definitely a possibility, though especially if I decide not to go to law school. </p>

<p>4) History and Economics double major- Would this be doable?</p>

<p>5) History and Business Administration double major</p>

<p>Out of these five, please help me choose. At this point, I have gone over all the possibilities in my mind dozens of times. As of now, law school seems alluring to me. But, in a few years, if I decide not to attend law school, I don't want to end up with a degree that will endear me with few job opportunities after graduation like history. So, any help would appreciated! Thanks! </p>

<p><em>Addendum</em> I reposted this from another forum on CC. I realize that the major you choose for law school does not matter. I'm simply asking for an opinion about which to choose. Majoring in something such as history alone frightens me because I may choose NOT to go to law school for whatever reason in the future. Let's face it, beyond teaching or a museum tour guide, a history degree limits your possibilities of finding a job. Simply put, I just want to keep my options open. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>I don't understand why so many people choose Business when they can't think of any other degree. I'm not saying you're doing that but I've noticed so many people choose that deree and when you ask them what job do they want, they look at you with a blank face. </p>

<p>Anyways, choose a major that you enjoy and know will do very well in. Because if you do decide to go to Law School you will need as high a GPA as you can get. </p>

<p>Know that you will be able to change your major in college. You can change it up till your junior year because up to that time you will most likely be doing classes for your general requirments. So pick History now and know that you have two years in college to change your mind.</p>

3

<p>I majored in Math and Computer Science - and I'm going to shamefully admit that my peers in the "calculator carrying" camp always quietly scoffed at business majors which were perceived as really cushy degrees only to be bested by education in that way (yeah, I said it...let the hate PMs begin :-P no, seriously, I was a teacher once, I respect them). However, in response to Soul's comment, I think that people are smart to chose business when they arent sure of what to do because while business doesnt guarantee anything...these days career titles are a bit more specific than "businessman"....they also don't preclude you from anything. Whereas a history degree might preclude you from a ton of opportunities. </p>

<p>So if you aren't sure Rob, Business may not be a bad option. A stronger option for job security would obviously be economics. If you hate it, forget it. But if you think you like it, and it offers the diversity in post graduate opportunities that you like, and you want the benefit of a major that will normally receive a decent amount of respect by the general public and law schools....then go for it. Economics may require some math courses, but once you finish school, you will probably find that the majority of that crap math you hate will be done by computational tools in the workplace (assuming you dont go to law school) and all you have to remember are the general principles and trends to interpret and make use of that computer generated data. And if you do go to law school, you can still be glad that you went Econ because that math and junk you do in your upper div courses will just be good exercise for your brain as you go into the LSAT....</p>

<p><strong>ADDENDUM</strong> I purposely did not address the double major options, because I have been told by admissions staff, that while a double major with a really high GPA is impressive, you have to take care. If you do not have a the GPA you need, being a double major does NOT make up for it....they perceive you as a person who stretches themselves thin instead of practically taking on a smaller set of manageable things....the quote is "id rather see you do one thing well than a variety of things in a mediocre way" So keep that in mind when your considering the double major and law school....</p>

4

<p>I don't agree that majoring in history limits your job prospects to working in a museum, or teaching. There are people who majored in history who are now working in all sorts of other fields.</p>

<p>Here's a link to a list of some of the more famous ones:
<a href="http://doctorhistory.blogspot.com/2004/07/famous-history-majors.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://doctorhistory.blogspot.com/2004/07/famous-history-majors.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Man...G-Dub and Carly Fiorina....History degrees are worse than I thought!!</p>

<p>Oh wait, Michel Palin. Never mind. History degrees have redeemed themselves.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for the kind and informative responses!</p>

<p>Soulinneed- An interesting thought. I could declare history as my major, then switch later on if I decide against law school. </p>

<p>Greybeard- An interesting article of history majors. One concern of mine is that a vast majority of the people mentioned in that article are either a politician or an actor. Usually, politicians previously were lawyers or attorneys. Since I haven't definitively decided on law (although am seriously contemplating the thought), I am still unsure of the usefulness of a history degree or any other liberal arts program except for law school or graduate school in a related field.</p>

<p>Makalika- What a thorough post! You present an excellent point about the double major and the threat of a low GPA. Two majors at one time, particularly of two completely opposite fields, may be too much. If I were to major in Business Management and Administration, would law schools look down upon such a vocational field of study?</p>

<p>What excellent responses! Although these were great, any other comments would be appreciated!</p>

7

<p>I face the same dilemma. By majoring in something I enjoy like philosophy or history, I feel that I am committing myself to law school. This is an undesirable position, but the alternative is perhaps even more undesirable, majoring in something like Economics or Business Administration that, while practical, I do not necessarily enjoy in itself. </p>

<p>Since I am fairly confident that I will go to law school, I'm leaning towards a non-practical major. In any case, the one constant concern is level of difficulty of the major; I want to be able to achieve a high GPA. I guess, in the end it really boils down to what you value.</p>

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<p>I think the name of the game is to major in something you enjoy, but also take enough courses or do something else that makes you employable. In some cases, entry level post-college jobs can be filled by people with virtually any major. The company will train you. What companies often look for is aptitude and attitude. Thus, at least some corporations will consider people who have taken some econ or finance or accounting or such courses and have done well in them. It may not be necessary to major in business or econ. </p>

<p>In my experience, companies are more willing to take a chance on people with liberal arts backgrounds for summer positions or internships. Do well and you have a good chance of getting a job post-grad. So, personally, I think that it's fine to major in history, as long as you take a few "practical" courses too--during the summer, if need be. (However, if you aren't good at math, don't count on doing well in econ courses. ) Also get experience in other ways.</p>

<p>There are all sorts of things you can do to give yourself some experience. You might, for example, want to make yourself into a good candidate for a corporate sales job by taking a sales job during the summer. I know a young man who worked in the admissions office at his college. He didn't just give tours; he volunteered to help with brochures for prospective students, writing up the answers to FAQs on the college web site, etc. Having done a good job, he got a better position in the fund-raising office. The enabled him to get internships with public relations firms--he had relevant experience. He got an excellent job with one of them post-graduation. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars can also give you experience. The treasurer of a student government or even a frat or sorority may be able to make a strong argument that (s)he has relevant business experience. Someone who has worked in a campus dining hall and worked her-/himself up the ranks to a lower level management position may have a resume of interest to someone in the hospitality industry. </p>

<p>I'm probably overdoing it, but I hope you get the idea. If you love history, go ahead and major in it--just make the effort to get knowledge and experience in other areas too.</p>

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<p>Blaze- It seems that you possess similar concerns about major choice as I. Such a decision, whether to major in something for sheer practicality or enjoyment knowing well in advance that law school is in your future, is by no means an innocuous question to have. In fact, I have contemplated this for quite some time.
Ultimately, however, one has to believe that a business major would have a stark advantage over a liberal arts major because an employer would have to extensively train the latter. Of course, as jonri said, you could easily transcend this if a person takes extra courses which would give a person extra knowledge. Nevertheless, the very thought of the business major v liberal arts major, especially when compared in the business world, quails me to an extent.</p>

<pre><code> My greatest fear: not going law school in three years all the while possessing a degree such as history or english which will inevitably relegate me to teaching or research. 

   I am still ambivalent about which to choose. Any other comments would be helpful. Thanks!

</code></pre>

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<p>The list of history majors was admittedly heavy on actors and politicians, with some professional athletes thrown into the mix. Outside of those pursuits, plus music, it's not easy to achieve fame.</p>

<p>There are thousands of former history majors making decent wages doing jobs for which one does not become famous: claims adjusters, sales, government jobs at the state, local, and national level. History is a common pre-law major, but there are history majors in business school, medical school, graduate schools of journalism, and dental school as well.</p>

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<p>Good point, Greybeard! Thanks for the clarification. I did not realize that a history major can pursue an MBA, or even go to medical school. But would it not be prudent to minor in business to receive an "edge" against the other liberal arts majors? Interesting comments, keep them coming!</p>

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<p>I would think that a business minor would give a history major a leg up in getting an entry level job after college. After a few years, employers are unlikely to ask to see a transcript.</p>

<p>I've just been going through the applicant side of the job interviewing process myself for the first time in many years. (I accepted a job offer and resigned from my current position just yesterday.) In my final interview, we actually did have a discussion about what I had studied in college. (The question that prompted the discussion was whether I had a "technology" background in school.</p>

<p>My wife (we met in law school) has an undergraduate business degree; I was a history major. We both ultimately became licensing attorneys. There are different paths to most destinations.</p>

<p>By the way - when my current employer has an opening in their legal department, my own name has become synonymous with a particular profile of candidate. "Hiring a Greybeard" means hiring a liberal arts type who's trainable in the technologies we deal with.</p>

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<p>Do History. Since your long term goal is law school, you need a solid GPA. Don't risk it for Econ or BA. Just go with History, take your LSATs, and hope for the best.</p>

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<p>To the OP, what school do you go to? If you go to a prestigious institution (ie. Harvard, Stanford, etc) you could major in anything and you will have great job prospects no matter what you major in. For example, there are Art History majors at Harvard that get offered Investment Banking jobs, simply for the fact that they went to Harvard. So if you do go to a prestigious institution, major in whatever that interests you and do well. If you, for some reason, do poorly on the LSATs and don't get into your desired law school, at least your high GPA (assuming that you get a high GPA) will open doors to interview with top-notch business firms. </p>

<p>If you go to a less prestigious school things are different. Your major will play an important role in what kind of job you get post graduation. So I recommend double majoring in one thing that interests you and another thats more marketable (accounting, finance, etc).</p>

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<p>That's what I'm doing. I am currently a History + Econ major, with intentions of going to law school. However I don't seem like the typical CC poster because my gpa is only 3.5 after two years...and therefore I don't feel like a "shoe-in" for a good law school. Coupled with the fact that I've never been a great test taker, I don't know if I will be able to score mid-high 160's on the LSAT. To compensate for this I picked up economics because I find it somewhat interesting (certainly not as interesting as history) and it also gives me reasonable job opportunities assuming I dont make it into a top-25 law school. It's doable, and in my mind gives the student the most viable options.</p>

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<p>now ask yourself, what kind of job would you be expecting to get with a business or econ degree? some business-related jobs do not require that you have majored in business. i-banks would like you to have some related coursework/knowledge, but don't care what you majored in. this goes for other sectors of the business field. a friend of mine got a marketing position at google (which has nothing to do with his major of bioengineering).</p>

<p>if i were you, i would do history. minor and take courses in business or econ, but you dont need to major in it</p>

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<p>I'd echo a prior sentiment that your job prospects with your major could depend on where you go to school. If you're an Ivy-type school, your job prospects after undergrad are probably pretty good regardless of your major. Everywhere else, though, your major is going to have a greater bearing on your job opportunities.</p>

<p>That being said, after spending time with a number of corporations that regularly hire college grads, your major is definitely significant. There are always going to be exceptions (i.e. the examples of history or art majors working at investment banks), but the fact remains that in a competitive marketplace, the best way to position yourself for the top corporate jobs is to major in the area that they are hiring for. The top companies get literally thousands of resumes everyday, so the notion that you could get any corporate job with any major out of school is being a bit naive. Don't mistake the exception for the rule.</p>

<p>For what it's worth, I was an undergrad finance major (with a number of courses in economics and history) that went to law school and am now a corporate attorney with a large law firm. In my opinion, a background in economics was more helpful in law school than the other liberal arts that are typically cited as preparing you for that level (i.e. you supposedly get logical reasoning skills from philosophy and research and writing skills from history or English) since a number of legal theories directly draw upon economic theories. Plus, the study of economics is about as logic-based as you can get, which is certainly important for dealing with legal analysis.</p>

<p>I'm not saying that a business major is the best option for everyone - in the end, you need to find what you really are interested in. All I'm noting here is that if you want the option for business jobs after college, being a business major is an extremely important credential in order to have a chance at those opportunities. I've been in the "real world" for awhile now, so I know enough to separate the exception from the rule.</p>

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<p>I agree wholeheartedly with Frank the Tank's prior post regarding economics and business related courses (including how the employment world looks at them when seeking a first job out of college). In fact, I tried posting to this thread last night expressing similar sentiments about business courses, but a gremlin killed the post in cyberspace.</p>

<p>Anyway, here's a bit more to add. Try an introductory business course or two, you may find it to your liking. Also, the principles behind the business courses - management, teamwork, marketing, customer focus, numbers based analysis complementing intuitive plans, etc. - will benefit you in whatever organization your are considering - profit, non-profit, business, government, education (as well as in managing your own life). At their core, they are all organizations subject to business and economic principles. </p>

<p>Now to the possible downside relative to law school admissions. As you are aware, law school admissions are high GPA and LSAT driven. If business courses end up lowering your GPA, then it could negatively impact your law school options down the road. Of course, being hired for a position right out of college is not nearly so GPA driven. With that said, I am one who still advocates having more than one potential option (i.e. if you cool to a legal career, then a job in business becomes a viable option),</p>

<p>My son, currently a junior in college, has been wrestling with the same dilemma you have (liberal arts, business, or a combination of both). Only in the last four months has he finally decided on going to law school. Like you,
he has always aced the poly sci and history courses and was concerned that business courses would lower his GPA. In the end he has continued to maintain his very high GPA with the business courses as well (and he ain't no genius, he's just self-disciplined). Now if my son changes his mind relative to law school (which I don't expect), he now has some viable career options in the job market with a business major (and minor in poly sci).</p>

<p>So in summary, here's another vote toward taking some business related courses. If yourGPA starts to suffer, you can always go back to strictly liberal arts courses if law school remains your ultimate goal.</p>

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<p>A prominent attorney told me that top tier law schools view pre-professional undergraduate majors, especially business (including accounting and finance), unfavorably. My questions are:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do you believe this is true?</p></li>
<li><p>Would a top law school select an economics or history major over a business major with the same credentials?</p></li>
<li><p>When a student majors in business, they still have room in their schedule to take many liberal arts courses stressing reading and writing, so why should they penalize a student who chooses to major in business?</p></li>
<li><p>How do top law firms feel about business undergraduate majors who later attended law school? Do they consider undergraduate major at all when interviewing candidates for their firms?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I welcome all responses.</p>

20

<p>Myriad,</p>

<p>I don't often like speaking in superlatives, but your "prominent attorney" friend is 110% wrong. How far is he or she removed from the law school admissions process? That statement is just completely off base. If anything, if you go to a school where a pre-professional undergraduate major such as business is tougher to get into than the liberal arts program (which these days is very often the case), that's going to be a plus in your favor as opposed to a negative.</p>

<p>Maybe your prominent attorney contact was just thinking that a higher proportion of top tier law schools take students from schools that have few undergrad professional programs, which might be true (i.e. much of the Ivy League). However, there's no way that a law school is going to downgrade a Penn student for graduating from Wharton as opposed to majoring in history or, in a more typical case, when you're at a school where the business school is more competitive to get into compared to liberal arts (i.e. most public flagships). I know that at my alma mater for undergrad (University of Illinois), a 3.5 GPA in business was considered to be tougher to get than a 3.5 GPA in history (and it's a totally different universe comparing engineering grades with everyone else since engineers are often lucky to pass enough classes to merely graduate). Law schools are very well aware of the reputations and typical GPAs of different programs at different schools and are definitely going to take that into consideration when looking at your grades and LSAT score.</p>

<p>Also, in terms of firm interviewing, your undergraduate major only matters in 2 instances:</p>

<p>(1) Patent Law - You need an engineering or natural sciences degree in nearly all cases or</p>

<p>(2) Tax Law - Being an accounting major and CPA is a plus, but it's rarely a strict requirement.</p>

<p>Other than that, firms could generally care less about what you did before law school (exception: if you had a job that gave you great political connections such as a stint working in the White House or on Capitol Hill, that will carry weight). What will matter in the end is a sliding scale composed of the reputation of your law school and your 1st year grades. Whether you're a 25-year old that went straight from undergrad to law school or someone that worked in a different industry for 20 years before making a change to a career in law, you're going to be looked at as a newbie that needs to start from scratch.</p>

<p>I can't emphasize this enough because I believe that your attorney contact has given you an unbelievably bad opinion: majoring in business is absolutely not a detriment to your chances at getting into a top law school and, depending upon where you go to undergrad, could very well help you.</p>