Should I switch majors this late in the game (Junior standing heading into Senior standing)?

College Majors
1

Hey all,

I am currently an undergrad at California State University, Sacramento. i am 20 years old, almost 21, and am very worried about the future, and my growing age before i earn a degree heading into the labor market… I am done with the spring semester, and now have 84 units completed. at this campus the minimum is 120 units required.

Yes, I should have thought about this like two years earlier. I am dumb then, and still now. But now I’m really thinking about it. My current major is Sociology, I picked it because well… it’s sociology, and only 43 units. However, I just don’t like Sociology. The classes are too liberal and left wing for my tastes, plus it is not a favorable degree in the job market after graduation.

Now I’m thinking of switching my major , but the problem is it’s an IMPACTED major (business). i’m thinking of accounting. as an impacted major, i have to take 24 units of pre requsities before the 24 units of business core classes, and 24 units of accounting concentration classes. obviously, that would take me , what, another 2-3 plus years to complete it?

if i stick with the sociology major, i would only need 3 more semesters. but im thinking about the future, and i just dont think a BA in sociology will help me find a decent stable well paying career.

for next semester, i am currently signed up to take pre reqs, including the financial accounting introduction course.

i think Sac State is a maximum of 180 units, so taking all of these classes would keep me under that mark, but im worried about time and money, will i be able to receive financial aid (such as pell grant and state university grant)? my cal grant will expire after 4 years. i am an individual coming from a poor family.

i realize my horrible mistake, and now i am focused on making money… though is that advisable, due to the additional time? please , helpful advice needed. (btw, i have consulted advisors before the semester ended, i will check back for the fall)

2

I suggest at this point that you aim for specific courses rather majors for employability enhancement.

For instance, CSUS offers about 13 courses in Management of Human Resources and Organizational Behavior (http://catalog.csus.edu/courses/2016-17/hrob/). Human resources management is a field with fairly good employment prospects (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm, look for codes 11-3121 and 13-1071) and one that sociology graduates tend to enter (http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_%28BA%29%2c_Sociology/Salary). It ties in with the sociology you’ve been studying much better than accounting does. CSUS offers a minor (as well as impacted major) in that and several other areas, including marketing, an even stronger area (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm, codes 11-2021 and 13-1161), within business administration (http://catalog.csus.edu/16-17/first%20100%20pages/uoffer.html). (I couldn’t tell whether business MINORS are also impacted.) On the Indeed.com jobs site today the results from searches for marketing are 311,591; for human resources 120,189; and accounting 177,001.

In this kind of case you can get around the inconvenience of a badly worded major like sociology by emphasizing in job application cover letters the key courses you’ve taken that are relevant to the position advertised.

Overall, experience is the thing employers most want. So it should be a high priority to seek out one or more internships in an office during your remaining time as a student (since they seem to be reserved for students).

3

I don’t think HR is for me. I haven’t taken intro accounting courses yet though I have a financial accounting book , and it seems solid… though the accounting professors at CSUS are bad

4

I agree with experience. could i do an internship past 4th year? since i am headed there. and if i go accounting route, i talked to the business advisor and he suggested i have to do intermeidate accounting first

5

You can get a job with a BA in sociology. What you need to focus on now is not changing your major and spending an additional 2-3 years in college, but trying to get work experience that will enhance your employability. Have you done any internships? Worked part-time in college? Try to get those kinds of experiences. Can you add a minor in business, maybe, that won’t add so much extra time? Can you learn an additional skill, like statistical analysis (you can be decent enough to get hired at the BA level with 2-3 courses in this area) or computer programming?

Serious question: What makes you think HR isn’t for you, but accounting is, even though it seems as if you haven’t taken any coursework in accounting?

You can only get a Pell Grant for up to 12 semesters, or 6 years (whatever the equivalent is in quarters). So a Pell Grant may last you until you finished an additional degree, but perhaps not. Your Direct loan support would max out at $31,000. If you haven’t already been borrowing Direct federal loans, you could borrow up to $7,500 a year until you hit $31,000, but those also might be limited by credits as well. You’ll have to check the website of your state university grant to figure out what the limits are there.

6

I’d encourage you to get your degree now. There are lots of entry level jobs at big employers that aren’t that picky about major. Sociology, psych and other degrees offer interesting insights to marketing, customer service and sales positions. Not to mention the biggest employer in Sacramento, the State of CA.

If after working for a few years, you decide you want/need a business degree, Sac has a solid MBA program.

That said, accounting is a 150 unit/ 5 year program at most schools now. As a result, few grads are less than 23.

7

“You can get a job with a BA in sociology.”

In reality it is pretty difficult to get a job that pays much beyond that paid to a high school graduate. Psych and sociology majors really make the least of all the majors-or close to the least. I agree with posters who emphasize the need to acquire skills-so choose classes that will give you those. Those are often hard core classes that are difficult-unlike psychology or sociology but the goal is to graduate with skills other lack-accounting, computer science/coding, etc. Actual bonafide abilities-not fuzzy thinking classes!

8

So @lostaccount, do you recommend I make the switch (assuming I can, that is) at this late in the game?

9

@NCalRent, I see you have read my other thread. So you know that to be a CPA, one should have the required 150 hours and the minimum business core and accounting courses. As for your suggestion to sticking with sociology, your comment reminds me of what the sociology department chair told me… with a sociology degree, that’s all that matters to employers. while that is true, I just don’t think it’s right for me. When I think about it, would employers rather hire a soc major or an accounting major? In terms of marketability, a soc major isn’t that impressive. The one positive thing about sociology classes for me is that it’s easy… much easier I expect than accounting. but the subjects are not applicable to a specific field

as for your job suggestions regarding customer service and sales, i’m not much of an outgoing person. if i have a sociology degree, that makes my marketability worse, don’t you think? over someone with a diff degree

10

@juillet

That’s what the soc department chair person told me too, that even with a sociology degree “i can get a job in any field”. even though he didn’t mention that I can’t enter a technical field like accounting without the required coursework. I can’t really do anything with a BA in sociology, I would have to undergo a masters program. and if you think about it, that is about the same amount of time as the additional 2-3 years, right? Furthermore, if I DO take an interest in accounting, I would have to acquire the CPA license would would require 150 coursework hours along with the required business and accounting classes.

as for your suggestion at minoring in business, i could do that. but i would have to undergo a masters program to complete additional hours. and as for computer programming, that takes even more time. My soc departement chair person told me his wife had an English degree and was teaching, but became a computer programmer with 5 years of additional coursework.

Human resources isn’t for me because i am not an outgoing person, plus im not too high on resolving conflicts/disputes. accounting requires some form of interaction, though depending on the type of accountant, it’s mainly crunching numbers. sounds mundane but i don’t mind that aspect of it

as for the Pell grant, can it cover me as long as I don’t go over 180 units? Which is the max the campus has set. also, i have a Cal grant, which expires after 4 years. My friend told me after the cal grant ends, i can get the reduced but still good State university grant. is this true?

11

I think you are underselling the value of a Soc degree significantly. IMHO, BS Accounting isn’t worth an extra 2 years on your academic career. You could easily earn your BA Soc and an MBA with those extra 2 years - which will open more doors and present a wider array of career choices.

I will let you in on a secret… the State of CA is hiring people like you every day. There are thousands of workers nearing retirement and they can’t be replaced fast enough. Look into it …

It is your life and your decision.

Good Luck

12

@NCalRent Thanks for the suggestion, but aren’t you confirming what I said, that a BA in sociology is not meaningful unless I earn an post grad degree? And if I spend an extra 2-3 years of accounting ,isn’t that approx the same time as earning that MBA, give or take? MY line of thinking is that accounting is a more technical degree, meaning I can just as well enter the wide array of career choices yet have accounting as the main card. With a sociology degree, that isn’t possible without an MS.

Also, I propped the financial aid for masters program question, didn’t I?

I agree that is my decision, so I apologize for asking so many questions. I just need to make the decision armed with a number of solid opinions.

13

Im going through the same thing. Im a junior and I am thinking of transferring schools to pursue a accounting degree. However i spent these past 3 years pursuing an education degree that i dont want anymore. I feel like its late in the game to switch but i dont wanna get a degree in a low paying major like education.

14

Whether or not you want to get that degree in sociology is up to you, but if you’re considering business and you’re hurting financially, I would highly recommend taking some business classes at your local community college and then transferring over when you’re ready. CC’s are significantly cheaper than universities, which would give you the freedom to try many different classes inside and outside of a business major, so that you can make the most informed decision possible regarding your major and career path.

Also, 20/21 is still VERY young. Forget about what everyone else is doing and just focus on you. Do you enjoy business? It seems like you’re really focused on money, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it shouldn’t be your ONLY focus. And while you’re in school, definitely do work study or any sort of job near your campus. There is no shame in working at McDonald’s or your local coffee shop or anything else like that while you’re a student.

15

Why do you want to be an accountant? Job stability? It’s not a great job if you end up hating it!

Can you minor in acctg now? Maybe. But frankly, without your CPA, which takes even longer, it’s not as versatile as you think.

Put together a practical minor and finish on time or +1 semester. That’s my vote.