I really would appreciate your help, I’ve been feeling so lost and I’m getting really worried now. I felt you would be the best to ask because you have experience with this issue either when you were a student or with your child’s.
I came into college as a Political science major thinking I wanted to work for the government one day. Last semester I added on a double major in economics because I felt that political science wouldn’t lead me to a job. But 1. I’m not that good at economics and 2. I’m not good at math which the degree requires. Since freshman year I haven’t felt passionate about political science, most people in the major know congress like the back of their hand and are really interested in policy. I find that I’m not as passionate as my peers and I’m displaced. I’m not sure what to do, I’m not happy in my majors!
Can anyone help or offer advice as to what I should do. Unfortunately I’m a second semester Sophmore so time is ticking. Luckily I’ve taken mostly general courses so I won’t be behind of I switch.
This is what I do know: In my future endeavors I want to travel and work abroad. Granted I do want to be a politican one day, but not unless I find what I’m passionate about. I’ve participated in case competitions And love the idea of working for Deloitte or consulting companies, but again I want to be a specialist in something before I go into consulting. Lastly, I’m good at reading, writing, and science. I wanted to be a doctor as I took a nursing class but the courses needed didn’t allow me to double major which was important to me. I also want to do field work! I don’t want to sit in a desk from 9-5. I want to help implement something and not theorize but actually see improvements being made.
Jobs I’ve thought about: Doctor, national security, lobbyist, consultant
Any ideas of what to major in? It’s a lot I know and thank you for taking the time to read this!!
As a parent of a double major in poli sci and history, I would encourage you to look at your major more in terms of the broad skills you are developing. As a poli sci major, you are developing your analytic reasoning and writing skills – core skills applicable in any number of fields. Many employers want students with these core skills, not just government offices.
In terms of finding what you love academically, many departments require majors to take poli sci courses across a range of topics, from Am Government, to International Relations, to Political Theory. Do any of those other areas interest you? Poli Sci is not just studying US government and Congress.
If you are not doing well in the Econ classes, being a double major in that may not help you when you look for work, as those grades may pull down your gpa. Does your school have minors or concentrations, where you can do less work than required for the full major? What other areas interest you? Are there any interdisciplinary or area studies that interest you? For some students, combining Poli Sci with, for instance, their foreign language and an area studies concentration, is appealing, such as East Asian, Latin America, or Middle East studies. Or Global Health sounds like it might be of interest.
If you haven’t already met with your poli sci advisor or undergrad advisor, I would encourage you to schedule an appointment with them. They will know your graduation requirements and be able to help you navigate your choices.
Sounds like international relations might be something to look at. Unless you pursue an international medical school, I don’t think you can link your travel in to becoming a doctor.
Also, I wonder why a double major “is important” to you. If your career goal is professional school, I think perhaps you are shooting yourself in the foot by being too ambitious as an undergrad.
(doctors in general aren’t great at math, so that is fine)
I don’t think you need to major in PoliSci or Econ to work for the government - or go to med school, work for NSA, be a consultant or lobbyist.
Have you talked with your advisor about this? If not, do so. He/she should be able to help, and hopefully have a good idea of the kinds of candidates/majors the government looks for when hiring… Maybe History, Foreign Languages, etc? I would bet the list is wider than you’d think. But do talk to your advisor.
What other subjects spark your interest? What would you like to know more about, in-depth?
Obviously, if you are really concerned about getting a lucrative job after graduation, you might want to look at fields/majors that would do that - but they should also offer you some intellectual fulfillment. Your major should be the one subject that does not seem like a chore or drudge-work to “get through”. You should enjoy studying it.
First drop the econ major. You don’t seem to like it nor excel at it.
What interests you about political science? Politicians have causes or specific issues - the economy, civil rights, defense, budget, health, mental health, the justice system, drugs - you get the picture. Maybe search for a substantive field of interest, such as public health, urban studies, criminal justice, education, etc. and take coursework in that.
It’s tough to advise you without knowing what requirements and options your college has. Do they allow you to create an interdisciplinary major (ie. the much - and unfairly - maligned “studies”)? Does a major like Government or Public Policy exist at your school?
If you aren’t certain about your major, would a semester or year off make sense at this point? Election season is starting up, so you might be able to try your hand at the political campaign thing for a while, and then go back to college when you have a better sense of direction.
I completely agree about the skills that I am developing within the major, but a majority of the classes are american government. As of right now I have a policy concentration, so I would be taking more classes in that field. But I am strongly considering switching to comparative politics as my current policy class hasn’t been as interesting to me. I get B’s in my current Econ douses, so it’s not terrible but as I am worried about Econometrics and etc because of the mathematics involved. My main goal with double majoring was that I could get a dual degree and I wanted a quantitative major that could balance out my Political Science major for a well-rounded education. I did take Arabic for the past two years and I was looking to major but with my two degrees I can’t. I was thinking about switching to International Relations to use my arabic credits opposed to them being counted as electives. Yet my advisor told me that international relations and political science were essentially the same thing.
If Arabic counts toward an IR major but not toward a Poli Sci major, and otherwise the degree programs (and options after graduation) are “essentially the same thing”, then it makes sense to change your major to IR and free up some time in your schedule.
DD picked her major by going through the course catalog and picking the courses that interested her most. She then looked at which major allowed her to take the most of those courses. I think it is a great approach. Study what you love. Government jobs in politics and advocacy, and graduate programs such as law (often the grad degree of choice for politicians) are open to many different types of majors. The main thing is to do well, do internships to gain experience, and find mentors that can help you sort out the next step. Poly sci, IR, history, american studies, economics, etc., any of them would work.
I second grabbing a course catalog and looking over the courses. Don’t limit your self–look them all over. For example our state school has a far reaching Agriculture major which my first thought is farming but students have traveled abroad to bring techniques to other countries, worked on government policy, graduated with jobs in genetic research.
Or perhaps sociology.
“I wanted to be a doctor as I took a nursing class but the courses needed didn’t allow me to double major which was important to me”
I know only about this one, not familiar with others on your list. First, nursing is not recommended as a major for pre-meds, that mey be an exception for what I am saying below. Pre-med track allow not only double major, but in fact triple major and any combo of major(s)/minor(s) and in addition, Medical School adcoms do not care at all what was your major at college. You might as well graduatef from the Conservatory of Music (and I know successful examples of this). I do not know who gave you an idea that you cannot pursue a certain major on pre-med track. My D. has graduated with Zoology major/Music Composition minor, one of her pre-med classmates graduated with the triple major Zoology/Spanish/Latin Studies and still another graduated with Zoology major / Art minor. Zoology was extremely challenging at D’s college and Music minor provided a perfect outlet, relaxation. All three (and I am sure hundreds of many others of various un-related to Medicine college majors) are graduating from Med. School this year.
Definitely visit your school’s career center. There are interest and aptitude tests that can be taken to give you ideas. Since math doesn’t seem to be your strong point and you likely have not taken science courses needed for medical school by now (btw- nursing is an entirely different health care field) it is unlikely you are headed in that direction. For many careers the thinking skills of any major suffice. You need to choose one that interests you.
Still time this spring to get testing- but you need to do it NOW.
I’ve taken the Myers-bring test and the career paths were: politics, law enforcement, and financial services (finance/accounting). I’m just really worried because I’d rather major in a technical degree so I can feel more secure in the job market. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of my parents supporting me when I graduate. I’m just trying to find the perfect balance between majoring in what I enjoy and majoring in something that will get me a good job. I was thinking computer science or public health. Yet again I don’t want an office job which I feel can be correlated to these majors.