Toss up with my majors....

<p>Hi everyone, I am going to be a incoming senior this next school year and college is just around the corner and I am currently undecided on my major.</p>

<p>Now I know nothing is "horribely wrong" with applying as an undecided major but I'd like your input on the matter...</p>

<p>I have always been very interested in Social Studies so I'd like a little insight from people with experience with my top 3 majors and what I can do with them in the long-run, basically after college.</p>

<p>1) History
2) Economics
3) Political Science</p>

<p>By no means take this as the “be all, end all” of advice. But…here’s what I think I know and what are your primary options…in no particular order.</p>

<p>Also, assuming these are all BA degrees as you said…</p>

<p>History- 1. Go to grad school for history.
2. Teach history at the elementary or secondary level.
3. Apply for general business/sales jobs.<br>
4. Look for work in museums.<br>
5. Editing. Freelance writing. Things of that nature.
6. Law school.</p>

<p>Economics- 1. General business/sales jobs.
2. Financial consulting jobs.
3. Investment jobs.
4. Grad school for economics.
5. Law school.</p>

<p>Political Science- 1. Government jobs. (get meaningful gov. internships during undergrad)
2. Law school.
3. Grad school for political science.
4. Grad school for public policy/administration.
5. General business jobs. </p>

<p>I’m sure there’s plenty more. But there’s some possibilities.</p>

<p>Do economics and pair it with an employable degree like CS or engineering.</p>

<p>Thank you for the insight guys, every little bit of advice and insight helps with my choice. </p>

<p>@TheRippa in regards to history do you mean go for a Master’s degree in number 1? By that I mean does a bachelor in History not do much</p>

<p>@Inmotion sorry but what is CS? I’m haveing a brain fart right now</p>

<p>Thx for the clarification!</p>

<p>I’m going to be a Econ major so I’m a little biased, but Econ is a pretty diverse degree. Econ is a good major for going into law, business, government and even okay for going into the medical field. I doubt History or Poly Science can match the same possibilities.</p>

<p>@derreckallen2009 Thats what I’ve heard from alot of people whom I’ve asked. I’m leaning towards economics but History is by far what I am most interested in but I hear the job market for a history degree holder isn’t all that great</p>

<p>I meant a Masters, yeah. Well, more precisely, I meant a PhD program. You’d need a PhD to teach in most colleges, aside from community colleges where a Masters tends to be suitable. However, with a BA, you’d still be able to teach high school and anything under that, so long you attained the proper certification. At some schools they can provide you with the education courses needed for certification. At least they do that in Massachusetts. </p>

<p>As far as what you should major in, do you enjoy a history a lot? Do you actually like attending the classes and learning the material? If yes, then major in history. But if you moderately like economics, and also want to attain safer job prospects immediately after college, then major in economics. You still cover plenty of history in economics, especially if you go towards a more liberal arts track and not an “applied” economics degree.</p>

<p>I agree with the end of TheRippa’s post. And I’ll go into a little more detail this time.</p>

<p>I’m about to attend a major public university, though a tier 1, it’s known more for ag sciences and engineering and it still offers a Econ degree with a business option, a b.s. that is recommended for those going to med. school and a b.a. that would only require 16more hours for a double major in another liberal art. Like I said, it’s diverse…</p>

<p>Econ is very diverse and will give you latitude when applying for internships and jobs after graduation.</p>

<p>I have previous military and logistic training , field training, counte terrorist exp from Israel I am now Married in USA and looking how I can become a good candidate for the FBI CIA . once this comes through…I worked in sercurity. I speak fluent arabic,hebrew and english. what is the likihood of getting a position as above which would be much like my previous 5 yrs in Israel? Must say the american military know about me and what me however I do not want to join the military and feel I have more to offer. any ideas please</p>

<p>When you get to college, take classes in all 3 of these fields. Go with what you enjoy most that also has interesting career opportunities. You could also minor in a subject that you like, but does not seem to be a good fit with the jobs you want.</p>

<p>I’m a history major. I always knew I would be a history major and really love the subject. It sounds like you have a strong interest, but note a few major caveats: first, phd admissions for history are extremely competitive, and the job market upon receiving your doctorate is even worse. Keep this in mind if you’re thinking of taking that route - you need to be a truly exceptional student to complete the whole grad school process. Second, people don’t understand what history is; most seem to imagine it as four years of rote memorization. Many will look down on you for studying history, so if this matters to you, don’t do it. </p>

<p>On the other hand, history is the ****, so if you like it, do it.</p>

<p>Economics is probably the best degree that’s not engineering/accounting/computer science etc. Good average salaries, decent job prospects. Smart choice.</p>

<p>Political Science seems pretty limited to me but I do not know much about the field.</p>

<p>One last note: provided your school doesn’t have onerous gen. ed. requirements or a large core curriculum, you should be able to complete a double major in two of those three fields without any extra hassle.</p>

<p>nellas, you are unlikely to get a position with the FBI or CIA because your foreign ties make you ineligible for a security clearance.</p>

<p>Jan, what are you planning on doing with your history major after school? It’s a major that I’ve always considered, so I’m just curious.</p>

<p>I’m planning to go to grad school for my doctorate. If that fails, I will probably work in publishing as an editor or something similar as I have experience and contacts from a couple of internships in the industry.</p>

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<p>even if you have foreign ties with countries that are good bros w/ the US?</p>

<p>CIA security clearance process is a pain. I am American and it took several months, after all that I was not offered to the internship. </p>

<p>@silence_kit You might have a better chance with the FBI but CIA maybe not of course it depends on which branch of the CIA you apply to. Directorate of Intelligence and National Clandestine Service probably not unless you are a genius. Directorate of Support you would have a better chance but it is quite slim. </p>

<p>Also the Directorate of Intelligence and National Clandestine Service will not hire undergrads unless they are very intelligent near perfect GPA. They mostly hire grads and Ph.Ds. </p>

<p>Economics would be great because there are economics history courses. For example I took European Economic History, Chinese Economics History, and Islamic Economics history. Same professor for all three courses. He was a Ph.D in Economics History and Thought.</p>