Hey guys. Currently deciding between majoring in Economics or Geography with a GIS concentration. I like both fields and have even thought about double majoring in both, or majoring in one and minoring in the other. As of now I’m leaning towards Economics with a minor in Geography (GIS oriented) and then getting a masters in Geography (GIS Focus), Urban Planning, or Meteorology. but there’s still time for me to decide. Which one has better career potential though? I heard there’s tons of jobs in GIS, but I’m not sure Geography at bachelor’s degree is as marketable as Economics, especially if the Economics curriculum has more math and stats. The Economics program at my school is only a BA and not BS, but math is not a problem on my transcript since I am switching from Engineering which means I will have Calc 3, Diff Eq, and Stats on my transcript. Granted, Economics majors often have to compete for jobs in the fields of business, consulting, or government while GIS is technical and there’s not as many people who focus on that field so competition is less. However, I’m just going based on what I’ve heard and read about. Anyone here have an idea as to which one yields better potential for jobs?
This is your 15th thread about which major to pick. Based on your early posts, you should be starting your 3rd year of college- but you still have ‘plenty of time to decide’.
Either of those majors has good career potential: it will depend on what you do with it. Have you taken any classes in either department? In general, people do better in things that they enjoy, and you can’t know that until you have spent some time in the subject.
@collegemom3717 I’m in my sophomore year. My schedule has been all over the map to be honest. There’s been semesters that I’ve only taken like two classes a semester so that I could work because college has gotten so expensive. But yes you’re right. I have asked about majors a number of times because even during semesters that I did take few courses I was asking to get some input and hoping some people who have had experience in my fields of interest respond to my threads. But I didn’t get as many responses. One moment I wanted Civil Engineering but I’m not really as interested in designing or building like I thought. I tried statistics but I don’t like the idea of doing just numbers and programming. I find interdisciplinary fields more interesting to be honest because usually there are many topics of study. I tend to like stuff that involves studying spatial patterns and/or working with numbers and graphs in a topic of interest like transportation, weather, urban studies, environment, the economy, politics, and business.
That is useful to know about yourself.
Go look at all the classes you have taken and figure out which of the majors you are interested in you can complete with the fewest number of additional courses and highest % of courses that look at least somewhat interesting to you. Don’t worry about the name of the major- look at the courses involved. As soon as you have figured out what that path is, go start getting to know the people in that department/for those courses. Get a major advisor. Start looking now for summer internships for summer 2017 (REUs if you go geo-wise or AIER if you go econ-wise are places to start- but ask your advisor/profs in the department for suggestions as well).
Majors do not tie you to a path as tightly as you seem to think, especially in interdisciplinary fields. But getting through college does matter.