This story from the NY Times could have been dropped into a handful of already existing threads but I thought I'd start a fresh one. College Majors Matter - NYTimes.com
Related - education AND major matter “People still have the image that the refinery jobs are guys with monkey wrenches and a hard hat,” said Baytown Mayor Stephen H. DonCarlos. “They are high-tech jobs, and young guys can make $70,000 or $90,000.” Fuel Fix » Refining town sees energy education as key to fighting own poverty
Cool! Energy is the future. As countries become more industrialized, energy needs will continue to increase so we need people to work these jobs and keep the energy flowing.
Half of the time I hear that it is important to chose a jobworthy major. The second half of the time I hear that your major should be whatever you like best. The third half of the time I hear that college is not worthwhile at all. The fourth half of the time I hear that I need remedial mathematics. I'm sure that at least two of those halves are correct.
Your major MIGHT be something that you like best but if you make certain choices then you should not be surprised if you find yourself driving a cab. Oh, and btw, you probably do need those remedial math courses.:wink1:
Whatever you get, don't just expect it to be a direct ticket to enter a profession. Well, some degrees are nearly direct tickets to enter a profession. But if you don't have one of those - or if you do and you still might want to stretch the foundation it gave you into some other field - take it places. Have a bachelor's degree in sociology? Expect that almost there are almost no jobs out there looking very specifically for people with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Think about what you covered in there, think about knowledge and skills that can transfer. Think about the next subjects over, think about where things overlap. Could you be competitive with a candidate with a major in psychology or human services for an entry-level human service position, even if the typical candidate has and the job posting tends to expect a degree "in psychology or human services?" Could you run focus groups for a market research firm? Even if the typical candidate has and the job posting tends to expect a degree "in marketing?" Be honest, always! But don't be shy about selling your degree as closely related or as highly relevant if it is. You might want to top something up with a little more study. We can help with ways to do that relatively accessibly and affordably. That 18th Century French Art History major in Bruce's example in the other thread could be this close to a good career teaching general history, or the French language. And yeah, do you have a year or two or three of a language in there? Bring that out specifically in your resume and pitch. Other near-major, minor or concentration clusters of courses? Think about how, honestly and informatively, you could sell those.
If you don't have a degree but you are very proficient in your field, there are very few barriers to you selling your skills on the open market. Only government regulations can stop you from marketing yourself. So in essence, a degree is not required and this is especially the case for people who own their own companies. I marketed myself in my career for about 15 years without a degree, but I did not do so without the necessary skills.
This thread reminds me of the old joke; Engineering majors say "This is how we do things". Psychology majors say "This is why we do things". Art History majors say "Would you like fries with that?"
Ha, ha! WAIT A MINUTE, you mean there's some legitimate reason someone would really want to try for something higher than fast food service? Over in the other thread, line work in fast food service was the silver bullet solution to unemployment, practically a full-employment program with decent jobs where almost everyone who applied could get in, and get enough hours, and almost everyone who put in the time could, presumably, support themselves and their families to a decent standard of living with their work. You mean it isn't quite what you built it up to be? :tongue:
If you have a history bachelors degree, I applaud you for your devotion to the study of history, however it is going to be very hard to convince someone to part with their money in order to pay you based solely on your schooling. This is the problem with non job focused degrees. If you know a lot about the vietnam war, how does that translate into selling timeshares or creating a vaccine for cavities or something else important. I love history and would like a degree in it but I can't think of a way to monetize that knowledge. If there is nobody willing to part with their hard earned money for what you know, then how can you decide in good faith to build a career on that knowledge base? So you made the choice to be a history major, and now you have no job prospects. Go ahead and work in a fast food restaurant and maybe your superior liberal arts education will help you climb the ranks quickly and you will be a store manager. There is nothing wrong with a hard day's work. I do not look down on people who work at McDonalds. I do look down on people who won't take a job because they would rather someone else pay their bills.
I agree completely, I was just trying to inject some humor into the thread. I've had some crappy jobs in my time that would make a fast-food position look attractive, and I'd work all of them all over again if I had to in order to support my family. I would rather clean the bilges of fishing trawlers for minimum wage than rely on any sort of government handout.
I wonder what success you'd have in finding another job if you go to interviews smelling like this one.
I don't necessarily - and think about this and you might not either. Some of the people I respect the most on this earth are or have been full-time homemakers or family caregivers without outside or paid employment, full retirees, disabled people without paid employment, adults focusing on their education full-time without paid employment, good workers who for a time are unemployed, or underemployed. Also, children, but of course we'd all set them aside. But looking at these other statuses. It's possible someone would reach one of these statuses and get through it entirely on savings from paychecks paid and deposited in their name at some earlier time. But it's much, much more common that that's not the only thing someone in one of these statuses is drawing on. There is no shame whatsoever in being in one of these statuses and drawing on help from those around you. And I'm not saying, "I want tuition and living expenses for ten years of study in French art history paid for by the government, then a job in French art history with middle class pay and benefits and professional status should be waiting for me," etc., should count to get a place on this list. I'm just trying to say that tying everything so tightly to an expectation that every person will get a paycheck with their name on it and any material expectation they have they'll take care of it from that paycheck with their name on it, leaves all sorts of people entirely outside the picture, who shouldn't be.
Oh! I thought it was: Engineering majors say "We've got jobs." Business majors say "Working for us." Liberal arts majors say "Would you like fries with that?"
My understanding is that liberal arts include science. Apparently, some people here think liberal arts equate to humanities.
