Should I minor in Political Science or English?

Would it be a smart idea to Major in English and double minor in French and Political Science?

• I'm thinking of being a journalist filmographer travel writer. Is this a good plan? (I don't want to major in journalism.)

• Answer:

  Only if you plan to be a used care salesperson. Before the early 1900s, a four-year college degree wasn’t meant to lead to a specific job but for personal enrichment. To turn you into a critical thinker for a career in public admin, the clergy or business where you would learn on the job Since the 1940s perception of higher education changed & college is now expected to lead to a career These are some personal enrichment degrees: Anthropology Archeology Art Art History Creative Writing Classics English Film General Studies History Humanities Interdisciplinary Studies Journalism Language & Culture Liberal Arts Literature Political Science A language Media Music History Paleontology Photography Philosophy Sociology “Anything” Studies & most anything you get a “bachelor’s of arts” in A Psych degree needs you to get a PhD to make a good living in it. There are far more grads than jobs in these. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/pf/1008/gallery.low_paying_college_degrees/index.html?iid=EL This is not to say you won’t get a job but odds are your job won’t be related to your major & not pay as well as other majors. I’m not saying we should all be engineers, economists or doctors. But society is voting that way with its money With a degree in the above & a GPA over 3.0 you can: 1. Get into law school. Or medical school if you take the required pre-med courses. 2. Pursue a masters in a field with a defined career path, for example business administration, social work. Hopefully such a program won’t require many prerequisites you don’t have. A masters degree is more valuable than a second bachelor’s degree. 3. Go to grad school in the same field & earn a PhD so you can become a college professor. However, there are far more PhD grads in some fields like Philosophy than there will be any kind of faculty position Or with a lower GPA 4. Take a K-12 teaching qualification, which is usually 2 more years, so you can teach your subject at a public school 5. Look for a job in fields where they want you to have a degree, any degree. Where they want the degree because they want people who have proven they can stick with something difficult. There are more jobs like this than you may think 6. If you join the military you are more likely to enter as an officer instead of enlisted personnel What is an English major supposed to do after college? http://www.publicradio.org/columns/prairiehome/posthost/2009/07/28/english_majors.php Information on every major: http://www.mymajors.com/ This link considers certain degrees useless as the number of jobs that will be created in the field up to 2018 is less than the number of graduates in one year in that major http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2843/1/ Here is a list of average starting & mid-career salaries for most 4 year majors. Note these stats only apply to people who actually got a job in that field. Many graduates in the lower half of the list never get a job in their field & are not counted. The higher they pay, the harder the major & generally the more math needed. Just be aware that high pay does not mean high demand. http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/08/pf/college/best_paying_college_majors/index.htm?iid=MPM Highest Starting Salaries of 2011: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/pf/jobs/1010/gallery.best_jobs_highest_paid.moneymag/index.html?iid=EL Most in demand degrees: http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview2.asp?next=oview2&Level=BAplus&optstatus=101000000&jobfam=&id=1&nodeid=4&soccode=&stfips=00&ShowAll=no Hot Jobs 2011 http://career-advice.monster.ca/job-hunt-strategy/company-industry-research/great-careers-for-the-new-year/article.aspx?WT.mc_n=Ycanada_YToday The job prospects for most occupations in the USA. http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2040964,00.html But on the bright side, if you have a genuine interest in the field you are pursuing & are willing to throw yourself in it & do anything for it, you will fare better than someone doing something because they can’t think of anything better to do. Those with a real passion for something can move mountains to become successful, but if you don’t have that fire in you, you are at a disadvantage