English/ History/ Foreign Language majors? Talk to me!

[Anonymous]

Hi! Just curious if you were any of the above majors, could you tell me what you do now. Or if your child is studying any of the above things, what do you think they will do with it.

DD simply arbors math, physics and thinks she hates any kind of science. Sad, she had a really lousy biology teacher freshman year at her school and is so turned off. Whatever.

Doesn’t want to be a lawyer, teacher, or librarian. Teachers are so horribly treated theses days and I am a librarian and they finish lowest on the totem pole in my federal agency. Unappreciated and underpaid.

I am asking because we are trying to choose colleges that might have additional areas that she can minor in to make such a degree more marketable.

Wish I had a stem kid. But I don’t! Sweet kid. NO STEM.

[Anonymous]

My DH and I were both English majors - at different colleges.

He runs a very high profile TV production company. Until I started having kids, I represented TV writers, as an agent.

We did not meet through TV work, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! Just curious if you were any of the above majors, could you tell me what you do now. Or if your child is studying any of the above things, what do you think they will do with it.

DD simply arbors math, physics and thinks she hates any kind of science. Sad, she had a really lousy biology teacher freshman year at her school and is so turned off. Whatever.

Doesn’t want to be a lawyer, teacher, or librarian. Teachers are so horribly treated theses days and I am a librarian and they finish lowest on the totem pole in my federal agency. Unappreciated and underpaid.

I am asking because we are trying to choose colleges that might have additional areas that she can minor in to make such a degree more marketable.

Wish I had a stem kid. But I don’t! Sweet kid. NO STEM.

So.... that's truly terrible.
I majored in philosophy, then worked at an investment bank, then got my master's, now work in consulting. Not from a T25 or highly regarded SLAC.
Humanities/social science majors pose no issue in job security for a student that is adept at representing themselves/communicating well.

[Anonymous]

My DS is a Spanish major - not sure what he will do with it. Translate for a big company? Marketing in Spain or Mexico? Work for CIA or other fed? Or basically work anywhere in the US where Spanish is widely spoken? I feel like it's a terrific thing to know and he will be fine.

My other kid is still in high school but also likely to be a non-stem major - could be political or science or the like - I'm sure there will be jobs for that too.

[Anonymous]

I majored in English. Currently SAHM, previously was doing the attorney thing, in a not-prestigious job.

DH majored in a foreign language, now a big law partner.


So many liberal arts majors go the attorney route, but I’d advise against that unless you get a sense for what it’s actually like to be an attorney. I wasn’t really cut out for it (though I did fine), but DH actually likes his job. Plus there are so many different kinds of attorneys and everyday life is different for all of them.

The advice I plan on giving my kids is 1) don’t go into lots of debt for a liberal arts degree 2) keep in mind that there are so, so many different kinds of jobs out there that you probably have never heard of. I think the most important things are building connections in a way that suits your personality and being open to new opportunities. I wouldn’t worry too much about a major yet. After all, lots of liberal arts majors go into tech. You don’t actually need a ton of STEM classes to do many of those jobs well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I majored in English. Currently SAHM, previously was doing the attorney thing, in a not-prestigious job.

DH majored in a foreign language, now a big law partner.


So many liberal arts majors go the attorney route, but I’d advise against that unless you get a sense for what it’s actually like to be an attorney. I wasn’t really cut out for it (though I did fine), but DH actually likes his job. Plus there are so many different kinds of attorneys and everyday life is different for all of them.

The advice I plan on giving my kids is 1) don’t go into lots of debt for a liberal arts degree 2) keep in mind that there are so, so many different kinds of jobs out there that you probably have never heard of. I think the most important things are building connections in a way that suits your personality and being open to new opportunities. I wouldn’t worry too much about a major yet. After all, lots of liberal arts majors go into tech. You don’t actually need a ton of STEM classes to do many of those jobs well.

Gosh I hate it when I skim the OP and miss important info. Just ignore all the attorney stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! Just curious if you were any of the above majors, could you tell me what you do now. Or if your child is studying any of the above things, what do you think they will do with it.

DD simply arbors math, physics and thinks she hates any kind of science. Sad, she had a really lousy biology teacher freshman year at her school and is so turned off. Whatever.

Doesn’t want to be a lawyer, teacher, or librarian. Teachers are so horribly treated theses days and I am a librarian and they finish lowest on the totem pole in my federal agency. Unappreciated and underpaid.

I am asking because we are trying to choose colleges that might have additional areas that she can minor in to make such a degree more marketable.

Wish I had a stem kid. But I don’t! Sweet kid. NO STEM.

So.... that's truly terrible
I majored in philosophy, then worked at an investment bank, then got my master's, now work in consulting. Not from a T25 or highly regarded SLAC.
Humanities/social science majors pose no issue in job security for a student that is adept at representing themselves/communicating well.

+10. Thank you philosophy major! I love people like you. What did you get your masters in?

[Anonymous]

Political Science and history major, and I work as an analyst for federal agency. DH was a psychology major and went to law school, but never practiced and has been in a series of management jobs at media companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a Spanish major - not sure what he will do with it. Translate for a big company? Marketing in Spain or Mexico? Work for CIA or other fed? Or basically work anywhere in the US where Spanish is widely spoken? I feel like it's a terrific thing to know and he will be fine.

My other kid is still in high school but also likely to be a non-stem major - could be political or science or the like - I'm sure there will be jobs for that too.

Hi. I am the OP. My daughter also takes Spanish. We also feel knowing Spanish is a marketable skill. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Former English major from a mid-tier state university.

I am in healthcare management. My job includes editing, public speaking, writing and research and I have my hand in training and recruiting. Typically asked to serve on outreach committees as department representative and am always the note-taker and the person who will quickly summarize and identify key concepts discussed in the meetings.

I’m detail-oriented and highly organized. I serve as a mentor and field trainer for new hires.

[Anonymous]

I was a history major many years ago so know lots of history majors. Here is a rundown of what the ones I've kept in touch with are doing today:

1. Cable TV executive
2. Doctor
3. Lawyer (x many)
4. Social science survey research
5. Private school teacher/administrator
6. MBA --> Wall Street finance

[Anonymous]

1. Don't let your kid know you're disappointed in their interests. One of my best friends' dad really pushed STEM all her education and she still has issues about feeling stupid (even though she's brilliant) just because she doesn't have happen to like math.

2. Some friends/family members who work in fields associated with majors you mentioned (not law or teaching or library science related; I know plenty of those too).
English major -> publishing, non-profit, copy editing, consulting, YA author, commercial risk management, technical writing
Foreign language -> national security think tank, consulting, localization for video games, translation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! Just curious if you were any of the above majors, could you tell me what you do now. Or if your child is studying any of the above things, what do you think they will do with it.

DD simply arbors math, physics and thinks she hates any kind of science. Sad, she had a really lousy biology teacher freshman year at her school and is so turned off. Whatever.

Doesn’t want to be a lawyer, teacher, or librarian. Teachers are so horribly treated theses days and I am a librarian and they finish lowest on the totem pole in my federal agency. Unappreciated and underpaid.

I am asking because we are trying to choose colleges that might have additional areas that she can minor in to make such a degree more marketable.

Wish I had a stem kid. But I don’t! Sweet kid. NO STEM.

1) The World still needs these majors. Maybe the field is getting smaller with so many STEM students that these fields will offer more opportunities.
2) I did well with my degree in non-STEM field. The key is to create a path with it. If you major in a non-professional field, even biology or chemistry, without a plan then you can flounder after college. But, if you go in with a plan of where you are headed with that degree, then it can be very fruitful.

[Anonymous]

English major here - I now run a trade association and make a decent living with good work life balance. I didn't get a masters but did take some MBA coursework and completed two certifications in my profession (non-profit management).

My only regret was not taking some basic business classes in undergrad. I know now that anyone in a management role in business should have knowledge of accounting and be able to read a financial statement (in my opinion). I think I might have pursued a business degree if I had been exposed to that coursework earlier.

I didn't know what I wanted to do in life when I went to college so my dad told me to study what I liked which was reading and writing. So that's how I ended up being an English major. I think it worked out alright. My parents paid in-state tuition so I started life without student loan debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I majored in English. Currently SAHM, previously was doing the attorney thing, in a not-prestigious job.

DH majored in a foreign language, now a big law partner.


So many liberal arts majors go the attorney route, but I’d advise against that unless you get a sense for what it’s actually like to be an attorney. I wasn’t really cut out for it (though I did fine), but DH actually likes his job. Plus there are so many different kinds of attorneys and everyday life is different for all of them.

The advice I plan on giving my kids is 1) don’t go into lots of debt for a liberal arts degree 2) keep in mind that there are so, so many different kinds of jobs out there that you probably have never heard of. I think the most important things are building connections in a way that suits your personality and being open to new opportunities. I wouldn’t worry too much about a major yet. After all, lots of liberal arts majors go into tech. You don’t actually need a ton of STEM classes to do many of those jobs well.

Gosh I hate it when I skim the OP and miss important info. Just ignore all the attorney stuff

.

Thank you for your thoughtful response! Most helpful