Flexible majors can benefit student's job hunt
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Washington & Jefferson College sophomore Billy Riley, 20, is a philosophy major, a religious studies minor and plans to add psychology as a second major.
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Billy Riley thought hard about his choice of a major, flirting with pre-law at one point in high school. But by fall of his sophomore year in college he finally settled on his pick: philosophy.
Some would argue that choosing such an esoteric major is living dangerously in a less-than-robust economy.
A safer bet for landing a job quickly, they might say, would be studying business, engineering or computer science -- three bachelor's degrees that are expected to attract the most attention from recruiters this year.
But Mr. Riley, 20, a student at Washington & Jefferson College due to graduate in 2013, said that kind of thinking misses the point.
His major, as well as a religious studies minor and a planned second major in psychology, is part of a strategy to give himself a broad foundation for any number of jobs he may pursue in his life. He has a strong desire to help people with their problems but isn't sure yet if that means as a psychologist or some other role.
"I don't think my education here is defined as much by me being a philosophy major as it is my liberal arts studies," he said. "These classes teach you how to think through problems, how to form arguments and how to organize thoughts."
Is he right? Or are there majors one should rule out when economic times get tough?
Career counselors say that while it's important to consider employment potential, the major itself may have less to do with one's ultimate success than the skills, passion and values that an applicant brings to the job search.
That's true, they say, even when jobs are scarce.
"The recent economic downturn shouldn't play that big a role in the decision students make about an academic major," said Farouk Dey, director of the career and professional development center at Carnegie Mellon University.
For one thing, he said, the time has long since passed when a worker would enter a profession and stay there for 30 or 40 years. Today people enter one career and evolve into others as they develop new skills. Mr. Dey said he often tells students about the importance of transferable skills.
First Published February 10, 2011 12:00 am
