News flash: those social science degress aren’t worth the loans you took out to finance it with.

For those who studied foreign languages, the translation and interpretation field is one of the hottest growing areas for employment – though in most cases you will be freelancing and self-employed. There are tons of resources out there on how to break into the business. I’ve been using my German degree every single day since graduation, first on a Fulbright for two years, then working for Siemens in Germany for 2 years. I’ve been freelancing as a German to English translator since 2005 – two years part-time while working for Siemens, then made the switch to full-time self-employment in 2007 and have never looked back. The opportunities are tremendous, especially if you have unique language combinations and excellent writing skills. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions: www.wunderbar-translations.com

Great article, DTH! I thought it was not only very relevant (obviously) but also enlightening without being depressing and disheartening, as many articles about the high graduate unemployment rates tend to be. This should be the standard for your news!

This article is very interesting, but it doesn’t address the wide spectrum of possibilities that each major offers. For instance, because law pertains to literally every aspect of society, even those with a medical degree can easily find employment as a medical malpractitioner or in the health care lobbying field. I have found that the best way to secure employment upon graduation is to have a (or a few) solid internships as that will put you ahead of a lot of the competition pitted against those who may not have relevant experience. I interned in a few law firms during my undergrad degree, moved to a large city in May, and have been very successful getting interviews and job offers because I had that relevant experience.
Although this is a very informative article, don’t let it scare you. You’d be surprised what a decent GPA and prior experience can do for you when job hunting. Don’t fret about majors.

I agree with Trimordial. Other than very specific, topical careers, your major is not as important as the connections you make between subjects, and the work/volunteer experiences you have. The biggest roadblock in finding a job is lack of direction. If you are just blindly mailing resumes without really knowing what you want, you are going to come across as passive and inexperienced in interviews. If you can find some direction while you’re still an undergrad, you can tailor your experiences to work towards that goal. Social science degrees aren’t a waste if you go into it with a solid idea of how you will use it.

Good article, good points. This should be obvious to people, especially in an economy where a huge portion of our GDP comes from speculation, financial services, and “services” in general.

The entire system is unsustainable at this point. So many of these kids will get out of here, and go on to produce absolutely nothing. Hardly anyone farms anymore, or builds, or any number of things that could be considered the “real” economy.’

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Just a word of advice: It’s not all about your major. I graduated last May with a degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing, and I still secured a well-paying, career-type job at a top consulting firm. A lot of consultancies are shying away from Business majors these days—they want to have more of a mix, as most of the clients have a mix and want people who can think in diverse ways.

Fredy,

Your piece makes absolutely no sense at all and somehow attempts to generalize an entire political party that has absolutely nothing to do with anything?
Farming??? What the hell does that even mean? Who majors in farming at Carolina?
Lastly, I think students are smart enough not to major in janitorial services (sorry to any sanitation engineers out there), so there’s really no need to to focus on “what the economy is made of.” The American economy is an absolutely giant. You can make millions working on Wall Street or by starting up your own business. America, although in a weakened state, is still a land of opportunity, and Carolina does a good way of gearing students in that sense.

Freddy, the problem with your argument, and similar arguments made within the “Back in my day or my Dad’s day” context, lies in the reality that the world has changed significantly since the time period in which skills jobs were in higher demand. Yes, you can still make mountains of money as an electrician or a plumber. I personally got my present job based solely on the fact that I know how to solder and read a circuit diagram. I’ll never disagree about the strong benefit of developing actual skills while in school. However, in working with many different people in the RTP’s many industrial parks, I will tell you that a person just can’t make it anymore relying on just one skill or another alone without accepting certain sacrifices in lifestyle. Sure, you can work as a field technician…if you are prepared to be in a different part of the country every three days. Sure, you can work in a factory as a welder or an assembler…if you are prepared to work a 3-4-4 schedule with 12-hour shirts. No, skills alone are not enough anymore. The present market does not allow for anyone to stagnate in their career. We no longer have the luxury of taking a single skill job and doing that job for the next 40 years with the guarantees of job security, annual raises, and comprehensive benefits. Every raise and benefit must now be justified by virtue of what you have done for the company this year, how you have become more valuable since last year, and whether or not you have the means and gumption to leave if you don’t get what you want. So, you must always be moving forward, thinking about how you will make yourself more marketable, and what way you can get to the next level as the level you’re on fails to keep up with inflation, taxes, and the growing cost of living.

When done properly (and it’s unfortunately something that even this school often fails to make clear), college should prepare you for the work force by not only giving you the skills to succeed at your first job, but by also giving you the tools and vision to figure out how to make each successive jump from job to job, promotion to promotion. Scientists and engineers not only learn effective research/design/repair skills, but also how to pose and solve problems that continue to push themselves and their companies to the top. Political Science, Cultural, English, and Journalism majors all not only learn useful rhetorical techniques and writing skills, but also how to network, deal with and address the public, and convince people of their views in such a way that they accumulate value with every increase in their social circle and rise in popularity. Education majors develop teaching skills, while learning how to manage both a classroom as well as a school district, seeing how to move up through the ranks as needed. I will never say that a person can’t do all of these things in their career without a college education. Some people are fortunate enough to be placed in the right kinds of situations that help them informally pick up the skills and tools needed to continue moving upward and forward. However, college represents an opportunity to take four years and formally develop one’s intellectual and social toolboxes as well as be in a special position to get internships, grants, and general funding that just aren’t available to the general public. Check any company in the RTP. Every last one of them has dozens of internships and co-op jobs that only want college students. To undervalue the significance of a college education only demonstrates the general ignorance that people possess of how to make the most of that education, which goes for both people like Freddy and anyone who waits until their senior year to start thinking about how they want their college experience to play into their careers.

“News flash: those social science degress aren’t worth the loans you took out to finance it with.”

Except for the fact that Anthropology is in the top 5 majors in the above graphic…so…yea…

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lol, the bigger bar is worse (higher unemployment rate)

your condescending final comment is pretty ironic

ITT: trollin’

This really isnt news to most folks –

My first degree was from Indiana Univ in Computer Science, second from UNC CH in nursing (will do nursing informatics).

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Hugo, as long winded as Mystic may by, she is still far more articulate and intelligent than you seem to be. I would much rather read ten paragraphs of Mystic’s comments than ten words of your comments.

I’d like to echo Bob’s sentiments- If Mystic was indeed a girl, she’d be quite sexy in that kind of way that really smart girls are super sexy.

Hugo likes to get drunk off of wine coolers. While making comments on the DTH, of course.

Oh, so I object to liberal comments and I am automatically removed. What, were my comments too personal? And the comments aimed at me weren’t too personal? I think I have every right to call out Mystic’s comments as arrogant, self-righteous dribble. Thank you for showing your true colors once again, idiot liberal DTH.

real reason liberal arts majors arnt getting hired is because they are clueless as to how hiring works. they dont understand networking, have terrible resumes and are not polished / prepared for interviews generally. business majors have a big advantage in this regard.

as a liberal arts major, I really hate hiring business majors but basically have to because they present so much better during the hiring process.

I agree with the commenters saying that your major is not the most important thing. An undergraduate education is not solely about job training; it’s about learning and growing. In every major at this university, important skills like writing, speaking, presenting, critical thinking, and work ethic are taught. The job you get after graduating does not have to be directly related to what you studied.