Will my major get me a job?

The crappy economy has hit home for Treavor Russell.

A Freshman at UW-Richland, Russell, wanted to major in oceanic and atmospheric sciences. But now, he thinks that's too obscure to land him a job after college.
So, now, he has switched to chemistry, a major he feels might garner him many more job prospects.

"The ocean major was something I was interested in, but I decided to drop it not only because of the bad economy right now, but because the advancement in that field is just not strong enough to guarantee me a job," Russell said. "The nice thing about the chemistry major is that it gives me a buffer for my future, whereas oceanic and atmospheric sciences, well… there's just not a lot of call for it," said Russell.

With the national - and world - economy in a recession, getting into the right career path has never been more critical. And since students at UW-Richland are all here to further their chances at a dream job, the question is: Is there such a thing as a bad major?

The short answer is no. But that doesn't mean students shouldn't be worried. Now, more than ever, they just need to be more creative.

"If you're in a major like philosophy, get creative how to sell the skills you have and to apply them to the job you're interested in," said George Henze, a student services coordinator at UW-R. Learn who specializes in career counseling. "Think of non-traditional uses. For English or education, those skills can always be applied towards employers such as proofreading companies."

What are some of the careers that are struggling? Well, they may be the ones that always have had a stigma. Traditionally, English, history, and philosophy majors have always been thought to be more unemployable than other majors that sound more like a job description: nursing, social work, etc.

But today there isn't just one job that's worse than another, despite mass layoffs in economic sectors across the board, Henze said. "I wouldn't know of any major that I wouldn't recommend going into because of the economy right now," he said.
And there are still people pursuing jobs in those harder-to-attain career fields.

Bob Johnson, a sophomore at UW-R, is pursuing a major in just such an area: history.

"History is a pretty hard major to get a job in, kind of like philosophy, so it's important to have a career goal and to know about its potentials and prospects," he said. "What I'm worried about, in regard to the economy, is whether I would have to drop out of college before I finish with a Bachelor's degree if I couldn't afford it anymore."

Johnson's not alone in his worries.

Corey Bobb, a freshman at UW-R, is working towards a major in music education after switching from a social work major.

"It will all depend on the state of the economy and the job opportunities that present themselves in the next few years," Bobb said. "But all in all, I'm not overly concerned about finding a job because the education field, as it pertains to a musical standpoint, is very wide."

Nevertheless, being smart and savvy in terms of a chosen major during the economic recession can only help.

"If it's possible, try to delay your graduation until the economy gets better," said Hanafiah Harvey, the Economics professor at UW-R. "Get an internship in the meantime in order to make yourself more compatible for the career you want. It opens doors."

Other students have more ideas on how to be more marketable: double-majoring.
"It's easier to get a job if you're double majoring," said Aiden Rohwer-Nutter, a sophomore at UW-R who is pursuing majors in both legal studies and psychology because she's convinced that double majoring will provide her with a better chance at getting a job.

"With a psychology major, there are no jobs straight out of school, but with the legal major, there's at least some low paying jobs that will get me through grad school," she said.

Regardless of the current economy, some school is better than no school, said UW-Richland's Henze.

"The bottom line is: a four-year degree is good to have," he said.

By: Susie Lepro