What are jobs like for general studies majors?

There are so many options! This is one of the few majors that really provides students the opportunity to go in many different directions. I majored in English and French, and minored in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. I went immediately into law after school, working as a paralegal for a few years. I also intermittently worked in fashion. I ultimately decided that those two paths were just not for me, and instead a got into a career in sales management; I use my english major to help with my writing skills every day. My french major is not as useful on a day to day basis, but surprisingly I do still speak french to customers and in my social life.

To be fully transparent, I have very few friends who are actually working in the field that they studied; most of my college friends ended up realizing that although they loved studying something specific in college, it may not have been as practical as a career afterwards.

If you are going to pursue a general studies major, I suggest getting involved in clubs/activities and maybe getting a side job to figure out what you are really passionate about!

Hi Ary:

The general studies degree is usually very interdisciplinary in its orientation, which is basically what you described in your narrative. Many people might feel they should narrow down their field of major, but from what I have experienced the general studies emphasis prepares the student for a large range of careers both in the private and the public sectors.

Your description sounds like you are getting more education in the business and in the writing and communications sections. This should be very helpful because may people who pursue the general studies programs graduate from these programs pursue careers in areas like:

Publishing: They are freelance writers, editors, sales and advertising representatives

Advertising and public relations: They are in positions which include copywriters, account executives, media planners and publicists.

Journalism: This includes being a media writer, newscaster and copy editor

Human Resources: The business element can help you with being a recruiter, trainer or employee relations representative

Education and Human Services: There are positions as a teacher, being a college professor, administrator, lawyer, social worker or counselor.

These are some examples of the potential careers which you can pursue. Some may require that you obtain more education, but as you can see the potential career paths are very diverse for this degree emphasis.

I believe that having skills in many areas will be very beneficial to you. Especially since employers are looking for individuals who possess what people call "Renaissance Skills" which are basically skills in many areas. Employers would like to hire an individual, for the company, who already have the skills required for many positions, just in case they need to shift their resources into another area and need their personnel to have education or experience in those areas. So having a degree, which has an emphasis in many skills and concepts, should help you in the long term.

There are many jobs you can pursue with a general studies degree. Many people work in fields different from what there degree is in, and many employers are simply looking for someone with a bachelor's degree for entry level positions. Once you have a foot in the door doing work that you like, learn all that you can to advance in that career path. For many jobs that knowledge gained at work can be more important than what you studied in college.

Personally, I have a history degree and currently work as an HR Supervisor. I started by getting an entry level HR job, then learning all I could and applying it so I could advance.

If you have a particular area of interest speak to your college career counselor to learn more about that field and make connections that could one day lead to a job.