How much does your college major effect your future?
Would your future employers judge you based on what your bachelors degree says ? #majors-and-minors
6 answers
Kristin Kwasnik
Kristin’s Answer
This is such a great question! I would say, firstly, that it depends on what type of college / degree you're pursuing - if you're looking at vocational schools or something with a very specific outcome like a coding bootcamp, then you're mostly likely going to pursue that specific
However, I attended a liberal arts college where I had the chance to take classes in everything under the sun like astronomy, theater and archeology. I ended up majoring in Sociology and South Asian Studies - and somehow ended up in technology! It really depends on your passions, and applying your expertise to whatever jobs are interesting to you!
Ritesh’s Answer
it definitely affects but don't think one is limited by Major subjects. I have completed my bachelors and Masters both with computer science major and I am working in the same industry since last 15 years. Few of my friend did engineering management but could not find right job so they jumped into computer science industry. You are better off when you choose right Major , keeping your interest and market condition in mind, but if you want to move into new industry please feel free as you are not limited by your Major , ITS YOUR MIND .
Joe’s Answer
From my experience, your major doesn't appear to have a massive impact on your future career prospects. I have had many colleagues who have had majored in very unrelated topics (Japanese language for a software engineer, Physics for an IT professional and so on). I personally majored in Business Management and I currently work as a software engineer. Arguably what is more important is what you are passionate about and what you dedicate time and energy into learning and perfecting.
That said, try to pick a major that you are interested in, that has classes you will attend and enjoy and focus less on the direct marketability of the major in question.
Cosmina’s Answer
Your college degree does not mean as much as it used to! The employer would rather see that you have some experience relevant to the profession but wouldn't exclude you based on your major or bachelor's degree. For example, my major was Marketing, but I ended up getting a Sales job. In interviews, I made sure to talk about how marketing can be "similar" and based my experience on characteristics similar to sales. For one interview, I talked about how I worked at an ice cream shop but talked to lots of customers, building rapport and selling them ice cream, which showed employers that I could hold a conversation and have good people skills. As long as you get some experience in the job you want to go into, they won't care! Best of luck.
Andrea’s Answer
Great answers from Truc and Kim! I will also say that as a Russian History major working in HR in a High Tech company - major isn't super critical (again, as Kim says, unless you are going into engineering, accounting, or something else that requires certification). Find ways to demonstrate you have a growth mindset, can communicate effectively, works together well in teams, are a good problem solver - those skills - regardless of major - are transferrable to almost any job!
Truc’s Answer
Hey Sara! I have the same question while I was in college as well.
I was interested in so many things, so I ended up with 1 Major and 3 Minors. I decided back then that I want to learn what I want to learn, with no pressure in job searching later. It didn't fail me! Nobody was asking me what I major in during interviews. If nothing else, they were glad to see that I did a lot of minors because they can see in myself a drive to learn! I applied for an Administrative Assistant job and I was majoring in Marketing. I have a friend who is a software engineer and he was majoring in Criminal Justice. Except for very technical field like medical, I believe you can shine in whatever majors you choose! :)
Delete Comment
Flag Comment