Choosing a Method, Not a Career

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Jun 24,2008

You sit down with your advisor and you tell them the degree you have decided to pursue. The next thing they will ask you is “What are you going to do with that?” When I ask that question to my peers I get the same answer from them, “I don’t know.”

Should you be able to answer the question of what you are going to do with your career? I believe we are able to answer that question; however, the reason you and I can never seem to find the answer is because we are asked the questions in the wrong order.

The first question we should tackle is “What do I want to do?” Then we should answer “What Degree Should I get?”

A Degree is a method, Not a Career Choice

I am an economics and history major. That means I am going to be a historical economist, right? While I may end up being a historical economist, it is not the only option available to me. To assume that your degree will inevitably be your career is a trap.

First, we should ask ourselves what we would like to do. When we ask what degree we would like to get, it should because the degree is the method to get into the career we desire.

Let’s assume that you want to be a historian. Do you need to get a degree in history? Not necessarily. Getting a degree in literature is just as a logical method as a history degree. Literature only exists in the past, and usually represents the society of the time period in which it was written. Studying literature can greatly improve your writing skills, which enable you to write better history books. In literature you obtain analytical skills, comparable to those obtained by studying history.

If you desire to be a history professor, instead of studying history from your Bachelor degree to your Doctorate, a Bachelor degree in Literature could be followed by graduate studies in History.

A quick reminder that Heinrich Schliemann discovered Troy and many other Mycenaean sites by following the clues left behind in Homer’s epics.

Ask Yourself

If you are having difficulties deciding on a degree, stop thinking about the degree and begin thinking about your desired career and lifestyle. Then decide on which would be the greatest method, degree, to obtain your goals. Not only will this help you decide on a degree, but it will also help on deciding a second major, minor, and your elective classes.