Let him study what he wants. If you like what you do, you will find a career. Depending on his focus in EU he could have several areas to go into. There is no degree that guarantees you anything and if you pick a field to study that you may not love, but supposedly ensures financial success...well then you will be miserable. Support your friend and let him do what he wants and enjoys. Think of it like this, what would have happened if a friend talked Howard Stern out of getting a communications degree?
Historian, Museum Curator, Diplomatic Corps, Intelligence/Internation Risk Analyst, UN, WTO/IMF, or maybe just get any kind of overseas corporate gig. If this guy learns a foreign language or five, keeps his grades up, goes to grad school, takes the Foreign Service Exam and does some internships abroad and in Washington DC he's good to go. Diplomatic Corps, Policy Analyst for CIA, CSIS or any number Washington-based think tanks or international risk analysis firms like RAND Corp. Or curator/consultant at a museum. I'd say he needs a subscription to Financial Times, Foreign Affairs and the Economist Intelligence Unit; some Berlitz tapes, Rosetta Stone software and the national newspaper of whatever foreign language he's going to minor or double-major in. And he should do whatever the modern version of this is.
Seems like you're focusing on the best-case scenarios. What percentage of European Studies majors end up in those jobs you referenced? My guess is less than 5%.
a European Studies major sounds like a well rounded individual and I wouldn't think twice about hiring someone with a liberal arts degree like that... and I certainly wouldn't get involved in a friend's career path and choice of college curriculum. that's what makes the experience of University a unique one.
People told me that about my creative writing degree... I think a BA is pretty much a BA...it doesn't matter what concentration you choose. you learn the same skills. you might need to catch a couple breaks to get a good job straight out of college but it's definitely possible. Do what you love. I was miserable as a business major and I'm so glad I switched majors. It made my college experience so much more pleasurable to do something I love.
my guess is 42% but it is just as arbitrary as yours. a main part that no one is mentioning is life experience. more than likely, a European Studies major is apt to learn a new language and study abroad. again, this gives a young person a leg up in many areas when looking for jobs in the real world. here's more info from the college board http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/majors/05.0106.html
actual, the best case scenario would be that he wins the lottery. what % do you think a finance or accounting degree guys actually become a CEO/CFO?
The reality is you can make this same argument about pretty much any liberal arts degree. My father was livid when I switched from biochemistry to political science. He kept saying I wouldn't be able to have a career with that degree, etc. He calmed down substantially after I went to law school. It really does depend on what your friend wants to do with his life. You CAN find a job with a degree like that, but they are somewhat hard to come by. However, if they want to go to some sort of graduate school the undergraduate degree isn't all that important.
Probably a low percentage simply because there's a ton of people who have accounting/finance degrees. But if you're looking at CPA's/CFA's with MBA's and expand your parameters to include upper management and partners in public accounting firms/money management companies, then the number goes up dramatically.
Maybe your friend just wants to do something interesting for undergrad before moving on to law school or med school.
but what you just mentioned, that really differentiates those people, are post college activities. A regular Acct degreee with no additional credentials isnt going to do all that much for you in the long term (on average). Same goes for EU major. A EU major, (focused in Econ for example), with an econ minor, then follow that up with a JDMBA or law school and you could do very well in the international field.
Then nix the MBA from what I posted earlier, and its still a higher number. The CPA&CFA still apply b/c those do not require additional school.
fine nix the mba. But a CPA is still a POST college credentials. And i know plenty of CPAs who are locked in a back room and make crap. Bottom line, a major by itself guarantees nothing. It depends on the person and how motivated and dedicated they are with acheiving success. The guy chose EU because he seemingly really likes. That's a good start to being motivated and dedicated.
I don't know about everyone else.. but being from a south asian family.. my dad woulda been like fine do european studies or music or whatever.. but just give me the car keys back (32 grand car) and pay for your own apartment and tuition... that would've brought me right back on the bio/premed track...
The point is, even a motivated and dedicated person with only a EU degree might have trouble landing a good job. I may have missed it, but I dont recall OP mentioning law school.
i hope you really want to be a Dr because you love it and not just for the money...because if it's the latter you will be miserable. and why did you feel the need to tell how much the car's worth?
You're asking this as if there isn't a very good chance that your friend won't change his/her mind halfway through college anyway... FWIW, my best friend from college started out a bio major, and halfway through her sophomore year, she switched to classics. And I know another person who got her undergrad in the performing arts (ballet) and went on to medical school.
