There are professions that do prefer to hire people with an educational background in that profession. Accounting firms like accounting majors, etc. I remember talking to Ben Sargent one time, and he told me that newspapers don't like to hire journalism majors, they want people who have experienced areas other than journalism because learning to write news stories is relatively easy, but having a broad background to draw from can make for a better reporter. Since then, though, I've noticed that the only people I know who get hired at newspapers are people with journalism degrees. I think the times may have changed since Ben was breaking into the industry (which was, admittedly, a long, long time ago).
Measure what you love about journalism against what you hate about it. Then decide. But no matter what profession you choose there will be a downside to it. A task you don't want to do. Just make sure you are mostly happy at the end of the day. If not, try something new and see what happens.
Is your husband good with sales? There are tons of sales jobs. One way to get around the "I can't find a job in the field" is to leverage your background into selling to those companies that are in the field. If he has a lot of contacts he can go into that industry. There's always financial services. Anyone can be a financial planner if they know people with money and can pry it out of their hands.
If you want to study subjects that will give you a deeper appreciation for the incredible complexity of the world and of human beings (not saying you'll like the world and its humans), and broaden the scope of how you experience life, and introduce you to the great ideas and great beings of history and the impact of those ideas and beings on the present day (with much debate), then study history and/or literature. If you want to make a lot of easy money - then don't. And on the subject....I should have stayed in electrical engineering.
I'm in the midst of deciding my major. Truthfully I suck at math and the major I'm currently in (Marine Biology) requires atleast a fair amount of it. I was considering Geology as a major because I heard that it DID pay well, but now I'm reluctant to consider such a major. Truthfully I think Sociology would be my ideal major but its pay is terrible. AS nice as government benefits are with healthcare and whatnot, after watching my mother have that as a career and hear some of the stories she told me about her work, I just don't think it'd be worth it. If I wasn't so damn math illiterate, Marine Biology would be a shoe in for me.
I have a degree in journalism with a minor in sociology (obviously, the sociology aspect didn't bother me). Sociology/history aren't really used in the day-to-day world of a reporter except to serve as a base of knowledge. For instance, if you're reporting on an affirmative action story, your knowledge of the civil rights movement the '60s can help you gain a broader perspective when dealing with your story. But it's not like you need to walk around with a history book in your hand every day -- most news stories just don't call for that depth of reporting. As far as the interviewing aspect, it can be daunting for an introvert (like me). But two things to consider: 1. It is easier to do under the guise of "a job." It's a lot easier to call someone up as a representative of media outlet XYZ and ask them a few pre-written questions about a story than it is to walk up to a stranger in a bar and ask for her phone #. In journalism, the rejection is never personal -- if they don't want to talk, it's because they don't want to sepak to the media in general, not you personally. 2. There are journalism jobs besides reporting -- consider editing or design. As an editor, I get to use my degree, keep saner hours, make better money and still do some occasional writing if I want. Designers have a lot of the same perks. As far as some of your classmates being egotistical, I'm not surprised. However, I haven't noticed that journalism has a monopoly on idiots -- there are plenty of losers in just about any field you choose to enter. Good luck!
Honestly, it depends on the individual. That may sound like a "cop out" answer, but I think it's true. If someone has the drive, ambition and ability to "sell" themselves enough to be given a chance, then often the broad background Mrs. JB mentioned becomes an asset and not a liability. Sure, there are many fields that a particular degree is of the highest importance. If you are going to be an administrator, however, a breadth of knowledge and experience can become more important. You frequently find executives with degrees in the social sciences, often at the highest level. They're not hindered at all. A bigger drawback might be the lack of a master's degree. There are many professions that require it if you hope for advancement. In some instances, you won't be seriously considered if you don't have one. And, again, it may not matter that much which field it's in. Pretty crazy, isn't it? Isabel, it's possible that your husband's job search in areas outside of geology might be affected by it's narrow scope. Or, he could be on a mission to drive you nuts. (I'm doing an excellent job with my wife... driving her crazy)
Things are different in this country (You apply to do a course, and all your studying is in that subject), but I did Joint Honours Mathematics and Economics, and it always seems to carry more weight than the hundreds of History/Geography/Sociology graduates that there seems to be.
My first reaction was to tell you to suck it up and get through the sociology and interview stuff and you will probably like it in the end anyway. My second reaction was to begin work on a Zac_d to cockflounder conversion so that you would better fit in with the profession, but we already have Nomar and NYKRule . Then I read B-Bob's post and I am convinced he has supplied the best advice in this thread.
When most jobs in a Sociology major barely cover over the $25,000 a year salary, money is important. Paying tuition alone is expensive enough. Having to pay it back while surviving off that kinda annual salary is ridiculous. Geology was something I already had some interest in so money wasn't the only thing involved. Although admittedly as I'd assume most everyone on here would agree, money did in fact play a factor whether their major was going to be the direction they wanted towards a career. Ideally Marine Biology would be my career. While it's not always the case, I tend to envision a marine biologist spending a lot of time outside with some time in a lab, doing hands on activities. It'd suit me just fine since an office job would be something I'd ideally like to stray away from as much as possible. I currently have an office job and while it's nice and cushy, I'm an outdoors man. It's not like Marine Biology would be a high paying career in most instances anyways, but atleast I'd enjoy earning my paycheck in a typically outdoor environment.
