Changing major senior year

[xXzCoDProxXz]

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[Reeve]

Certainly finish your degree if you're already that far through it. It'd be a waste to do otherwise. After that, you can try your hand in the job market and if it's not working out, you can always do that plumbing/automotive work you were just talking about.

[Blueobelisk]

I'm sorry, but what did you expect a history major to be able to do beside teaching? And how many teachers do you think schools need?

Doesn't seem like you can change your major to anytninf worthwhile at this point. Unless you like, start over. You should just seek a job.

[Reeve]

The lack of demand for history teachers is probably compounded a bit by how many out of work people started up teaching jobs in the middle of the financial crisis.

[Deleted]

Teacher reporting for duty!

Look up teaching recruitment agencies, places like the UK, Asia, and Australia (rarer) always need teachers!

It's a chance to travel and see the world while making pretty good money.

[Deleted]

Definitely finish your degree.

[NewOrleansTrolley]

If you don't mind my asking, which country are you learning in? You seem to be in high school and a "major" in the US at that level is a bit premature. In other countries, it's certainly not.

Umm..

I really can't tell you what you do. I left law school when the economic bottom fell to become a teacher. But I love teaching kids so it worked out. Not everyone finds their calling immediately. On the other hand, everyone, including you, has thought about taking the easy way out. (becoming a policeman, truck driver, yadda yadda). It's something most people think about when they burn out. You have to realize that those thoughts are often never derived from sound thought tbh.

[Zelk]

I don't know about America but in the UK you can use your BA in History to do conversion courses for stuff like accounting and law. I'm about to start my 1st year of History and once I get my BA I'm hopping over to a law conversion course. Degrees from a good university are always good on a CV, and if you enter more specific training for employment you can even get the upper hand. For instance many law firms have a preference to trained lawyers who studied History, English etc. at universities and then did a Law Course afterwards.

[Celista]

As other people in this thread have already stated, just finish your degree. If you really want to teach then maybe you should stop reading horror stories on forums and actually try to get a job teaching? If you're flexible as to where you want to live geographically then that opens up a lot of opportunities for you.

A friend of mine graduated with an art degree a few years ago, took some time off and then went to grad school for her teaching certificate. She and her husband ended up moving to Texas from Illinois so she could teach in the school district there, but she ended up staying because she loves the district.

Like most professional positions, not everyone finds a job right away in their field so grad school or work in another field could tide you over until you find the job you want.

Don't give up so easily, if this is something you really want then don't be afraid to work for it.

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I don't know about America but in the UK you can use your BA in History to do conversion courses for stuff like accounting and law.

Yep, lots of attorneys here who have an undergrad degree in history. I'm not sure I can recommend a career in law unless the person is really passionate about the law, though--going to law school is no longer the golden ticket to financial security that it once was. It is intellectually fascinating, although not really a place for do-gooders as some people might believe.

Accounting is pretty dull work, in my opinion, but I know people who love it so...

[Endus]

I'm sorry, but what did you expect a history major to be able to do beside teaching?

I've used mine to;
1> Do contract research work
2> Qualify for my B.Ed.
3> Qualify for grad school

You need to look at your degree as a skill set, not a piece of paper. What skills did you learn? How can you market them? History's actually a really solid degree, as a background you spring off from into other things; the academic writing and research skills it teaches you are top-notch.

[Azantrox]

Can only agree with Endus. Yes it won't be as easy perhaps to get a decent job with that degree, but I've known several that got a good job with that degree, though they had to adapt a bit.

One I know know is gratuating next year in the same degree with the purpose of giving her history portal site more credibility. Like Endus said, it's not just a piece of paper, you just have to be creative sometimes when work is hard to come by and adapt your search settings a bit. So definitly get your degree, check it out first and decide after if you wanna study extra or start over.

Good luck though

[Xargoth6634]

As a fellow history major, don't freak out. Yeah, jobs are kind of scarce, but you're too far along to quit now. And like Endus said there's plenty of other stuff you can do. I have two friends who were history majors and did well and got full rides to law school, although that might not be your thing. Finish strong and polish your CV up.

[threads]

Majority of people feel that way during their senior year. I felt the same about my major and stuck it out. I wouldn't change this late. Get your degree and see what happens. You can go back later if things don't work out like a friend of mine is doing.

[Auxora]

Actually in a different way I kind of had a somewhat similar scenario. I was a History major in college for 3 years, but not to go into teaching...it was for pre-law with a plan to enter law school. At 18 it seemed like a great idea, and my parents pushed me hard to law school. Seems like it'd be great money, etc. But people grow a lot from 18-21 and by 21 I realized I didn't want to be a lawyer (or teacher) and I would have been awful at either one, and realized that I had to be what I wanted to be. Don't forget whatever career you go into is something you'll be doing for 40 (think about that - Fourty) years. You will not be happy 10-20 years from now if the job you pick is just something you pick up out of convenience to save a year of school, and then mid-career with a family it's virtually impossible to go back to school and change. It makes for some really miserable middle-aged adults.

There is good news though. If your school is like most, a History major is in the Liberal Arts college so a very large chunk of your credits will transfer to whatever other career you really want to do. I switched to IT and only lost a year. So think hard and figure out what you will be happy spending the next 40 years doing, or at least as happy as you can be at work. And don't be tempted by the $20 an hour plumbing or welding. Honestly to start they would be closer to $15/hr, and more importantly even $20/hr is only about $40k a year before taxes with less chance to move up. That might sound like a lot now but when you get to middle age it won't go far with a family. And to be honest fast food managers with no college at all can make $40k. In 10 years with a degree you'll be making twice that or more while your buddy with the welding job will still be at $20 an hour.

I was going to say too, if you have a passion for teaching and that really is in your heart what you want to do, you might consider at least switching to English. On your original point I've seen many teachers in school almost act like they have a responsibility to try to recruit or push kids to teach, and they can make it sound compelling. But with school budgets very tight as they are now, they are focusing budgets into the core math/science/english. So I've seen a couple history teachers end up converting to teaching english to keep their jobs. If you want to stick teaching, I would think you'd lose very few credits with that change. Then again I know another history teacher that became a cop (since it had no degree requirement in that town) when he couldn't find any other job.

[THE Bigzoman]

There's programs in the midwest that let anyone with an undergrad teach in the inner cities.

Go fight what appears to be a constant losing battle, get a paycheck, and feel good?

[Puupi]

Then again I know another history teacher that became a cop (since it had no degree requirement in that town) when he couldn't find any other job.

What the hell? Is that true? Kind of explains why people dislike the police in the US.....

[Reeve]

What the hell? Is that true? Kind of explains why people dislike the police in the US.....

What makes you say people dislike the police in the US? Most people I know greatly appreciate the police and the good work they do here.

[Puupi]

What makes you say people dislike the police in the US? Most people I know greatly appreciate the police and the good work they do here.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...arrested-today

Because stuff like this pop up every now and then. And of course all the news about police violence and killing innocent people.

[Reeve]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...arrested-today

Because stuff like this pop up every now and then. And of course all the news about police violence and killing innocent people.

So on the occasions when something bad does happen, people of course are going to talk about it, but the majority of interactions people have with the police are good on a day to day basis. You don't hear about them because good people doing good work isn't news.