Are you working in the field of your college degree?

[disneysteve]

I'm curious how many people are working in the field in which they received their college degree. I know a lot of people don't. We're in the college process with our daughter (who has recently changed her mind about what she wants to do) and I was trying to impress upon her that the choice of major isn't necessarily as important as she thinks.

I'm a doctor. I was a bio major but many of my med school classmates did not have undergrad degrees in science. They were all over the place with english, history, communications, business, and more.

So please post what your undergraduate degree is in and whether or not you are currently working in that field.

For me:
BS in Biology
Practicing medicine, so yes.

[HappySaver]

I studied German Literature.

So, no.

[hamchan]

I have a general associate of arts. Went back to school twice for my manicurist license and massage therapist license. The A.A. hasn't really done anything for me. I didn't start getting well paid jobs until I went back to school.

[neatdesign]

I have double-major BA in Latin American studies and Spanish.
I work in the study abroad office at a university (my alma mater).
So, yes.

I also have an AAS degree in graphic design when I went back to school 5 years after getting my bachelors. I don't use that degree directly, but what I learned about good design helps with certain projects, like editing our student handbook.

[MonkeyMama]

BS in Business/Accounting - Accountant

**Other posters reminded me: I do also have a minor in Humanities. Which is not bad because an accountant with strong writing skills is extremely marketable. It's not a writing degree, but I always had an interest in writing and literature so Humanities scratched that itch.

That said, in regards to the original question, I had no idea what my major was going to be when I started school. So, a related question is: Who even had a clue when they started college what they would get their actual degree in?

P.S. My spouse has a business/marketing degree and has no idea what he wants to do when he grows up. For the most part. It's a useful degree and I am sure will be helpful with wherever he ends up. His passion is film and those types don't tend to have any business sense, so that might end up being his niche. Or, he may just be more successful than average at marketing and selling his own work.

[BuckyBadger]

My undergraduate degree was Physics, and my graduate degrees and field of employment are in Medical Physics, so my answer is yes.

There were people in our graduate program who didn't have Physics undergraduate degrees, but they were all in the hard sciences or engineering.

My husband was also a Physics major and is also a Medical Physicist.

I really don't think that a person can go wrong with an undergraduate degree in a hard science - assuming that the person in question has any aptitude for the sciences at all. I mean, don't force yourself to do a science major if you hate it and aren't any good at it, but if you enjoy, say, both engineering or biology AND art history or ancient languages or something, it probably makes sense to choose the more marketable career.

[Reggie]

My undergrad is in Accounting but I couldn't break 100k, heck I was barely making $80k. Now I'm working in Engineering and have no relevant college degree. I make a little over $125k, which is very high for cheap old southern Ohio. It only matters that you have a college degree. Your work ethic and networking take over after that.

[EarlyRetirementJoy]

My major was Business Admin, Marketing emphasis. I started as an insurance underwriter, and was promoted into our sales and marketing dept about 30 months later.

My spouse, however, was a History major, and ended up working as a business exec in the insurance industry for 30 years.

[kork13]

I got a BS in Space Operations (basically working with satellites and such). I'm in the military as flying mission crew, managing tactical and operational level air assets, so the broad-based education I got applies generally for me, but not directly. My understanding of space and its capabilities give me a slight advantage, but it's minor. My intention during most of my college years was to work as a satellite operator for the military, which is why I went for the degree I did. My current job really happened by accident (which in the military is alot more common than you might think), but I enjoy it so no complaints here.

What I would impress upon your daughter is that:
1) You don't need to know what you're majoring in until you're at least a year or two into college. She can take the first 3-4 semesters, try out a bunch of different classes, and feel out her interests. Once she has a better idea of what interests and excites her, she can go in that direction.
2) Degree specialization is great, but a bachelor's doesn't set the course for your entire career. Get a broad-based education, learn everything you can, and you can apply all of it to just about any career out there. I regularly see benefits in my career from having taken 3-5 classes during college in the fields of physics, engineering, chemistry, advanced math, history, strategy, philosophy, economics, and many more. But I didn't get my degree in any of those!

By the way, I'm planning to get my master's degree in a totally unrelated field, financial management, which is what I'm planning to do after my career in the military. Bottom line: If she applies herself and follows her interests, she really can't go wrong, regardless of the exact degree she eventually decides to pursue.

[cooliemae]

I got my B.S. in Anthropology (after switching from wildlife biology) with minors in Biology and Environmental Geology. That being said, I work in the Rec. Department at a school and now have a master's in Management with emphasis in Knowledge Management.

So along with most people out there, I'm not directly using my degree, but am most definitely using the broad based things I learned in college. How to research, write, talk, and think. I believe that a liberal arts education is the key, along with a strong work ethic.

Of course, my wife is the opposite, kinda. She has a B.A. in psychology and works as a guidance counselor at the same school I work at. So she has a chance to use the skills she learned, albeit on a limited basis.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Me, BA in psychology, MSW in social work, M.Ed. in higher ed administration. I've been working in the public sector social work for the past 13 years (10 yrs w/my current employer).

[dojo]

I have studied Letters (Romanian/English). Worked for 10 years as a radio dj, now I'm a full time web design freelancer (have my small web design firm). Nothing fits my education, but it doesn't matter, you can learn a lot, if you're willing to

[humandraydel]

Mechanical Engineering - yes, working in my field.

[annibe11e]

Yes. I have an AAS in accounting and I'm an accounting specialist. I didn't start college until my late 20s, though. I chose accouting based on hearing a radio commercial for the accounting program at a local private college. That college was terrible and overpriced, though. I like to say I got a $9,000 t-shirt from them. I later attended a two-year public college and none of my credits transferred. I know it sounds like I'm babbling, but my experience tells me that there's more to education than the field you choose. If your daughter gets a quality education, she can probably do whatever she wants.

[Bob B.]

Yes, my BS is in agronomy (crop science). I'm practicing in agronomy.