The start of the school year is a time many students start putting thought into what disciplines to study for the remainder of their collegiate… Read More »Investigating the Spatial & Temporal Trends of Declaring a Major
Political Science majors enter politics. Biology majors become physicians. History majors…wind up teaching history. We’ve heard it all before: The major you declare during your college days has a strong influence on your career options and your marketability in those fields. The data presented in this “Grinnell College Career Paths” visualization help to debunk the “major=career” myth. It also reveals the complexity of the career development process. Especially in a liberal arts setting, where conversations of transferable skills and experiential education abound, students choosing a career should consider both their major and experiences gained outside of the classroom.
Your first glance at these data might be at one of the potential majors you are considering. Let’s say you find your Anthropology classes fascinating. You could read your textbooks all night and find yourself conversing with classmates during lunch about the topics you’ve learned. These are all good signs. However, at some point, you might ask yourself, “What can I do with this major?” According to the data presented here, an Anthropology major can lead you to any number of fields. There is a fairly equal spread of career paths — from public service to information systems — chosen by Grinnellian Anthropology majors. How do you decide which path might be a better fit for you? Similar to how you figured out whether or not you like pancakes. You gave it a try, or, as we formally suggest, you participate in some form of experiential education. You get your feet wet in the world of work via serving, interning, or shadowing. Additionally, you talk to alumni about their career paths. You do all of this with the intention of discerning if this particular path aligns with your strengths, interests, and values, and is something you’d like to pursue long-term. Learning about — and being able to articulate to others — the transferable skills of your Anthropology degree is essential to applying your major to whatever field you choose.