The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the position of ZU Media or APU
A degree in one field might just be preparation for a completely different career path, and that’s okay.
If I could time travel and tell my high school self anything about choosing a major, it would be to not lose sleep over it. I remember sitting in front of the computer and looking at the long list of majors that Azusa Pacific had to offer, and believing that one choice would define my future. In a way, it did define some of my experiences at APU, like what classes I took and who I met, but I have come to terms with the possibility that my path is not concrete in journalism.
If you Google search, “jobs that you can get with a journalism degree,” the list is broad. Insert any other major and the options will not be finite. For journalism, the common jobs that come up are a broadcast journalist, editor or writer. These jobs might have been the only options in the past, but times have changed for the better. For example, a lot of public relations and marketing jobs pop up, medical writing, sports and data analysis to name a few.
With the variety of options that pop up for journalism, I would encourage all students to not put an immense amount of pressure on choosing a major. Because odds are, you and the job market are going to change.
Google recently announced a, “Google Career Certificate,” a six month program that will help people find tech jobs. The program doesn’t require a college degree and costs around 300 dollars, a price I have paid for one textbook. If more influential companies follow suit, short term programs would change the typical projected path from high school to college.
Google might have changed the projectile for future high school graduates, but current college students are too deep into higher education to go back. So, what does a college degree look like post-grad?
There was a study done in 2019 by Emsi, a labor market analysis firm, that tracked new graduates. The report looked at 125 million students, specifically ones who graduated with degrees in: languages, philosophy, social sciences, business, communications and IT.
The results were telling of the times. Rob Sentz, co-author of the report, said that the patterns of people were not as predictable as they thought.
Sentz said that overall they saw people, “moving in the market based on a complex web of factors, changing over time, finding their way and adapting as they go.”
Future graduates will have to embrace the adaptability of the job market. There are pros and cons to not having a concrete path to follow. Maybe a graduate will find a job outside of their comfort zone that later becomes a passion. Or, another job is merely a stepping stone towards the real goal, but the process has built up a broader skill set.
With these findings in mind, there should be less pressure on selecting a major, and even committing to a four-year college as the only option. As a freshman, I saw my life after graduation as a direct path to becoming a writer for a magazine. As a senior, instead of a path, I see a spiral (or tornado) of different options that could lead to different paths. The paths may or may not involve journalism right away, and I’ve accepted that as a part of my future.