Why would anyone get a general studies degree? (graduates, best, career)
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What you have described may be true for a GS major that is five std devs from the mean, but it is so out of the ordinary as to be practically irrelevant to the current discussion.
What was irrelevant was the post I replied to, something you might have missed. Just wondering, what relevance did your reply have? Perhaps you can explain?
Hiring manager: Soooo.... why do you think I should hire you?
General studies major: Because I have a degree.
Hiring manager: Ummm. So does everyone else.
General studies major:
Hiring manager: .............
In my experience, most people who get "General Studies" degrees are not young and unemployed but rather older students, who have work experience in their field but need "that piece of paper" to advance. Once that is "out of the way" so to speak, their advancement is focused on their work history, not what their degree was in.
What was irrelevant was the post I replied to, something you might have missed. Just wondering, what relevance did your reply have? Perhaps you can explain?
Let's see, you were responding to a post that was attempting to illustrate the relative low value of a GS major. You responded thusly:
Quote:
How it really works
And then you continued with the post that I responded to.
I was simply pointing out that the scenario that you presented was extremely unlikely, and is quite different from "how it really works." It is so unlikely, in fact, as to be nearly irrelevant.
I figured that would have been pretty easy to follow. I guess I was wrong.
They get it for the same reason people get other worthless degrees. They get advice from people who think you can get any job with any degree, people who say college is about learning and research and not getting a job, and people who say to pursue your interests and you will find a job.
Why would you get a general studies BS/BA? To go to grad school!
Many grad programs do not require a "baseline" degree. There is no pre-med or pre-law or pre-dentistry degree. If you are going for a JD, DVM, DDS, MD, etc. getting a BS in General Studies is just as good as a BBA would be to a MD student (actually, a general studies major would be BETTER for med school than a business degree).
Take Michigan for example. They offer a BGS (Bachelors in General Studies). It is in the college of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Every LSA student has to take the same core courses, but a BGS student has to take 60 credits of upper level classes spread into at least 3 subject areas (no more than 20 credits per subject): Requirements | Newnan Advising Center | University of Michigan
With the right course selection, you'd be in a great position for a professional grad school.
You'd be fine in most other jobs too. Sure, your not going to be an engineer, or an accountant, but few jobs are that specialized.
You may not get paid very much right away, after years of college. But after many more years of working your way up, one day you'll be sporting that bank-busting median salary of $38,000/year.
Yeah, you may as well start BMW shopping right now.
You may not get paid very much right away, after years of college. But after many more years of working your way up, one day you'll be sporting that bank-busting median salary of $38,000/year.
Yeah, you may as well start BMW shopping right now.
The link you yourself posted quotes a "starting" salary of 38K for general studies majors, as in right out of college salary....NOT after years of working one's way up....
Few people set out to get a GS degree. The degree is for students who never declared a major, were never able to decide what field they wanted to focus on, but had enough credits to graduate. Before GS was invented, those students would have been ineligible to graduate. With GS, their hodgepodge of credits would get organized into something that could pass for a degree, as long as they met the general distribution requirements, and all that.
This degree has allowed students who would otherwise fall through the cracks to get a B.A., and the enhanced job opportunities that go with that. Without it, they would have had just a highschool diploma and college studies, but no B.A. to show an employer. Some of the students who get a GS are the first in their family to go to college, so any B.A. is an achievement. I wouldn't begrudge such students a degree just because they weren't able to focus and find a field they felt motivated to explore in depth. Any B.A., even GS, makes one more employable than no B.A. I know BS "majors" who have done well after graduation.
Why would you get a general studies BS/BA? To go to grad school!
Many grad programs do not require a "baseline" degree. There is no pre-med or pre-law or pre-dentistry degree. If you are going for a JD, DVM, DDS, MD, etc. getting a BS in General Studies is just as good as a BBA would be to a MD student (actually, a general studies major would be BETTER for med school than a business degree).
Take Michigan for example. They offer a BGS (Bachelors in General Studies). It is in the college of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Every LSA student has to take the same core courses, but a BGS student has to take 60 credits of upper level classes spread into at least 3 subject areas (no more than 20 credits per subject): Requirements | Newnan Advising Center | University of Michigan
With the right course selection, you'd be in a great position for a professional grad school.
You'd be fine in most other jobs too. Sure, your not going to be an engineer, or an accountant, but few jobs are that specialized.
Actually, I'd forgotten about this. I remember years ago my daughter was having some really major surgery. She was 16 at the time, so during the multitude of preliminary appointments, he'd chat with her about her future plans while conducting the exams. One of the things he said was that he was a GS major in college (small liberal arts college in the midwest) because he simply loved learning and was curious. He is a very well respected surgeon in a major metropolitan area who is consistently rated in the top of his specialty.
You may not get paid very much right away, after years of college. But after many more years of working your way up, one day you'll be sporting that bank-busting median salary of $38,000/year.
Yeah, you may as well start BMW shopping right now.
Without knowing the methodology used, the report is meaningless.
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So, what do you specialize in?
Uhhmmm... Nothing.
Soooo.... why do you think I should hire you?
Because I have a degree.
Ummm. So does everyone else.
