what can I do with a degree in General Studies?

Everytime I ask someone what I can do when I graduate with a Bachlor's in General Studies, all they tell me is that I can teach... but I'm not into teaching . There's gotta be something else, anyone have any ideas?

 

Yea it's pretty much a useless degree...

 

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well...y'know, I'm at a small school. Plus - I don't know what I want to do yet... I'm still working on skills. But thanks for your help anyway.

 

What do you want to do?

There are a lot of specific jobs that expect you to have a specific degree. But, there are a ton of office jobs out there where the degree is just there to show them that you can get thru that much schooling -- as long as you have the piece of paper they are more interested in the rest of your resume, your specific skills, how personable you are (if you apply for customer service or human resources jobs), etc.

If you're not interested in some general office job, I would suggest finding something interesting (that may not pay as well) for a couple of years, figure out what it is that you really want to do, then go back to school for a more advanced degree in something specific. There's no need to rush into a career right after you graduate.

 

You could get a professional/graduate degree! Seriously, grad schools look for students that are as well rounded as possible, esp. medical schools. Otherwise, you will end up teaching (still requires at least a year after BA) or working in an office for $10 per hr.

 

here's a good chance to put the federal government to work for you...they have an enormous database of federal jobs at www.usajobs.opm.gov ...with a little poking around you can look up jobs in any field that interests you, and, better still, requirements for these jobs...as a general rule, the requirements for jobs with the fed translate to same requirements for similar jobs in the private sector, so you can find out A) what jobs your degree would qualify you for, or B) what courses/degree you might want to look into for jobs that interest you

 

What exactly is general studies anyway? I don't think we even have that in UK..

 

I think you could get an awesome job a starbuck's, or wal-mart. I have a friend who majored in general studies and is now on the management track at barnes and noble. My advice? If you're going to spend the money, get a real degree.

 

You could probably get an awesome job a starbuck's. My friend who majored in general studies has been on the management track at barnes and noble for a few years now. If you're going to spend the time and money, you should get a degree in a real major.

 

Does your school have a placement department? Even some not-so-great colleges and universities have placement departments that help students and alumni find jobs. Tell them what you told us, and see what kind of response you get.

Another thing to do is to talk to the chair or director of the general studies program and ask what sort of jobs people with general studies degrees are getting.

If you're not into teaching, what are you into? Apply for jobs in that field. If you don't know what you want to do, take some sort of aptitude test. The placement department (it might also be known as testing or counseling or something like that) could give you a test where you can figure out what you might want to do.

Good luck! I'm a liberal arts graduate (BA in French, MA in English) and I'm teaching...even though I swore that I would never, ever teach.

 

it's like liberal arts, basically a cross section of studies in different fields without specific emphasis

 

It's not what your degree says, but how you apply yourself. Many wealthy people don't have a degree at all. Don't let all of these nay-sayers bring you down man. Study hard and get as much as you can out of your classes. You may find that knowledge is more useful than a piece of paper. I was an art major - talk about a degree that is hard to find a job with - many art majors are lucky to hold down a barstool much less a job. I didn't let my friends or family hold me back. I just went out and started working after college. I haven't gotten a degree yet (I lost my funding after two years of college), but my education has helped me in a BIG way to get ahead in life.

 

Is it an AA or a BA?

If it is an AA, it can help you get promoted from a low level job into the mgt. track.

It it is a BA, it might help you get a job.

By the way, what did you learn? How has your education influanced the way you see the world? Congragulations on getting the piece of paper, but in the long run the education and knowledge is more valuable than the certificate.