Economics

Majoring in the Unusual

“Out of the box” college programs for Generation Y.

For high schoolers plotting their future careers, these are confusing times. On the one hand, there’s cause for optimism: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) pro­jects that the U.S. economy will add 15.6 million jobs in the decade between 2006 and 2016. But those jobs won’t be evenly split across regions or industries.

Many economic sectors, like manufacturing, will see declines in the number of new workers they take on. New entrants into the labor force will be forced to compete with workers overseas for the best jobs. How does the modern college freshman navigate this uneven terrain? One strategy is to plan for a degree in an unusual field. The newest edition of They Teach That In College!? published by College & Career Press, offers a few fresh insights.

“Business, Social Sciences/History, and Education are the most popular college majors today, but not every student has the interest or aptitude to be successful in these fields,” the editors write in the introduction. “Additionally, many of these fields are glutted with graduates who are forced to take lower-paying jobs or positions that are unrelated to their field of study.”

The book details 96 unusual majors representing fast-growing fields with good salary prospects. “The major had to capture our imagination—in short, it had to be fun, and hopefully, interesting to our readers,” write the editors. 

Among the most eye-catching:

•           Sustainable Business. The popularity of the green movement is ­creating opportunities for more environmentally conscious capitalists. Sustainable business is defined as building and maintaining business profitability while employing practices that promote local communities and respect the environment. Interested high-school students should take classes in conventional business, environmental sciences, and biology.

•           Computer and Digital Forensics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies this as a specialization in the private detective field. While many conventional gumshoes (as they used to be called) spend long nights in seedy bars hunting down sources, or camped outside of motels to catch cheating spouses, digital forensics experts work in clean offices, retrieving and analyzing digital evidence found on cell phones, PDAs, and digital networks. BLS rates the future opportunities for qualified computer forensic investigators as “excellent.”

•           Comic Book Art. Once the refuge of awkward teenagers, the market for comic books and graphic novels in the United States has grown 12% since 2006, hitting $705 million in April 2008. The surprising success of companies like Marvel Entertainment, which owns such properties as Spiderman, X-Men, and The Hulk, shows there’s money in doodles and ink. The company’s stock price has risen from $13 per share to $34 per share in the past five years. Many publishing experts consider comics and graphic novels the key growth area for print publishers in the years ahead.

•           Nanoscience/Nanotechnolgy. Nanoscience, or the study of objects one-billionth of a meter in size, will be among the most important technological fields of the twenty-first century—of use to such industries as biotechnology, materials science, energy, and agriculture. “The field is relatively new and will grow dramatically. Consumer products containing nanotechnology are already on the market, including cosmetics, stain-resistant clothing, and batteries. As the need for alternative ­energy arises, nanotechnology will become more prevalent in solar cells,” says Alissa Agnello, an instructor of nanotechnology at Seattle Community College, which offers a nanotechnology degree.

•           Strategic Intelligence. Think Harvard is selective? The most exclusive degree-granting program in the United States, the National Defense Intelligence College’s program in strategic intelligence, is open only to members of the U.S. military or federal employees with Top Secret clearance. But if you’re qualified, there’s no faster route to a job spying on foreign governments, or as it’s more politely known, “information gathering.”

Perhaps the most practical and potentially rewarding major is the relatively new field of entrepreneurship. Starting your own company requires a working knowledge of a variety of different fields, such as accounting, economics, and advertising. But for those willing to put in the time, ­entrepreneurial success pays well. Self-employed individuals report the highest levels of job and career satisfaction. While they comprise only one-fifth of the U.S. population, the self-employed make up more than 75% of U.S. millionaires. Now that’s a useful major.—Patrick Tucker

Source: They Teach That In College!? Second Edition. College & Career Press. 2008. 344 pages. Paperback. $22.95.