In today’s world, going to college can mean a huge boost in the kind of career you get and the kind of money you make. Research has shown that people with four-year college degrees make nearly twice as much on average as people without a degree. While the cost of college can be a problem, with some people spending over $100,000 to get a degree these days, it can pay off over time. Estimates put the value of a college degree at about $500,000 on average based on additional salary over a career. And of the people who do get a degree, 83% say it has paid off for them. For many people, going to college is a no-brainer, but the big question for them is what they will major in. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of choices.
Most people know what kind of track they are going to be on. Someone who wants to work in advertising or marketing, for example, will major in one of those disciplines, get a bachelors degree and then go to work, though they may go back to graduate school later to get a masters degree. Someone who wants to be a lawyer or doctor, on the other hand, knows he or she will face many years of graduate school before going into those chosen professions. Those people might get a bachelors degree in some related subject — political science for a budding lawyer or biology for a budding doctor — or they may simply follow a pre-law or pre-med track of taking preparatory classes.
But what about the person who goes into college unsure of what he or she wants to do in life. There are some degrees that are considered utility-type degrees that are good for a range of careers, such as an English degree or a psychology degree, but there is another option: getting a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
A degree in interdisciplinary studies is a kind of generic degree that allows you to sort of tailor your studies to what kind of career you want. At many colleges, it is a popular major for athletes who may not know what they want to do, but it also is a common degree for people who already have a job but want to further their prospects with a degree. Depending on the school, a degree in interdisciplinary studies may have a specific track to follow or the student may be allowed a lot of flexibility in class choices.
Whether you choose to get a degree in interdisciplinary studies or you have something more specific in mind, getting a four-year college degree is a good idea for your future.