Humanity major career advice.

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lenkmobile

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Jul 5, 2023
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Hello, I have been accepted to the class of 2028 and will be attending USNA this summer. As I have secured my appointment, I have started to wonder more about the specifics behind different majors and jobs post-USNA. USNA commissions officers relatively straightforward with very clear career progression. I was hoping to get some career advice relating to me after I commission and for my major selection that happens at the end of plebe year: I am interested in history, first generation, and I speak another language at home. I read a lot of military history, public policy, classic literature, and about different cultures. I want to know about what kinds of jobs I can leverage after going to USNA with these interests in mind, I want to make the most out of going to USNA and not waste any opportunities available. I am terrified of the stereotypical history major who cannot get a job that isn't a librarian even after service.

I would say the worst-case scenario for me is that I go to USNA, serve time, and then do not have a job that I can fall back on using my degree. I really like the idea of being a pilot or Marine officer...

Please let me know what I can do to combine these interests that can also make me employable, and how USNA can help...
 
For real though, if you want to fly, then major doesn't really matter.

I've found the skills I learned in my political science major to be great for briefing, which is an important part of every flight, sometimes even more important than the actual flight. I've also had no problem with learning about how my plane engine works, they teach it to you in a very very basic way.

Choose a major that you're passionate about, and you'll do better in it than one for "job prospects", and in turn, that will help you open doors for jobs with a higher GPA.

I loved studying political science. It's also helped me with writing in the Navy.
I could go on an on about how much being a political science major has helped me...
 
Ivy22 said:
For real though, if you want to fly, then major doesn't really matter.

I've found the skills I learned in my political science major to be great for briefing, which is an important part of every flight, sometimes even more important than the actual flight. I've also had no problem with learning about how my plane engine works, they teach it to you in a very very basic way.

Choose a major that you're passionate about, and you'll do better in it than one for "job prospects", and in turn, that will help you open doors for jobs with a higher GPA.

I loved studying political science. It's also helped me with writing in the Navy.
I could go on an on about how much being a political science major has helped me...
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Thank you for your response, I am concerned with getting a job after being in the Navy. What are you planning on doing with your degree when you leave?
 
lenkmobile said:
Thank you for your response, I am concerned with getting a job after being in the Navy. What are you planning on doing with your degree when you leave?
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I haven't thought about that yet as I owe at least 8 years after I finish pilot training, and I may decide to stay in, who knows at this point. That's just too far in the future for me to think about right now. I'll play it by ear as I progress in my Naval career. If I do get out, I don't think I'll have problems finding a nice job with my degree and military experience
 
Ivy22 said:
I haven't thought about that yet as I owe at least 8 years after I finish pilot training, and I may decide to stay in, who knows at this point. That's just too far in the future for me to think about right now. I'll play it by ear as I progress in my Naval career. If I do get out, I don't think I'll have problems finding a nice job with my degree and military experience
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Service Academies, NROTC, and Ivy League admissions consultant
 
lenkmobile said:
Hello, I have been accepted to the class of 2028 and will be attending USNA this summer. As I have secured my appointment, I have started to wonder more about the specifics behind different majors and jobs post-USNA. USNA commissions officers relatively straightforward with very clear career progression. I was hoping to get some career advice relating to me after I commission and for my major selection that happens at the end of plebe year: I am interested in history, first generation, and I speak another language at home. I read a lot of military history, public policy, classic literature, and about different cultures. I want to know about what kinds of jobs I can leverage after going to USNA with these interests in mind, I want to make the most out of going to USNA and not waste any opportunities available. I am terrified of the stereotypical history major who cannot get a job that isn't a librarian even after service.

I would say the worst-case scenario for me is that I go to USNA, serve time, and then do not have a job that I can fall back on using my degree. I really like the idea of being a pilot or Marine officer...

Please let me know what I can do to combine these interests that can also make me employable, and how USNA can help...
Click to expand...
I was officially an International Security Affairs (International Political Science) major at USNA and stayed on active duty for approx 7 yrs afterward. My first company, a major (Fortune 50) company hired me as a "Program Engineer" which is an entry level Program Manager and really deals with the wide variety of Engineering Disciplines to create and manufacture our products. When I questioned the "Engineer" title that I held, I was told that as far as the company was concerned, I'd had over 90 credits of STEM courses plus real world technical operating experience in the field so an Engineer I would be.
My career Progression was
Engineer, then Senior Engineer, then Principal Engineer during which time I also earned an MBA. Then switch to new company, also extremely well known Fortune 50 and
went Principal Program Engineer then Program Manager.

Then new Company and Business Development Manager, the Proposal Manager, then asked to start up a new group in Market Intelligence and led that while being elevated to higher levels in the Corporate Structure.

Bounced through a number of companies as they rose and fell and varied between Market Intelligence and Proposal Management until I retired from industry which was 10 yrs after I retired from the Navy Reserve.

Now a College Professor in the Humanities Department of a good sized tech university.

One of my USNA roommates was a Latin American Area Studies Major at USNA and although he service selected Marine NFO, his post military industry experience was similar to mine and he finished his career as site president of the Rocket Division of a major corporation.

In short, Humanities Majors from USNA can qualify one for a wide variety of things.
 
If you continue and graduate, and serve your commitment, regardless of your major, you will be just fine.

People on the forum who work for large corporations and/or are hiring managers will tell you, having a SA degree and even just 5 years of fleet experience puts you head and shoulders above almost all normal college grads.

Remember, every USNA midshipmen graduates with a BS, no matter what "major" you pick. You will have a minimum of 2 semesters of Chem, 2 of Physics, 4 of advanced math, etc., etc.
 
OldRetSWO said:
I was officially an International Security Affairs (International Political Science) major at USNA and stayed on active duty for approx 7 yrs afterward. My first company, a major (Fortune 50) company hired me as a "Program Engineer" which is an entry level Program Manager and really deals with the wide variety of Engineering Disciplines to create and manufacture our products. When I questioned the "Engineer" title that I held, I was told that as far as the company was concerned, I'd had over 90 credits of STEM courses plus real world technical operating experience in the field so an Engineer I would be.
My career Progression was
Engineer, then Senior Engineer, then Principal Engineer during which time I also earned an MBA. Then switch to new company, also extremely well known Fortune 50 and
went Principal Program Engineer then Program Manager.

Then new Company and Business Development Manager, the Proposal Manager, then asked to start up a new group in Market Intelligence and led that while being elevated to higher levels in the Corporate Structure.

Bounced through a number of companies as they rose and fell and varied between Market Intelligence and Proposal Management until I retired from industry which was 10 yrs after I retired from the Navy Reserve.

Now a College Professor in the Humanities Department of a good sized tech university.

One of my USNA roommates was a Latin American Area Studies Major at USNA and although he service selected Marine NFO, his post military industry experience was similar to mine and he finished his career as site president of the Rocket Division of a major corporation.

In short, Humanities Majors from USNA can qualify one for a wide variety of things.
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What was your reserve experience? Did you deploy as a reservist? Were your companies accommodating?
 
IronmanDaremo said:
People on the forum who work for large corporations and/or are hiring managers will tell you, having a SA degree and even just 5 years of fleet experience puts you head and shoulders above almost all normal college grads.
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I'm one of those people of whom @IronmanDaremo speaks. I had a 25-year career in corporate America, most of it with a Fortune 200 company. I recruited, hired, managed and worked alongside a good number of former JMOs from every branch except USMC. Their civilian roles spanned marketing, finance, operations, sales and HR. They commissioned mainly through the SAs and ROTC.

This I can tell you: Their college majors were largely insignificant. What made them such attractive recruits and effective managers was the fact that they had significant leadership experience -- managing dozens of people and millions of dollars of materiel, with challenging goals, under harsh conditions. In the military, they were judged by a single metric -- did they accomplish the mission?

Those former JMOs, generally speaking, had done more before age 30 than most civilians had at an older age. They were, generally speaking, a cut above. And again, their value was in their ability to lead and get things done, not their particular major.

Three examples of former colleagues: An AFROTC grad who majored in engineering and did intelligence on AD ended up in HR. A West Point grad who majored in poli sci and did artillery on AD ended up in marketing. A USNA grad who majored in engineering and did nuclear subs on AD ended up in finance. All are VPs or SVPs with their current companies.

One of my favorite colleagues: USNA grad, majored in poli sci and government, flew P3s in search of Soviet subs. Separated and got an MBA. Went on to head Asia/Pacific operations for a well-known food company. Also wrote a book about leadership lessons he learned in the military -- 4 stars on Amazon. I was his boss, but he taught me way more than I ever taught him.
 
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Let's also not forget that the Navy offers multiple educational/professional opportunities throughout one's career. NPS, NWC, and TA are just some examples to get a Master's paid for by the Navy. There are also a lot of random programs to gain career experience/industry contacts. The Navy has Tours with Industry where you can go work at a large company (Amazon, UPS, etc.) with the intent that you see what makes these companies great and provide lessons learned to the Navy. I had a prof at USNA who was a helicopter pilot who became a Navy legislative fellow, so he was a defense staffer for a Senator for a bit. TLDR, there are tons of career/education broadening opportunities in the military. At a minimum, a military officer typically hits the wickets for intelligence, demonstrated leadership, and ability to adapt/learn new things. Companies can train you to do a job, but they can't train stuff like attitude and discipline. Military officers are not hurting for employment to say the least. Heck, USNA graduates can go to SACC conferences each year where recruiters/hiring managers show up specifically seek out SA grads.

I can go on and on. My recommendation is to major in something you like (or at least would tolerate doing at 0300 on a Tuesday). Your QPR (USNA GPA) weighs heavily into your OOM. The higher your OOM, the more opportunities and options you have. While it is good to think far ahead like that, you are going to be employable, regardless of what you do.
 
@MidCakePa never misses!

From a Navy perspective, I know officers with degrees in computer science, oceanography, business management, geography, and exercise physiology who are all doing the exact same job. And when we eventually hang up the uniform, our experiences and how we sell them are what will matter to employers. What selective employers are looking for first aren’t things you pick up in the classroom. It’s character traits like intellect, adaptability, integrity, social skills, and grit.

There are plenty of resources out there online about the military to civilian transition. www.sitreps2steercos.com is a good one for example. I’d suggest looking at those if this is something you’re concerned about. You’ll find that there is a lot that goes into making a successful mil-civ transition. It’s not as simple as comp sci majors go to Microsoft while English majors go to Penguin.
 
Poli Sci major here, then selected USMC Ground as a Logistics Officer.

Left after my commitment and entered the telecom operations arena for the next 3-5 years as an operations and client services manager for both AT&T and Comcast.

Hated corporate America so I became a fireman. 22 years later here I am as a chief officer in a major metropolitan fire department that still loves going to the firehouse every shift!

You’d be surprised at how little your academic major matters in a majority of career fields.

We get hired for our leadership skills and problem solving ability.
 
justdoit19 said:
What was your reserve experience? Did you deploy as a reservist? Were your companies accommodating?
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I enjoyed my Reserve experience but the "12 day week" (12 days of work/reserves/work) every month was not an easy thing.
I had two XO tours and two CO tours along with serving on a fleet staff and a carrier Battlegroup staff.
My companies were supportive of my reserve career. I was not activated but went to the middle east on an extended "training
duty" where I drew combat pay, expeditionary medals, etc as part of a Carrier Battlegroup that was in the midst a lot of "stuff".
At about the 15 year point, I calculated that I'd already had 15 At sea Active Duty periods as a reservist including tracking
real-world Soviet subs off of the East Coast. I was also able to do a couple of periods at the Naval War College where I was
able to write some case studies for the Junior and Senior courses. My final 5 yrs in the Reserves were at the War College
where I worked in the War Gaming section.
 
My Dad retired as a CAPT after 30 years. He did OCS. His major in undergrad was Physics, and he got his Master in EE from Naval Postgrad. School.

When he retired, he was hired almost immediately by a Government contractor making 6 figures. They didn't even have a real job for him. They just wanted his experience and his connections. They made up a job for him in something to do with finance, nothing to do with his military job or his degrees. No joke. And he wasn't even a SA or ROTC grad. ;)

I got my first civil servant job by being having "5-point veteran preference." Put me at the top of the hiring list automatically for that position.

The military opens a lot of doors for you if you just look for them.
 
It is great that you are thinking about the future after the Navy. There is some great advice and things to consider in this thread, but be careful not to get so worried about the future that you loose sight of the present. You have 4 years to get through at USNA. A community to select and qualify for before you leave, and then your AD career to navigate and thrive. You will be a much different person and likely have some different goals and interests by the time you get out of the Navy. It sounds like you enjoy Poli Sci, so that is what I recommend you shoot for right now as that will encourage you to do well at USNA. Worry about how to turn that into a career in 9+ years. As said before, your AD career may lead you in a path that has nothing to do with Poli Sci, and that is OK. Your major in college does not dictate the rest of your life.

Keep your peripheral vision on the far future, but make sure you focus on the present and near future as success in that timeframe will lead to lifelong success.
 
This is @Capt MJ 's first post back that I've seen. I am thrilled to see your return. I hope you made it through whatever the issue was unscathed.

To OP, and in agreement with many of the veteran poster comments, I believe any major from a SA will serve you will well in the civilian world. I hire for talent, commitment, experience, leadership, and teamwork. The SA's deliver that in spades.
 
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