What it's worth

I came across a pretty interesting article today on a friend's facebook page that I thought I'd pass along. It's titled "Five 'Impractical' College Majors That Just Might Make You Rich," and originally appeared on a Daily Finance section of AOL. As the title suggests, it talks about college degree programs that many believe will lead to a life of limited job opportunities and general failure. But as this author suggests, that's just not true! At least, it doesn't have to be.

When I tell people that I am entering a career in social work, I get a range of reactions, most involving crinkling the nose and skeptical eye brow raises. "Not much of a living," they say.

Aside from being completely rude, those kinds of statements may just be inaccurate. Yep--check out the top of the list of majors: social work! In fact, here is the segment specifically on the subject:

Social work is all about communication -- and the study of the dynamics of human relationships and how to improve people's lives in the context of themselves and their communities. I would argue that this background in understanding relationships is a big part of what helped Suze Orman reach millions of people in ways that more conventional finance-major-turned-financial-planner types couldn't.

• Social Work Major Who Struck it Rich: Suze Orman, financial advisor, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and host of The Suze Orman Show on CNBC.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/d8uzKh

So yeah, maybe social workers aren't known for rolling in the dough, but it doesn't mean the skills I learn in social work are worthless! The general skills, the soft skills if you will, that the programs develop can't always be taught. You can teach people how to process paperwork, but you can't teach people to empathize with their clients. And that sense of empathy is a valuable asset in any work environment.

I guess what it all comes down to is that you can make the most of any situation, of any knowledge or educational background as long as you don't limit yourself or put your career into a box. So don't listen to the naysayers who scoff at English majors and tsk drama students. If you're smart, resourceful, and a little lucky, you can be happy and successful in your career, even when everyone tells you it's impossible. I hope to be living proof of this very notion!