15 College Majors That Actually Prepare You For Real Life

We've heard the quote so many times our brains no longer want to process it: "Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." Just because this quote is dropped constantly doesn't make it less true. The bottom line is that everything that happens in the present has some sort of parallel in the past. This means that the study of the challenges that plagued our ancestors can provide valuable lessons for today. Great leaders, businessmen, and thinkers of the past not only provide advice through their writing, but also through their actions. We can learn from everything they did, and also from what they didn't do. There is nothing quite like being a student of the past to help you find dynamic solutions to your problems in the present. At the very least, you'll learn never to get involved in a land war in Asia.

Computers have become essential to communication. Almost all business is conducted via computer, which means if you're computer isn't working, you are probably screwed. From a business perspective, computer technicians are like doctors; their services are essential to keep any endeavor up and running. No matter what career path life takes you down, a working knowledge of computers will always give you a leg up. Pro tip: once you get out of college, avoid telling friends you were a computer science major as long as possible if you don't want to be bothered constantly with tech questions.

The knock on psychology is that you need an advanced degree to make any real cash, but there are practical applications for psychology degrees in many walks of life. Much of psychology's aim is to understand why we do the things we do. If you've learned a thing or two about human motivation, you'll likely have an easier dealing with co-workers in any field. Though we don't recommend attempting amateur therapy or analysis on the people in your workplace, there is immense value in learning about the general principles behind human behavior. Though a psychology major will still have questions about why their boss does what they do, at least they'll be a little better equipped to handle the eccentricities of their co-workers on a daily basis.

One of the least profitable majors may actually be one of the most useful in life. Whether it comes in the form of a fitness guru, get rich quick scheme, or spiritual guide, life is full of people peddling for-profit belief systems. Philosophy majors are taught to interrogate easy solutions that try to sell you meaning; they are less likely to get sidetracked by the many snake-oil salesmen in life who will claim to have all the answers. Developing the intellectual rigor to avoid that which is too good to be true can save you time, money, and heartache.

We know what you're thinking: a theatre major prepares you for little more than waiting tables. While a theatre major doesn't exactly pave the way to the highest tax bracket, there is hidden value in a studying the arts of the thespian. The fundamental job of a theatre major is to tell the truth. Actors seek honesty in their performances and directors base their feedback on how much believe their performers. All of this focus on honesty has a surprising amount of value in the real world, as people are going to lie to you all the time. A savvy theatre major should be able to transition their dual ability to make others believe them and tell when someone is being dishonest into an effective career. It isn't a coincidence that many former actors get into management and real estate.

Teaching, unfortunately, is not exactly the most lucrative career in this country. Before you factor in mandatory extracurriculars and hearing parental complaints, teachers are already underpaid. The good news for those being driven out of education by low wages and lack of opportunity is that the tools of an educator are useful elsewhere. With the rapid and constant shifts in technology, training has become an essential on-going component of most workplaces. Effective businesses are finding ways to train their employees in new technologies. Businesses that don't offer continued training are being left behind. If you get tired of fighting the good fight in the frontlines of public education, it might be time to transition to the private sector. Guiding a group of adults through the finer points of Google Docs might not be as rewarding as teaching a child to read, but at a certain point financial rewards can matter jus as much as emotional fulfillment.

There is value to a statistics major outside of vying to write the next Moneyball. Majoring in statistics pretty much means that you are majoring in knowing when people are lying to you. Every day, we are fed some new statistics on a range of subjects. Whether it comes from a pharmaceutical company or a political campaign, numbers are the artillery fire of capitalist society. A statistics major understands which of these numbers are valuable, and which of them are only valuable to the person that made them up. Even if you don't land a gig where you're working directly with numbers, at least you'll never fall for the old "99% of statistics are made up" gag.

These days, forms of media come and go faster than artistic movements. The term "video" is just as fluid as the term "realism." Digital media and social media have grown to dominate the marketplace, though thy can mean something different at every company. Joanne Gilbert, chair of New Media at Alma College made that point that this field is for "students who [are] going to get jobs that haven't been created yet." A student of New Media is trained to understand that business, art, and society are changing at an alarming rate. Today's Facebook can quickly become tomorrow's Myspace. A video made by high school students in a basement can spark a web-wide trend. Though new media majors may ultimately go into a career that hasn't been created yet, they are trained to understand that this could be true for any of us. One of the most valuable traits in this dynamic economy is the ability to adapt, and a major in social media is a major in adapting to the modern world.

For years, English was considered the default major of the uninspired. If you didn't know what to do and you weren't good with numbers, it was time to study some Dickens. Now that majors like business and communications have cut into the market of majors for people who don't know what major to choose, English majors have gained a competitive advantage. Even if you fill your days with bong rips and poetry readings, you will learn how to write if you spend four years in English classes. When you leave college, you will be shocked at how many bosses you will have that can't correctly compose an email, how many executives can't effectively proof-read their memos. No, you won't have many jobs interested in hearing about your interpretation of The Sound and the Fury; you will, however, find employers interested in how reading all of those elaborate sentences taught you the finer points of semi-colon usage.

Yes, we know there about dozens of different engineering majors. Whether you opt for civil, electrical, or computer engineering, you will learn how systems work. Most engineering programs are known for retaining their students and feeding them into the workplace, but even if you get disenchanted after your co-op and run off and join the circus, you'll have an understanding of how parts of a system impact each other. Whether you spent your undergraduate years analyzing the different stresses placed on bridges or the paths of electrical current, you'll be trained to look for inefficiencies and obstacles. In Dan Reich's Forbes article on why engineers are leaving the field, he talked about how he and a friend were researching harnessing the wasted energy from speed bumps and pumping it back into the electrical grid. While most of us look at a traffic jam and see little more than frustration, engineers see opportunity.

Even if you don't travel far in your professional life, international studies can be a valuable major. The key to international relations is understanding how differences in worldview are created and how they are overcome. Just as people have different customs and attitudes in Albania and China, so to are people in rural Ohio different from those who do business in downtown Chicago. Four years spent immersing yourself in global studies will give you a sense of the many ways culture affect one's worldview, and how to overcome differences that might appear insurmountable to others.

If you take arts out of the equation, sociology is one of the least respected majors. People seem to be hard on sociology because they don't know what it is. If they did understand what sociology entailed, they would know that many careers use sociology on a daily basis. In reality, sociology is one of the most broadly applicable majors. Sociologists examine the behavior of organizations and institutions. This could mean a group as small as a family or as large as a nation. Any community, from hospitals to prisons, benefits from a sociologist's viewpoint. Frankly, if you work with any sized group, from the smallest mom and pop operation to the largest corporation, a background in sociology can provide insights that will help you flourish. Understanding how groups of people behave could be the key to success in business, the arts, politcs, and any number of human endeavors.

There is utility in the skill set of the finance major beyond making money hand over fist at a hedge fund. The Princeton Review describes finance in two ways: the first is "the art and science of managing money," but the second is "the way people, institutions, markets, and countries generate and transfer wealth." The second description certainly has utility even if you decide not to be a Wall Street Warrior. If you've ever watched a white-collar crime drama, you know that the phrase "follow the money" comes up dozens of times. There's a reason for that. The key to understanding trends in any field, from entertainment to politics to economics is to understand how the money works. If hostile takeovers aren't your jam, a background in finance can prepare you for problem solving in a wide range of careers.

Most people don't understand the big picture of our economy. Thanks to our government's recent squabbles, there is someone in every coffee shop in America pontificating about the debt ceiling or the financial effect of Obamacare. Ninety-seven percent of them have no idea what they're talking about. Though there is no denying the practical fundamentals that come with a standard business degree, an economics background will provide you with perspective attractive to employers. George Norman, economics professor at Tufts University says that the proof of the flexibility of an economics degree lies in the varied paths his students take. Norman has had students go onto work in "New York finance houses" and "the business side of advertising." Even if you end up working at Starbucks for while, you will be an admired member of the community as long as you correct that jerk talking loudly about the economic issues of the day so the rest of us can get back to work.

Acquiring language skills of any kind is a good idea. We're sure we aren't the first to tell you this. Where there's a high school guidance counselor, there's a person encouraging you to learn Mandarin. Though we are advocates of learning any language, the impact of becoming fluent in Spanish will be immediate. Think about where you want to be after college. Life in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York will be a lot easier if you learn Spanish. Even if you are living in Minneapolis (which has a 10% Latino population), knowing Spanish will give you an edge in many jobs, particularly those where you work with the public. If you start now, you can be one of twenty million fluent Spanish speakers living in America by 2020. No matter how drastically your interests shift as you move through your adult life, you will never regret learning Spanish.