Choosing a major is a safe opportunity for self-indulgence. All majors develop what the career advisors call “transferable skills” in thinking, writing, and problem-solving. Everyone has to go to work no matter what. So our advice is to encourage your daughters and sons to study whatever they most enjoy and do well in. Being engaged in a field ensures benefiting from it. And no matter what the major, urge your student to take as many advanced, small classes as possible.
The relationship between major and first job is mysterious. Several years out, the relationship is almost non-existent. In the long run, people have less in common with those who majored in the same subject they did than with people who follow a similar career path, whether that is going to graduate school, working for a large company, or starting a small business.
For example, Cornell English majors have gone on to become editorial assistants in publishing companies, account coordinators at advertising agencies, and reporters for various newspapers; they have also become financial analysts for investment banks, medical students, and computer programmers. The critical and analytical thinking skills, as well as the excellent writing skills your child gains through an Arts and Sciences education, are the skills employers find most valuable in potential employees. Those skills are taught in every major the College offers and are eminently transferable to virtually any job. For more information on what graduates do after college, see the surveys done by Arts and Sciences Career Services at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/career/careersafter.asp.