Graduating in a semester and not sure about what to do next

[Herr Katze]

I will begin my senior year at Northern Arizona University later this month. Since transferring from a California community college last fall I have taken at least eighteen units per semester and I am taking twenty-one this fall to graduate early.

My major is in history and my minors are in Asian studies and sociology. What I really want to do is teach English in Japan on the government-sponsored JET program (I am fluent in Japanese) but if that does not work (it is highly selective) I am torn between applying to grad school and law school. Although I have always dreamed of becoming a prosecutor, many people have tried to discourage me from law school (unless it's a T14 program; my GPA is 3.7 which is too low to be competitive) due to the employment outlook for lawyers and the enormous debt i would incur; my undergrad debt is only $18,000.

I realize that a BA in history from a tier 3 school isn't very marketable however, so I feel that I have to only apply to high-ranking MA programs, but I'm unsure where or what to actually study.

 

[maflynn]

Figure out what you want to do and then select the major that will help you.

I'm not sure why you're asking this now as a senior in college. What made you choose History as a major if you had no intent on going into that field?

 

[malman89]

If the JET program doesn't work out (and indeed it is competitive), then perhaps look for jobs at your local county courthouse or firms to see if the legal field really is right for you?

Just because you don't know what you want to do in undergrad doesn't mean you should just go for a JD, MBA, or generic Masters and hope you figure things out during that time.

I was in a similar place when I was a senior in college just a few years ago, also studying history (was debating JD or Ph.D and then the legal industry tanked and a Ph.D didn't seem realistic). I've hopped around a few full time jobs and it took me a couple years, but now I know what I want to do, and it's neither law nor scholarly research. I'm glad I know that with $30k in undergrad debt than $30k + $100k+ in law school debt.