For many students, the concept of choosing what to do with the rest of their lives is more than a daunting task, despite the fact that they’ve already begun college classes at the University. In fact, according to the Division of General Studies’ Web site, the DGS student body comprises approximately 3,300 students, or almost 11 percent, of all Illinois undergraduates.For many students, the concept of choosing what to do with the rest of their lives is more than a daunting task, despite the fact that they’ve already begun college classes at the University.

In fact, according to the Division of General Studies’ Web site, the DGS student body comprises approximately 3,300 students, or almost 11 percent, of all Illinois undergraduates.

Although the larger colleges and majors supply some of the most obvious choices (anything having to do with engineering, education or agriculture), some of the other majors on campus deliver to students even more choices and equally as interesting programs.

Sociology

What it is:

Sociology is essentially the study of society, its organization and how it changes, according to Heather Nicole Holtzclaw-Stone, the director of undergraduate studies at the University’s department of sociology.

It looks at society’s institutions, communities and organizations and how they are connected.

Job Opportunities:

“Sociology is not an area that has a set career path,” said Holtzclaw-Stone.

Jobs with a sociology degree can range from social work to human resources to law (Michelle Obama received an undergraduate degree in sociology from Princeton University, before moving on to Harvard Law School).

Other job possibilities include those related to community organization, health services and criminology. “It’s really a wide-open field that depends on how you prepare yourself for your future profession,” Holtzclaw-Stone said.

Marketing

What it is:

Marketing covers different aspects of a product from conceptualization to advertising to getting it to the customer, said Tiffany Barnett White, an associate professor of business administration at the University. “Marketing can be seen in the cereal that you eat and the clothes that you buy,” she said.

Students who decide to major in marketing can choose from a more general concept of the field or a more specialized concentration such as entrepreneurship and international business.

Job Opportunities:

According to White, “there is actually a world of possibilities” when it comes to the jobs available with a marketing degree.

Options include sales, product development, price specialization and brand managing. Even non-profit organizations often depend on marketing to spread and “sell” their ideas and concepts, White said.

“It’s a better time than ever to be a marketing major,” she added. “Even in times of recession, it’s important to be skilled in how to deliver value to the customer.”

Aviation Human Factors

What it is:

The basic definition of human factors is the human-machine relationship, whether it is between cars, computers or airplanes, said Laura Gerhold, an undergraduate advisor at the University’s Institute of Aviation.

The major itself utilizes a combination of skills from psychology, engineering and accident investigation.

Job Opportunities:

Although Gerhold said that most of the students majoring in aviation human factors are also studying to become commercial or corporate pilots, some jobs are available that deal with the aviation human factors aspect.

“Dealing with the human factors side, many students will go on to work for aircraft manufacturing companies such as Boeing, Cessna or Piper,” she said.

Gerhold also said that some students could work for government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, doing work revolving around the ability to fix problems with different types of aircraft.

Urban and Regional Planning

What it is:

Urban planning is a multidisciplinary field that deals with facets such as economic development, infrastructure and social issues such as successful neighborhoods.

“We don’t just draw a design and there it is, it sprouts up. It’s a much more complicated social, economic and political process,” said Rob Olshansky, the Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning program coordinator.

Classes within the major deal with as varying subjects as the relationship between ecological and urban systems and the application of communication skills in order to prepare students for presentations aimed toward public and private groups.

Job Opportunities:

“In the time I’ve been in this field, basically over the last 25 years, the job prospects have only gotten better,” Olshansky said. The obvious job of becoming a municipal planner remains, yet other jobs consist of working for regional and state agencies, consulting firms, private developers and “non-profits of all different shapes, sizes and scales,” he added.