Non math/sci BA that makes a decent salary?

[phoenix31]

So long story short, I'm divorcing and want to go back to school to get a better job to support myself without child support.

I have 1/3 of my BA in Literature completed. My original plan was to get my Master's and teach college but I don't want to do that because there are mostly adjunct jobs now and it's not a good way to make a living.

I have an interest in teaching adolescents, and it's really the only thing I feel I'm good at, but in my state you have to have a Master's degree to teach. There is an online program I can pursue that will allow me to work with the school where I am already a teacher's aide and become a teacher that way.

However, a Master's degree is a lot of debt and I don't really want to burden myself with that.

I'm just wondering if there are any Bachelor's degrees that are not math/science related where I could still make a decent wage. I don't want to get rich, just be able to support myself and be comfortable, not destitute. It seems like all of the fields related to the humanities require Master's degrees and I wish I was good at math and science. :/

 

[The Cat]

You can leverage them to an extent, but it seems ime that bachelors in the "arts" are generally followed by a masters...but like I said, it's all about how you leverage it and sell yourself...

 

[Red Memories]

A degree in social work allows you to get state positions without a master's degree, and it is more in the realm of psychological things. There will be a statistics class or two but intro level is okay.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

A Bachelor's in Literature, or anything in the Language Arts or Humanities, will definitely make you attractive on the job market. Of course a lot of things about the job market sort of depend on what state you live in

Teaching is a pretty stable way to make a living and the salary increases with each year. Re: debt situation - the school at which you are employed as a teacher, once you complete your BA degree requirements and PRAXIS, must pay for you to go get your Master's in Education - at least, that is how it works in my state (Maryland). My sister *only* has a BA in English right now and got a job last year as a middle-school English teacher... She got a raise in her salary as this is her second year of teaching at this school, and the school will pay for the Master's degree. So she's trying to work that out with the school at the moment and will probably end up taking night classes. Granted, my sister is probably a poor example to use when compared to your situation, as you have kid(s) you must also support in addition to pursuing your educational and professional goals.

But I'd say your skills - the language arts - are generally always going to be in demand when we're talking most companies out there. Most companies would be jumping for joy to get someone who can actually write... do you realize how rare it is for a company to get an employee who writes well these days? If you can draft proposals and have some experience with grant writing, you would be seen as a valuable asset to a lot of smaller companies and non-profits, I'm sure. So, don't worry about a Literature degree being "worthless," because it's definitely not.

P.S. Don't be too envious of the STEM nerds. I had a conversation with someone recently who has taught physics at the Coast Guard Academy and apparently, the sciences and engineering fields are way oversaturated right now; grads are having a helluva time even getting their foot in the door in these industries. There are hardly any jobs out there, apparently. Employment in tech is dubious as well, unless you are some tireless, high-energy entrepreneur who creates their own app/software/service, or you reside in a place like Silicon Valley and have excellent connections and social capital... Very, very few people in tech go on to become the next Mark Zuckerberg or anything remotely close to it.

 

[JAVO]

^ As a person with a BA in psychology working in STEM, I think this is good advice.