Ben_West🔸 comments on The career questions thread

[Ben_West🔸]

I think communication skills are very important. Some careers that 80,000 hours has explored relevant to what you are saying:

• https://​​80000hours.org/​​career-guide/​​top-careers/​​profiles/​​foundation-program-manager/​​

• https://​​80000hours.org/​​career-guide/​​top-careers/​​profiles/​​work-in-marketing/​​

• https://​​80000hours.org/​​career-guide/​​top-careers/​​profiles/​​policy-oriented-civil-service-uk/​​

• https://​​80000hours.org/​​career-guide/​​top-careers/​​profiles/​​program-manager-in-international-organisations/​​

[Benjamin_Todd]

I agree that communication skills are very important, though bear in mind that arts majors are much more likely to end up unemployed or in jobs that don’t require a college degree. http://​​fivethirtyeight.com/​​features/​​the-economic-guide-to-picking-a-college-major/​​

And sometimes more likely to find their work unmeaningful too! Notice that visual comm and drama are near the bottom. http://​​www.payscale.com/​​college-salary-report-2013/​​majors-that-change-the-world

So, don’t necc extrapolate from ‘communication skills are valuable’ to ‘study arts at university’. Work on your communication skills, but consider doing that in a more quant subject e.g. economics, or doing a joint major.