Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Since Asian-American studies isn't exactly a trade, this major fits with absolutely nothing…and by absolutely nothing we (strangely) mean "all sorts of things."
Okay, that's really confusing. We'll give you an example: teaching. With the proper certification, you could become an Asian-American studies teacher. How about law? Asian-Americans are minorities, and where there are minorities there are places where they don't get proper representation in the courts (legal courts, although they aren't properly represented in the basketball variety either).
Of course, you could also always write/draw/chew up some sort of novel, comic, painting, or other artistic substance to reflect the Asian-American experience.
If you can look at a job and go, "I could be like that, but with an emphasis on Asian-Americans," you're likely looking at something that an Asian-American studies major could help you get into. Just, you know, don't think you can become a teacher or lawyer without getting certification for those occupations, as well.
Common Career Fields
Business. Where there's a group of people, there's a target demographic. Where there's a target demographic, there's people who sell to it. Knowing the ins and outs of the "Asian-American" target demographic allows you to use pure, raw, not-from-concentrate capitalism to capitalize on this group's problems and needs, both for the benefit of the world and the benefit of your wallet.
Education. With all the classes in this subject being thrown at you, it's clear that this major is worth teaching, so why not do just that? Someone needs to make sure this information is being taught, so it might as well be you. If that doesn't float your boat, you could always teach one the languages associated with a minority group.
Government. All those civil rights movements back in the day had to get implemented somehow, wouldn't you agree? Of course, they were only the beginning. Look around. Is the world perfect? No, it is not. It's particularly not-perfect for minorities, and Asian-Americans are just that. With this major (and some law school), you can make the world a little less not-perfect. Or you could do what everyone else does and "make the world a better place." Up to you.
Law. Of course, running for office isn't the only way to "make the world a better place" for this minority. Instead of changing things for a whole demographic at once (and, assuming that you actually got into office, all sorts of other demographics), you could go for a more individualized route and change the world one case at a time. You're going to need to know a bit more about law than what Phoenix Wright and Daredevil can tell you, though, so tack on some law school if you're going for this occupation.
Social Services. You'd be like Cobra Bubbles from Lilo and Stitch, except probably not as terrifying, and not (as far as we know) secretly a government agent with an interest in alien activity. To be a bit more serious, each family raises its own unique challenges, and bundling these families into minority groups is one way that social workers wrap their heads around those hurdles. You'll solve problems in Asian-Americans' lives at a personal level and you'll already know some of the subtleties that the culture tends to possess.
Television. Bored people endlessly flipping through channels under the misguided impression that there might be something good on probably know that there's all sorts of channels that seem to be aimed at Asian people. If we assume that these people are currently using American cable, we can also assume that the target audience for those channels is Asian-Americans. This sort of work falls into marketing and media management as well. You'll be deciding what will entertain your target demographic the best.
Writing. The reason for all of those history and literature classes is because there are a lot of stories to tell. The reason for "Contemporary Shenanigans" is that not all of those stories have actually happened yet. That's where being a writer comes in. Here, you'll take all kinds of interesting tidbits and make some sort of story out of them, be it in the form of a novel or one of those ethnic-focused sitcoms that are taking over TV these days (although, you might need a time machine to get a job writing for those).
Current unemployment of the major
7% (Humanities and Liberal Arts)Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
44% (Area, Ethnic, and Civilization Studies)Stats obtained from this source.