I want to help people kind of like the peace corps. What do I major in in school?

Question

I thought for a long time that I wanted to enter the peace corps. Now I'm thinking I want to dedicate my whole life to helping third world countries. I know you can major in something specific that will allow me to do what I love and at the same time get paid. I don't want to work with medicine. Does anyone know what I need to be studying?

Answer 1

International studies, sociology, anthropology, or politics will acquaint you with different parts of the world and what's going on. Learn languages and history of the regions you might want to travel to, to give you perspective (they won't welcome a first world "outsider" who comes in telling them how to fix their lives like they know everything). Remember to be humble and have the attitude that you're there to learn from them as much as they will learn from you, and that you understand that as a first world citizen you've been given a disproportionate amount of wealth and privelege and you want to "spread out" the good luck a bit. If you're lucky you could find a community development major, which would be super helpful. International business might help you learn to encourage small business growth in thirld world countries, which they really need. If you want to help with food scarcity, learn about agriculture and related issues. If you want to help with AIDS or child malnutrition, take public health or a nutrition program.

Answer 2

Civil Engineering with an emphasis on low-tech water and sewage systems.  Clean drinking water would save 50,000 lives a DAY, world wide.