The role of human resources specialists has changed somewhat over the years. It used to be the case that you would have dealt with payroll, time sheets, and recruitment. These days, human resources specialists can be involved in the highest of policy-making processes in order to grow and expand organizations and ensure that they attract, employ, and retain the best people possible. Entry level roles for human resource degrees graduates might involve administrative tasks such as data entry, checking an applicant's details, answering routine enquiries, payroll, or responding to requests for general information about the company. Most jobs (approximately eight out of ten according to the Bureau of Labor) were in the private sector.

There are a number of different directions you could take. Human resources degrees are usually pretty flexible; so make sure you choose the right courses for your particular interest. You might learn about compensation, performance appraisal, recruitment, and training and development. Other courses that might interest you include: management, organizational structure, and industrial psychology. After these basic courses, you might want to specialize in say public administration or labor relations. You would need to study subjects such as labor law, collective bargaining, labor economics, and labor history. The beauty of human resource degrees is the flexibility. Once you have completed the basics, you will be in a better position to know what appeals to you. You could even go for an entry-level position then return to college for further training in your desired field.