Is this a good time to ask for COLLEGE MAJOR advice?

The reason I ask that is, with all of this postelection hysteria, I'm hoping this thread doesn't get buried to the second page in a matter of seconds--because I need genuine college advice. Here goes:

With the GOP in control, there's no guarantee with jobs and the economy in this country. That's why it's very important for me to have a well-paying and 'safe' major in terms of salary and job opportunity. Of course, I also want to do something I'm interested in to maintain being content, but honestly, it has to be a balance of those two areas.

I've always had law school in the back of my mind, but I know that after four years that may not be the route I want to go. What I major in now has to be a good financial backup plan in case law does not work out. Now starting this fall, I entered the School of Engineering on the basis of advice from my parents, even though I had no interest in the major or science in general. I was hoping I could train myself to bang out a good backup major in four years, also giving me a good background on my way to a possible patent law degree.

But the semester is nearing an end, and despite my trying as hard as humanly possible, I'm not 'getting' the material. I've never been a science person, especially not physics, it's apparent, and I'm not enjoying doing all of this hard work and getting mediocre grades. Keeping in mind the possibility of my not being able to get through engineering and even if I do, not ending up with a good enough GPA to law school, I'm now considering switching majors.

Here's my question:

I'm not skilled in the area of science, somewhat interested in business, and love politics. I want to take that into consideration as I do my financial security. I was thinking my options will be:

a) stick with engineering under the civil branch
b) do a business marketing major.
c) do accounting or economics or something.

I really have no idea. Anyone have any advice as to what major can give me success in more than one area? I know most of you will say "do what you like" but I'm not really sure what I like, so that is why I ask for suggestions. :)

grades... no matter the major, but it seems you know that already.

It is kind of hard to do this over the Internet. Have you spoken with, if not your adviser, a faculty member you trust? They have heard this before, trust me.

What is it about science you don't "get?" There is always tutoring.

and work hard, I'm smart enough to 'get' science. And I'll get through with that degree. But considering that small possibility that I don't and/or the fact that I may have law aspirations higher than engineering, pulling out after only wasting one semester is better than ending up a college senior and realizing either the major is not for me or I missed my chance to go law.

Some may call me acting a tad impatient, but I want to make sure I gain control of what I want to do with my life before it's too late.

As for speaking to an adviser, I will wait until final grades come in December and reevaluate what I want to do.

so try to take that in consideration. I believe that any kind of skill that can still be practiced in a much changed US will be valuable. Knowing how to fix things may be very valuable, since very few can do that.
That said, engineering, if you are good at it, and like it, may be a good move.

thermodynamics will be key, and any study of forces that produce energy without hydrocarbons will be solid gold.

wrong precipitate.

Also, find out what GRE or GMAT scores they need and start doing practice exams.

Science really isn't that hard to get, really. I hate physics too! :(

Good luck with your decision making, it must be difficult.

Forget any kind of engineering. The pay isn't good, and it has very low career pay ceiling, particularly CE.

Law guys are needed in every field. You don't actually have to be out there suing people.

that's why they hate trial lawyers.

If you don't know what I mean by the plastics comment ask your great grandmother.

Seriously, it is a real growth industry and no one wants to touch it. There are tons of us that you'll need to take care of. We'll need rides, care, apartments, the list is long and rich. Cash in.

If you want to be safe, the Department of Labor has a site where you can look through jobs and see which will have a higher than average growth rate, good hiring numbers, stuff like that.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

BUT--
When you're in college, and even after you get a job, you're going to be spending HOURS AND HOURS with this major. So I suggest doing something you like, and that you're good at. If you've got a passion for something, you're going to not hate spending 40 years doing it day in and day out--pick something you won't hate working some late nights and weekends for.

Pick a major you really like and a foreign language you want to learn.....that's a real value-added degree.

Seems like a fascinating subject to me, although I understand it is a good idea to go all the way and get a graduate's degrees if you are going to go this route because it has only a handful of applications in the real world.

You will have great flexibility in choosing a career or graduate program (not limited to Econ) and you will be able to indulge your interest in politics and policy as well.

Before you decide, read these 2 books:

"The Worldly Philosophers" by Robert Heilbroner and
"The Affluent Society" by John Kenneth Galbraith

If they whet your appetite, you'll know that Econ is for you!

..is that my sister who is five years older than me did it. And she, as well as dozens of people who did that same major with her at the time, are not getting good job opportunities right now coming out of college. And for that reason, my parents would be very against me going that route. Now my interests trump theirs :), so let me ask you a few questions about the major:

1. What is the average salary and/or job opportunity of an econ major, or is too broad to say?
2. Is the subject material particularily difficult?--I want to make sure I can get into law and/or do a major after the four years, no problem with grades provided the hard work is there. Keep in mind my chem/physics/calc/comp curriculum this year is not doing so well. :D

I'll definitely check out those books over winter break.

I'd like to thank EVERYONE here for the suggestions so far. Keep em coming, it's allowing me to explore my choices before it's too late.

Econ is very interesting to me, but I've always sucked at math. :(

See if it's a fit. While you're in school is a perfect time to do either paid or unpaid internships. You've got access like nobody's business because you're free labor. It's expected that you'll pick everybody's brain around there and ask them newbie questions. If they like you, there's an excellent chance they'll make you a job offer when you graduate.

Gyre

Major in Business. Make a LOT of money.

Give it to people you want to win elections.

OR

Use the money to build your own voting machines. ;-)

I often tell my students that if you don't enjoy physics, you probably should not become an engineer, since physics is all about problems solving and applying mathematics, which is the type of skills engineers need. On the other hand, I could never imagine being a lawyer or a business type since I really love physics. My advice is to major in some field that really interests you. It does not necessarily lock you into a particular career, since most employers value meta-skills like writing, oral communications, team work, problem solving (your physics courses will help here) and so on. Many an English major in college has gone on to be successful in the business world. Good luck with your decision.

Please note that (1) "God" and (2) "nothing" are not acceptable answers.

Feel free to use metaphors that common folk can understand. Points deducted if you resort to equations or use the word "quantum" You may start now....

asking what came before the big bang is like asking what is North of the North Pole. Time itself was created in the big bang. How was that? ;-)

I'm familiar with the Hawking quote. It's very clever...but not terribly satisfying. If the 3 dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time began with the big bang and were preceded by nothing, one still wonders "What, exactly, is 'nothing' and how does it differ from 'something'?"

I suppose there's no point in asking, since we live in a country where more people believe in the Virgin Birth than acknowledge the reality of evolution. Cosmology might as well be witchcraft. Seems to me that we're not making much progress educating the public. I fear that in my lifetime we will see "liberals" burned at the stake for being witches - or worse, not saluting the flag fast enough. How soon till the sun exhausts its hydrogen? That long, eh? Not soon enough to suit me....

Go to a community college and get a three year degree to become a registered nurse. You can work anywhere in the country or outside of the Dis-United States. The money is good and you don't have to worry about being laid off. also, you are doing something for other people and therefore yourself. In nursing you meet a lot of interesting people, with a lot of Liberals. If your a guy, what a great place to meet women!

Ultimately, I think I'd like to get a master's in public health and try to do something to benefit humanity on a larger scale. There are just so many facets within the field and it's a great start.

Plus, I admit liking the fact that it may be able to lead me out of the US if I ever so desire to do so.

think about it, great job security and avalibility. Also nurses do lots of jobs that arn't "nursing"

If you're going for the sake of having it on your resumé for a specific career, then choose a a curriculum for a career that can't be outsourced.

If you have any hope of eventually going into management regardless of the field, go for a traditional general degree such as economics, history, poly sci, etc., that you can later retool and narrow with a masters when the time is ripe.

The broader your education, the more you can bring to the table when you go into the workplace.

And for cryin' out loud, forget about marketing. You'll be shoveling shit for satan.

or a similar one from your guidance department. They are very accurate. Once you find the area you would be happiest in, you can fine-tune it for what's needed in the job market.

more modern proverb: philosophy degree = mandatory grad. school follow-up. It won't get you a job, but it'll get you into other schools. Weird.

and had a similar experience. I did well in the courses but just hated it. I ended up an conservation of natural resources major. It was actually a major where you could mostly design it yourself. I focused on economics, science, and public policy. Everyone told me I was crazy, but it worked well for grad school. I could explain my work experience and major in a coherent manner. I'm glad I made the change.

That being said, I am of the age where I would be extremely rich it I had continued in computer science. This was the beginning of the PC and then internet revolution. I still don't regret the switch.

Money's not there--but the effect on humanity is profound.

If you are frustrated with your current major now, imagine how you'll feel after you've been working in the field for twenty years. One of the most common situations that college placement offices encounter is the alum who has been out working in a job connected with his major for four or five years and is absolutely miserable.

Never mind about what seems "safe." The last college I taught at turned out business, marketing, accounting, and finance majors by the bus load, but sometimes I'd meet up with them a couple of years later to find that they were making mochas at Starbuck's or selling shoes at Nordstrom.

Unless you feel a strong calling to enter a certain profession, do not major in something that leads to a specific job. That actually narrows your options. I know so many stories of people who took roundabout paths to reach their ultimate career, and there is nothing wrong with that. You do NOT have to follow any particular prescribed llife path, no matter what your parents and the media tell you. Your parents and the mass media don't have to live with your decisions: you do.

(I realize that parents can be a huge problem in this regard and often threaten their children with withdrawing support unless they major in certain "safe" subjects. I hope this isn't your situation.)

Here are some vocational paths of people I actually know:

sociology major, English teacher, researcher in Middle Eastern studies, computer scientist

Engineering major, ESL teacher, gem salesman, magazine publisher, translator

Musician, airline flight attendant, translator

soldier, high school teacher, attorney, insurance salesman

political science professor, computer security specialist, Episcopal priest

college dropout, active as free-lance singer, actor, and composer for nearly 30 years


When you choose your major, think of something that you really enjoy. I once had a student who was majoring in business even though he had a marvelous talent for drawing. I asked why he wasn't an art major, and he said sadly that he needed to make a living. I asked him if he knew about commercial art (which his style was perfectly suited for), and he didn't, but he was already a junior and it was too late to change his major.

Your parents may be a problem, as I said before. I majored in languages as an undergraduate, and everyone assumed that I would become a high school teacher, but I didn't want to. My parents were aghast when I dropped out of the secondary education sequence, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made, and my professional life, first as a college professor and then as a free-lance translator and editor, has turned out to be fine in most respects.

(My mother was also aghast when I left the "security" of college teaching for free-lance work, but it was definitely the right step, especially since it is now much more difficult to gain tenure than it was in the old days.)

In the end, my advice can be summed up as "Know yourself. Take your time. Don't sweat it."

..as all of you have given.

Now while I still say that I have a desire to be a little successful financially, I definitely should take my interest into account more. Engineering is not for me. Ugh.

Now it's a matter of narrowing down what IS right for me, and all of you have given me great ideas. Not sure about the male nurse thing, particularily because I want to stay far away from the medical/health field.

I did the EE thing years ago. It is flexible and there lots of areas of expertise.

This is an analytical field. But hands on work is readily available.

Marketing is ok, but look at the type of work you want to do.

I am biased to EE because I enjoyed that work and career.

For the longest time, I kept changing my major to what I thought I should study even though I knew my personal interests...politics and business. Not anymore. I want a more international business bent though because I'm interested in globalization and living overseas. I've already lived in Japan for a couple of years and I'm interested in living in Europe for a while at some point so the trick is to study political science but find a way to make it applicable in other countries.

I came up with the plan of majoring in Government with a minor in business and the plan to find a graduate program in foreign policy. My dream job is to work at a think tank somewhere interesting, but I'm hoping these qualifications could get me a job at American Embassies at least. Who knows.

How long did it take you to change to your final major? Because one thing I don't want to do is waste money in a field I have no future in. I'm glad I'm this concerned less than a semester in.

I did and ironically enough I haven't found a single job in that field since graduating nearly a year and a half ago. I don't think I'd ever really enjoy it anyway, now. I'm going to be looking for a way to go back to school for anthropology, something I actually like, in a few years if I can.

(no good reason, just my favorite ;))

Bation :evilgrin:

Engineering - Good
Marketing - Too Soft a field
Accounting/Finance/Econ - Good hard business fields

Law School - a good place, but not a sure path to the promised land ($$$); Improved back up jobs if you go with A or C & law school doesnt go well.

Law School goes well and you have A or C, then you will be a valuable commodity, indeed.

I presume they may major in chemistry or something. How are your grades in that subject domain?

A pharmacist seems to be a pleasant job to have. You meet a lot of people, and you're providing a helpful service to the community. And as the general population continues to age, the demand will continue to grow -- it's not as if they can outsource that job, and from what I understand, they make a pretty nice salary.

I majored in biology, which I had some interest in and that I did alright in. I was more intersted in literature, history, and government though. I got better grades in those classes than biology and my supporting science and math classes because they were easier subjects for me and I studying didn't really feel like work in classes which held my interest more. If you are intersted in going to law school or even business school, major in what you are intersted in to have a strong GPA and develop connections with your professors. You could minor in economics or business or even take just a few classes to possibly prepare for a n MBA or a management career.

...and was confused when I graduated. My original plan was to go to law school, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it just wasn't me. But I went through exactly what you are going through right now, but since I loved politics, and liked the major, I decided to just go with it, with no real career path to follow.

I've since found that many people get into good jobs because of people they know, not what degree they have, etc. Makes sense. I had a rude awakening trying to find a job, because (especially in this economy) employers don't care what degree you have - they're looking for experience. After being in college 4 years, most people are seriously lacking in that department. I guess my 2 pieces of advice would be to try to do an internship, if you can find something interesting, whether just to make connections or to give you some work experience. And, as someone else already said, study a foreign language. If you're fluent, or close to it, it can give you a huge advantage over other appliacants. In America, the most relevant would probably be Spanish.

Its what I am gonna do when I transfer to a four year school.

about your major based on current conditions. They will change before you graduate and then they will change several times after you graduate. Pick something you like. And I'll second the notion that if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up you shouldn't pick a major that leads to a specific job.

If you are interested in politics and maybe law school it seems like you should major in Poli Sci or public policy or some such with thoughts of going to law school. While you're doing both those things you will probably discover things along the way you never even thought about.

tAKE A JOURNALISM MINOR. Can always work for campaign, press sec'y, political commentary. You must major in something that can not be outsourced in 20 years! In Business good writing skills are always rewarded.

engineering, law, business and especially accounting jobs seem to be some of the jobs destined for overseas employment. Outsourcing of whte collar jobs is increasing, and should continue to do so over the next 10-15 years. Not sure of the total number of jobs or workers to be affected, but just something to keep in the back of your head. The best bet may be to study something that you love and get some good internships under your belt.