I need help choosing a new major
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In this economy, want and need are two different things.
I recently read about some woman who had a decent job, but quit in order to go to law school. She started law school, but then figured it "wasn't for her" and quit that too. She tried to get her old job back, but with the economy there was no job. She's doing crap work now and hates it.
So ask yourself the hard questions.
1. Why are you "bad" at math and science? Can you overcome that by getting help / working harder?
2. Just because you "don't want to be" in a major / job any longer, is there anything realistically better out there? Lots of people are now overqualified, higher degreed Wal-Mart cashiers. The checkout guy at the Target saw my sweatshirt and asked me if I went to University of ----. I said yes, and he said he did too... for a Masters degree. Uncomfortable silence followed.
3. Teaching is a stable job and not one that fluctuates with the economy. So while the pay is crap, you do what you enjoy and don't have to deliver pizza when your business job dries up.
4. Consider something in healthcare. No joke, nursing is one of the best jobs out there. Great pay, always in demand. If you can get past the "Meet the Fawkers" references, I think that it's a great alternative for people who don't want to go through the decades of training of medical school. But you have to get over your barrier of basic math and science. You don't have to do multivarible calculus, P-chem, etc. but passing aptitude is a must.
I recently read about some woman who had a decent job, but quit in order to go to law school. She started law school, but then figured it "wasn't for her" and quit that too. She tried to get her old job back, but with the economy there was no job. She's doing crap work now and hates it.
So ask yourself the hard questions.
1. Why are you "bad" at math and science? Can you overcome that by getting help / working harder?
2. Just because you "don't want to be" in a major / job any longer, is there anything realistically better out there? Lots of people are now overqualified, higher degreed Wal-Mart cashiers. The checkout guy at the Target saw my sweatshirt and asked me if I went to University of ----. I said yes, and he said he did too... for a Masters degree. Uncomfortable silence followed.
3. Teaching is a stable job and not one that fluctuates with the economy. So while the pay is crap, you do what you enjoy and don't have to deliver pizza when your business job dries up.
4. Consider something in healthcare. No joke, nursing is one of the best jobs out there. Great pay, always in demand. If you can get past the "Meet the Fawkers" references, I think that it's a great alternative for people who don't want to go through the decades of training of medical school. But you have to get over your barrier of basic math and science. You don't have to do multivarible calculus, P-chem, etc. but passing aptitude is a must.
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From: Northern Indiana
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Originally Posted by iwantyourcar,Feb 15 2009, 07:23 PM
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Unless you're gaining a very specific trade (nursing for example), then an undergrad major really doesn't matter these days.
The best choice you can make is to pick something that you'll do well in and get good grades in. Work hard, get a great GPA, get good recommendations from your professors, internships, etc. The major you choose these days doesn't really matter.
Today, undergrad is seen in the same manner as high school was a few decades ago, it's a test of your capability to learn and your work ethic...not a place to gain specialized skill.
If you really want your major to count, expect to go to grad school. But for undergrad, your performance is much more important than your major.
Case in point: my wife is in grad school for International Relations with a focus on East Asia and National Security, she was a marketing major in college and worked as a consultant for a research company. I was an economics major in college (graduated cum laude so I had decent grades) and I work in the commercial print industry and do nothing related to economics. My college buddy graduated undergrad with a mechanical engineering major and now works for a law firm. Another friend graduated with an accounting degree and his first job out of college was as an entry level programmer. My friend's girlfriend has an undergrad degree in computer science, she's now a human resources manager.
The best choice you can make is to pick something that you'll do well in and get good grades in. Work hard, get a great GPA, get good recommendations from your professors, internships, etc. The major you choose these days doesn't really matter.
Today, undergrad is seen in the same manner as high school was a few decades ago, it's a test of your capability to learn and your work ethic...not a place to gain specialized skill.
If you really want your major to count, expect to go to grad school. But for undergrad, your performance is much more important than your major.
Case in point: my wife is in grad school for International Relations with a focus on East Asia and National Security, she was a marketing major in college and worked as a consultant for a research company. I was an economics major in college (graduated cum laude so I had decent grades) and I work in the commercial print industry and do nothing related to economics. My college buddy graduated undergrad with a mechanical engineering major and now works for a law firm. Another friend graduated with an accounting degree and his first job out of college was as an entry level programmer. My friend's girlfriend has an undergrad degree in computer science, she's now a human resources manager.
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Originally Posted by ts80,Feb 16 2009, 10:22 AM
Unless you're gaining a very specific trade (nursing for example), then an undergrad major really doesn't matter these days.
The best choice you can make is to pick something that you'll do well in and get good grades in. Work hard, get a great GPA, get good recommendations from your professors, internships, etc. The major you choose these days doesn't really matter.
Today, undergrad is seen in the same manner as high school was a few decades ago, it's a test of your capability to learn and your work ethic...not a place to gain specialized skill.
If you really want your major to count, expect to go to grad school. But for undergrad, your performance is much more important than your major.
Case in point: my wife is in grad school for International Relations with a focus on East Asia and National Security, she was a marketing major in college and worked as a consultant for a research company. I was an economics major in college (graduated cum laude so I had decent grades) and I work in the commercial print industry and do nothing related to economics. My college buddy graduated undergrad with a mechanical engineering major and now works for a law firm. Another friend graduated with an accounting degree and his first job out of college was as an entry level programmer. My friend's girlfriend has an undergrad degree in computer science, she's now a human resources manager.
The best choice you can make is to pick something that you'll do well in and get good grades in. Work hard, get a great GPA, get good recommendations from your professors, internships, etc. The major you choose these days doesn't really matter.
Today, undergrad is seen in the same manner as high school was a few decades ago, it's a test of your capability to learn and your work ethic...not a place to gain specialized skill.
If you really want your major to count, expect to go to grad school. But for undergrad, your performance is much more important than your major.
Case in point: my wife is in grad school for International Relations with a focus on East Asia and National Security, she was a marketing major in college and worked as a consultant for a research company. I was an economics major in college (graduated cum laude so I had decent grades) and I work in the commercial print industry and do nothing related to economics. My college buddy graduated undergrad with a mechanical engineering major and now works for a law firm. Another friend graduated with an accounting degree and his first job out of college was as an entry level programmer. My friend's girlfriend has an undergrad degree in computer science, she's now a human resources manager.
as vtec9 pointed out, this is NOT the case for many other jobs... i'd like to see a marketing major come out of college and do web based application development. day 1 would be interesting.