A Major I Love or A Major That Makes Money?- Can I learn to love a major?

College Majors
1

<p>Hello everybody. I’m new to this site, so forgive me if this is in the wrong thread. I am currently going into my sophomore year of high school, and while some may argue that I have plenty of time to worry about this, I am becoming slightly distressed over what I’m going to be majoring in during college.</p>

<p>Believe me when I say I am not one of those teenagers that are obsessed with getting into and going to college. I am very much enjoying my youth, but I feel as though now is a good time to start researching different colleges and narrowing down which ones I am interested in. Unfortunately, this process is challenging because I am unclear as to what I want to major in. I have a few factors to be taken into consideration regarding this problem.</p>

<p>Without a doubt, my strongest skill is my writing ability. I have been told by many that I am very good with the written word, and I have to agree (I promise I’m not trying to come off as full of myself, just trying to get to the point). I have been taking writing classes at various colleges for the past few years now, and I have to say it is one of my greatest passions. Because of this, I was set on majoring in Journalism for quite some time. Reality recently kicked in, and I had decided that this was better off as a minor. I had come to the conclusion that I should major in either Communication or Marketing, as these are two majors that I am interested in, and they both go hand in hand with Journalism. However, there is still one problem- the money.</p>

<p>I’m going to come right out and say that I want to make a lot of money as an adult. I don’t want to have to rely on a man for money, or anybody else for that matter. I also know that I want to get married and have children someday, and I want to be able to live comfortably with my family and provide very well for my children. This is where majoring and minoring in the areas of studies mentioned above become a problem. None of them can make me nearly as much money as some other majors can, and that is a big turn-off for me. However, I feel as though I wouldn’t be able to love majoring in something such as Engineering. I’m not the best at math (not terrible, but not amazing), and that causes me to shy away from any mathematical or science-related major. I am, however, interested in science.</p>

<p>But is being interested in science enough? Or do I need to love and excel in science as much as I do in my writing? I can bear to not major in Communication or Marketing, but I feel torn about leaving Journalism behind because of my talent. I’d hate to see it go to waste, but I just don’t see it making me as much money as Engineering would. But can I learn to love Engineering, or another major unrelated to my writing, for the sake of money? Is it a good move to disregard my talent, even though I know it won’t make me as much money as I want it to?</p>

<p>I am incredibly sorry for the length of this post. I just wanted to make sure I shared my side of the story. Like I said above, I’m feeling incredibly torn, and I need advice. Anything you can offer me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>too young to worry about it dear. try a liberal arts school with strong sciences - but even that answer is too far in the future for you. don’t worry about it, honestly</p>

3

<p>You can’t learn to love engineering, because it is so rigorous and demanding - in order to put up with it you have to actually find it very, very interesting. Same applies for science, not necessarily because of the rigor (engineering is typically very tough everywhere, for the sciences it can vary), but because in order to make those “big bucks” that you desire, as a scientist you typically need to to go grad school.</p>

<p>Why do you like writing? What about it do you like, especially since there are different types of writing? (creative writing, journalism, argumentative/persuasive writing, poetry, etc.)
Are there any other skills you have, like verbal communication?</p>

<p>I think it is entirely feasible for you to do marketing or business or even journalism. Making a comfortable income is possible in any field (i.e. becoming editor-in-chief) - it’s a matter of how long it takes.</p>

<p>You’re a sophomore. You should be exploring. Some random suggestions for exploration (and you don’t have to do all or any of them): Write and read in your free time (stories? poetry? philosophy?). Join the school newspaper. Join a literature club if there is one. Join speech and debate. Take a couple of science/engineering classes. Maybe go out on a limb and take a challenging math class to see if you’re cut out for it. Do some internships over the summer in journalism or whatever other fields. Attend a summer writing camp. Do a bunch of things. Quit 75% of them. Blah blah blah…</p>

4

<p>Many, many, many fields need good writers. I talked to a young woman this weekend who was a biology major and she is writing content for on-line continuing Ed programs for medical professionals. That job probably did not exist 15 years ago. </p>

<p>Do what you love. Live within your means.</p>

5

<p>In reply to terenc, I have been told I’m a pretty good speaker, charismatic, good at making things up on the spot, etc…</p>

<p>I love writing because I like telling stories. I like being able to convey something to an audience that’s all my own. Which is why I thought a career in Marketing or something along those lines would be good for me.</p>

<p>Like I said in the original post, I REALLY want to make a lot of money. I just don’t know how I should go about doing so…</p>

6

<p>Pure “science” and applied engineering are actually at quite opposite ends of the income spectrum if you get a feel for recent grad salary surveys. Globalism has obliterated the science industry in the US and a lot of the science grads I know are either unemployed, working in non-science fields, or laced up their boots and went to medical school in order to apply the science to an actual trade. The rule of thumb is that undergraduate science degrees are for people who are comfortable with eventually getting their PhDs, Pharm.Ds or MDs. If by science you mean postgraduate clinical healthcare, then yes, you’ll be chasing money. If you mean research after 4-year college then you’ll be sorely disappointed.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that engineering, while usually at the top of the salary charts alongside computer programming, isn’t a guarantee either. You may end up not only studying something that bores you but also going through 20+ job interviews forcing yourself to feign enthusiasm. After that, you have 20+ years of pretending to look forward to. Is it worth that?</p>

<p>Business: Emphasis in Marketing is a large portion writing, but also speaking. Are you good with verbal communication? I look at marketing salary statistics and they’re pretty average, but when I look at people I knew who majored in marketing it’s much more of a story. The people who just wanted to draw up cool slogans and come up with what to put on a billboard are all poor and realize they should have gone into accounting. The people who are extremely social and like to interact with clients and win contracts are making good money. </p>

<p>Most marketing degrees also include fundamental business/accounting classes that will prove useful throughout life, whether you end up owning our own business or just want to save money on your taxes. I know journalism initially seems more “artsy”, but that may only be during school. Real-world journalists generally have to turn the opinions of others into prose then put their name on it. I would argue that marketing actually offers more artistic freedom after a few promotions because you’re not quite as “expendable” from the logistical business side of things.</p>

<p>Law school is also an option. The salary story is similar to marketing, but even more extreme: Lawyers who don’t make it, really don’t make it and are left with colossal debt. Lawyers who do have the verbal and analytical skills are rich.</p>

<p>Just my various impulses and observations.</p>

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<p>Oh yeah, and when you say '“a LOT of money” that’s very broad. You may make $30,000/yr as a journalist and $90,000/yr as an engineer and have an improved quality of life and feel secure, but you won’t be “rich”. Most engineers won’t be cruising around in a Gallardo unless they happen to be hired by Lamborghini, if you catch my drift.</p>

<p>No matter what field rich people start in, whether it’s music or technology or just baking really good cookies, what actually makes them rich is being business-savvy and knowing how to manage their money. No matter your major, a few quantitative business classes and internships where you get to interact with wealthy managers never hurt anyone.</p>

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<p>It’s a proven law that, whatever the mean salary of a field is, is EXACTLY what you’ll make in it too.</p>

<p>[/sarcasm]</p>

9

<p>No, but when 75% of the workforce in any given field statistically fall into nearly the same annual salary you kind of have to factor it into your career planning.</p>

<p>I’m not saying everyone who majors in something “fun” will end up being an Occupy Wall Street protester in a diaper with syringes hanging out of their arms. I just think it’s healthy and refreshing that she admits she wants to make a lot of money. I think a business-oriented linguistic career like marketing or law is a nice middle ground.</p>

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<p>I am not naive about how things are salary-wise when it comes to these majors and careers. I’m perfectly aware that things aren’t as cookie-cutter as they appear- I DO realize that just because I may end up becoming an engineer, doesn’t mean I’ll end up making the amount of money that is projected as the mean.</p>

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<p>So enter the field about which you are actually passionate. You are not going to be staggeringly successful in a career where you have neither above-average competence nor personal interest.</p>

<p>I’m baffled by the popular assumption that STEM diplomas are golden tickets. Unemployment feels the same no matter what career one possesses.</p>

<p>^^ Would love to know the lower/upper bounds for this 3/4 stat of yours. Is the interval for your ± stan dev $1000? $10 000? Actually, I’d love to know whether this even has a source.</p>

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<p>You can make $70,000 - $100,000 as a marketing copywriter - for an ad agency or in a corporate marketing dept. Not at first, but with experience. Especially if you’re also good at client presentations. Another possibility for someone with good people skills would be an account executive with an ad agency.</p>

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<p>People, keep in mind that OP is only a rising sophomore. Meaning she has only done freshman year of high school… </p>

<p>You should put off this discussion and explore various opportunities in high school and outside of school. Have this discussion again 2nd semester junior year when you start thinking about which colleges to apply to, and when you have actually taken high school and maybe even AP-level math, science, and writing classes.</p>

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<p>Oh you busted me. I threw 75% out there as a rule of thumb.</p>

<p>However, that’s how the market works. We can’t magically tell how good someone is until late in their career, when they’ve already proven themselves, so employers tend to go by things like majors and internships. Supply/demand will naturally place an approximate value on someone based on those factors. You can find an engineer who will work for $30,000 per year, but it’s like shopping for a computer assuming you’ll find one for $40 because the website has a bug. Risky planning.</p>

<p>So, we can’t predict what someone will be making 30 years from now or how many times they’ve changed fields (and most incoming college kids probably don’t really care anyway), but we can look at surveys of recent graduates from within the past few years and see a pattern (more relevant anyway). In popular majors, the vast majority of employees make almost the same amount. There are only a handful of outliers making way less or way more.</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php?yr=2010%20-%202011[/url]”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php?yr=2010%20-%202011&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Select “undergraduates” and check out some of the most popular “high-paying” majors.</p>

<p>Accounting:</p>

<p>$16,000
$17,000
$25,000
$27,840
$31,000
$35,000
$36,000
$38,000
$40,000
$40,000
$40,000
$47,000
$48,000
$48,000
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
$50,500
$51,000
$51,000
$51,000
$51,000
$51,500
$51,500
$51,500
$51,500
$51,500
$51,500
$51,500
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$52,000
$53,000
$53,000
$53,000
$54,000
$54,000
$54,000
$55,000
$56,000
$56,000
$56,000
$56,000
$56,200
$57,000
$60,000
$65,000
$65,000
$68,000
$70,000
$70,000</p>

<p>From my speedy count, 34 out of 45 grads are making $50,000 to $55,000. </p>

<p>34*100/45 is…</p>

<p>Oh my goodness. 75.5% of grads with an accounting degree are making nearly the exact same amount of money. The median happens to be $52,000. But accounting is just a boring linear climb up the corporate ladder, right? No risk involved.</p>

<p>How about a “high risk/talent-driven” field with a less predictable career track, like computer Science: </p>

<p>24 out of 32 Cal Poly CS grads are making $70k-80k. </p>

<p>Exactly 75%.</p>

<p>Almost every major you’ll find follows the Salary website/BLS/etc. cliches where they place outliers into the remaining top and bottom 12.5%. You CAN roughly estimate what you will be making based on your major.</p>

<p>Now lets look at journalism. Most employees reported unreported(0?). 10 out of 47 were only employed part time. The reported salary range jumps from $21,450 to $380,000 (which could possibly be a joke response, but who knows) in 17 spots. There’s absolutely no market pattern going on and anyone planning a career based on that degree is really gambling compared to engineering or accounting.</p>

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<p>Another cool one [Center</a> on Education and the Workforce - What’s It Worth Home Page](<a href=“http://cew.georgetown.edu/whatsitworth/]Center”>What’s It Worth?: The Economic Value of College Majors - CEW Georgetown)</p>

<p>Even if you think I’m an imbecile for making such a big deal of medians, it’s just fun to look at.</p>

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<p>You put so much effort in this. How cute!</p>

<p>Two things:</p>

<p>1) (0.98/√45) = 0.1461</p>

<p>(0.98/√32) = 0.1732</p>

<p>That means that your own statistics for accounting and comp sci have MoEs of ± 15% and ± 17% at the 95 percent confidence level respectively. Hardly the most sound statistics, no?</p>

<p>2) Not only are those stats unreliable, but they’re not even externally valid! If you’d just taken one second to actually read the words of your source instead of just the numbers, you would have seen that ** they only sampled individuals from California**, hardly a result which can be easily generalized to the overall American workforce.</p>

<p>I’d like to say I give you an A for effort, but I don’t think you’d qualify for even that =S</p>

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<p>^ Was obviously a response to the Cal Poly data. I admit the Georgetown report is much tighter methodologically. Good Google-sleuthing! Protip: n=531 337 is indeed much preferred over n=30. </p>

<p>The irony, though, is that the Georgetown data actually undermines your original claim, since the report is very clear in showing that the difference between the 25th and the 75th percentile in Engineering averages to around $50 000, which is absolutely huge. If 50 percent of Engineering graduates are making vastly different amounts of money, tell me again how “75% of the workforce in any given field statistically fall into nearly the same annual salary”?</p>

<p>Again, close but no cigar.</p>

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<p>I will tell you this: I am currently a college student at the University of Kentucky. I came from a family that pretty much saved every single nickel and dime for their two kids. My parents don’t make much money, but they gave me the opportunity to go to college, even though I have to take out loans. I started off majoring in something just for the money aspect of it, and I couldn’t have hated it more. Now, I am majoring in pure mathematics, which is something I love. I could not be happier, and the truth of the matter is that a pure mathematics degree won’t get me anywhere. The only option I have is to continue with school once I get my degree. I will have a diploma, but the money will come. Don’t sweat it. You’ll be fine. Do something you love as I’m doing.</p>

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<p>Haha, I happened to come across this just now and thought it would be appropriate (not to mention it’s to a great song/musical!) =)</p>

<p>[xkcd:</a> Every Major’s Terrible](<a href=“http://xkcd.com/1052/]xkcd:”>xkcd: Every Major's Terrible)</p>

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<p>Text faces and flaunting high school math… You seem kind of young. We were working with a sample group of 45 people so safe to say I’m vulnerable to peer review.</p>

<p>Of course it pertains to California. It’s Cal Poly. That you can adjust the COL for each major respectively and maintain the gap between them, not rocket science.</p>

<p>Like I said before the Georgetown data is mid-career so less illustrative of what a degree is worth straight out of college on its own merit, but it’s still fun to look at.</p>