<p>I didn’t want to start WW3, why I am merely trying to point out that in a sense we have stuff that makes us snobby.</p>
<p>what is so different of saying STEM > Social Sciences or Dodgers > Giants or Cal>UCLA or Celtic > Rangers or Barça > Real. They are all opinions. </p>
<p>To answer the original post… the question is should a sociology major switch to cognitive science…
Most people were saying to keep the sociology major. I was trying to be give a different opinion and say that its ok to pursue cognitive science.</p>
<p>Well, Sterling had some interesting opinions as well and he surely didn’t want to start WW3. Doesn’t change the fact that they were idiotic opinions. How many more years are you going to be at UCLA for?</p>
<p>You were trying to pass off your opinions as facts. In this case, your opinion that the social sciences are not actual sciences. That’s not a fact. It’s a misinformed opinion.</p>
<p>Saying Cal > UCLA or UCLA > Cal or something to that effect is, depending on the context, merely an opinion and nothing more. Most people who express these kinds of opinions don’t try and speak as if they’re true. You, on the other hand, appeared to assert your opinion as fact.</p>
<p>@Zalrons trying to compare me to Sterling… wow SMH, this is from a person that cannot even spell the words Legalize and Cannabis correctly (lol) … If you must know, this is my second year probably my last quarter at UCLA. </p>
<p>@Cayton sorry for the misunderstanding, It is my ‘opinion’ that Social Science is not the correct term…</p>
<p>Here is my logic behind it</p>
<p>The S in Stem stands for Science
If Social Sciences are not part of STEM
that implies that Social Science are not part of Science</p>
<p>I already said that there are some social science departments (ex: anthropology, psychology) that offer majors (ex: Anthropology B.S) whose requirements have significant STEM courses. I believe the word Social Sciences should be reserved for those types of majors… </p>
<p>as a cultural anthro major, Im not too worried. I think its going to take a little bit of creativeness to get the wages I want but def not impossible. however the wages can wait, as I first plan to travel, research, get involved with documentary film making/photography for anthro purposes, work in my community and plan to open a collective as a small business. by mid 30s wages will be more important to me and by then working for orgs like human rights watch can really pay the bills . and lastly im not worried because every time I read anthro literature and finish an anthro class or writting an anthro paper I feel alive! as ridiculous as that sounds, I think that I have the same feeling as an artist that just finished a great painting , or an athlete that just played their best game. when you have that feeling in regards to your major I think its a good sign that thats what you;re meant to do </p>
<p>p.s @Dagoberto the social sciences are not part of STEM because (and this might blow your mind), its Social Sciences, yes thats correct there are two S.S in social sciences. if it was SSTEM, then maybe we would be part of the field but no it is STEM with one S. </p>
<ul>
<li>my own 2 cents if it wasnt for the social sciences there would be no STEM, we need to keep people alive under different cultures and social systems and mentally stable before we can indulge in STEM. ++ my ancestors were no scientists but because of our culture they were well aware of their place in our solar system way before no Galileo came around. </li>
</ul>
<p>Using the logic that the S in STEM stands for science, and Social Sciences aren’t part of that, so therefore it’s not a science, is highly flawed. I could say Biology is not part of Social Science, therefore it’s not a science. </p>
<p>@lamelcriada I can agree with sentiment. I recently turned down a good paying job (I come from a poor family so my definition of good paying is different) in order to focus on an non-profit dealing with Math Education. However I think that it is only fair to give the people choices in making a the trade-off between good paying job vs one that make you happy. I don’t think is wise to tell people that there is no correlation between majors and potential earnings, the data simply does not support it.</p>
<p>well Dago my fam is also living in poverty, and i was raised by a single mother cleaning toilets at Intel, so my def of a good paying job is also really low . but even though there might be a “correlation” with certain majors and earnings, there is also a lot of sitting around going on for many people with all kinds of majors including STEM, only that in some fields it is harder to find a job, e.g - if we stopped coming up with a new iphone once a year but instead funded social research that saves lives, perhaps there would be more higher wages for s.s majors. i find it sad we are always so proud to be #1 in technological innovation, but in social innovation , we are literally dead last for the type of “wealth” and “resources” we have. + like I said earlier , one needs to be creative, and needs to diversify their knowledge. which may or may not include, getting masters and Ph.ds in other fields or similar fields, speaking 3 + languages, being a self starter, having good communication/ writting skills, have the ability to work under pressure and in groups. for the s.ss one needs to have both academic and so called street knowledge, basically dont be basic</p>
<p>Well, as long as you acknowledge the wrongness of the claim that social sciences aren’t sciences and only assert that as opinion, and not fact, I’m happy. You’re free to believe what you want.</p>
<p>What I’m actually impressed by is how Dagoberto, who’s like a volunteer that tried to help transfer students that comes to UCLA and posts on the UCLA transfer page, manages to piss off and attack a large portion of us that have humanities/social science majors. Well done @Dagoberto you sure do a great job making the transfer community look friendly. =D> </p>
<p>OP can graduate with a sociology major and own a RENOWN TALK SHOW ABOUT FINANCES…, thus, banking millions yearly.
HELLOOOOOO…“this is AMERICA”…ONLY in this country can this happen.
I say, if OP enjoys what she is studying, and happy about doing that, that is all that matters, - who knows where her passion will lead her to.
Never underestimate the power of AMERICAN OPPORTUNITIES. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!! WORK HARD AND BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS.
Best of luck to you. </p>
<p>Social sciences are not generally considered part of STEM. They tend to be grouped with humanities. STEM disciplines are along the lines of engineering, medicine, physics, chemistry, computer science, etc. </p>
<p>Here is an article discussing how some STEM majors are helped by having a minor in humanities or social sciences.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone is suggesting that Social Science is/ should be considered STEM. We’re just saying just because it’s not part of STEM, doesn’t mean it’s not a science. </p>
<p>@Cayton: I’m old and a recruiting business owner. I’ve long thought think that the world needs more philosophy majors and fewer ideologues. Heck, philosophy students Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison decided to create the first country ever based on philosophy, rather than tribes. They wrote the stuff.</p>
<p>I love to recruit grads with a philosophy background (along with skills). Because philosophy, as Socrates taught us, isn’t about knowing all the answers, it’s about asking the right questions. To a point, though, as Socrates found out. </p>
<p>Many people don’t realize that many, if not most, of the shows they watch on TV are either rooted in Shakespeare or philosophy. Seinfeld was a philosophy lesson every week disguised as comedy. One in particular strikes me: The one where George smells smoke and runs out of an apartment, knocking down the toddlers and elderly on the way. I call it the Ayn Rand episode.</p>
<p>By the way, I just talked to a business manager who majored in philosophy. A project manager that I talked to earlier majored in history. If you have just enough skills, humanities majors can progress rapidly over the “know-hows” within 5-10 years.</p>
<p>Philosophy is making a comeback, too. I think it should be a core curriculum starting no later than Jr. High. Maybe call it “Wondering” to make it more palatable for the masses. Taking at least one general philosophy class makes other classes much easier. Give me balance over ones-and-zeros.</p>
<p>That’s very encouraging! I’m glad more and more people in the business world recognize the value of studying philosophy and the other humanities!</p>
<p>I should probably pick up some business skills, though. Maybe get an internship or two.</p>
<p>@sonic23
I too am a history major, I too want to become a professor, will go to graduate school, of course. I have a passion for the subject, there are other aspects that I will look into. Working in museums and whatnot. And a major does not determine the type of job you can obtain. A good friend of mine, who graduated from UCLA with a degree in Biology, is now a VP at a mortgage company. Most places just want to see that you are educated, and being from UCLA, it is important. </p>
<p>Being a professor is a good secure job. My chem professor was trying to encourage a PhD for me the other day actually haha. I am just set on making the millions $)</p>
<p>I disagree. If you’re tenured, then yes, professorship is a good and secure job with great benefits, but there’s a serious problem in this country’s universities and community colleges regarding the number of Ph.Ds being produced and the number of professorship positions that are available. </p>
<p>Typically, for every open tenured professor position, there are hundreds of applicants fighting for it. That’s why so many professors are “adjuncts”, who are basically part-time teachers at the university level who receive pitiful compensation in exchange for their services; they’re paid at what is basically minimum wage and possibly even worse. Universities and community colleges employ a large number of adjunct professors because it saves them money, though it’s not very commendable because of the low quality of life that most adjuncts lead as a result of their low wages. There’s a serious shortage of high-paying full-time positions; I once had a history professor who told me that there were 700+ other applicants for an open full-time position that he applied for.</p>
<p>This is just one of many reasons why it’s not a good idea to seek to become a professor. For anyone who wishes to become a professor, I suggest that you google “100 reasons not to go to graduate school.” Since most people who go to graduate school do so with the intent to become a professor, I think it’ll be a good idea for anyone considering college teaching to do the research and at least be aware of the risks involved in pursuing that line of work.</p>
<p>true Good statistic I read about recently. “90% of millionaires have college degrees; among them the average GPA is a 2.8. Only 18% of them have graduate/advanced degrees” So you pretty much have a better chance at real success by just working and being creative haha. Cudos.</p>