Be honest: What major(s) do you not take seriously?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>@ srose91, I understand you’re trying to be practical, but think of it this way: there are very few majors that lead directly to jobs - Architecture, Nursing, Engineering, Comp Sci, Accounting, Finance, Business, Marketing, etc. Most people study Liberal Arts/Sciences, which are not pre-professional, but can also pay off. I’ve heard that the average Economics major makes more than the average Business major - Econ is a liberal art, Business is a professional subject which you don’t need a degree in for that field. </p>

<p>My dad works in Finance and says he likes hiring Physics/Math majors because he knows that on average, they’re smarter and more hard-working than Business majors. Physics/Math are not pre-professional subjects, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of opportunities. My brother’s girlfriend studied Anthropology, she’s now in Marketing. Pre-professional degrees are not needed for most careers. Most jobs simply require a Bachelor’s and they don’t care what it’s in - History, Biology, whatever. If you’re smart, diligent, and have good interpersonal skills, that will make you appealing to employers. Often they don’t care what you majored in at all, so you might as well study what you like for 4 years. : )</p>

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<p>How long is the recession going to last? You’ve avoided the question.</p>

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<p>It doesn’t matter how long it is going to last. The point is that some majors will almost guarantee you a job out of college, while others will not. It is about what is in demand and what is not. </p>

<p>I am not willing to take the risk of majoring in something that does not have a good job outlook. I much rather major in something that is demand so I have some financial security.</p>

<p>I like to play things safe. If you don’t mind the risks involved in majoring in something that isn’t in demand, by all means that is your choice. When I decided to go back to college after leaving the military, the first thing I did was research which majors were in demand. From there I picked one that I am interested in. In a perfect world I would have picked something entirely different, but I much rather be financial secure. I don’t need to be filthy rich, but after living on my own for quite a few years you realize basic needs cost money…and I wan’t to guarantee that I will have that money</p>

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<p>So I’ve been trying to follow this debate but can’t figure out who is arguing with who.</p>

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<p>Why are engineering majors so insecure? Why do they feel the need to say they’re better than humanities majors in every thread? Why do math and science majors get ignored while everyone’s talking about liberal arts, business, and engineering majors?</p>

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<p>I don’t that anyone is “better” than anyone else. But some make better choices when it comes to their future.</p>

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<p>Thank you for defending us business major. Not all of us want or have the money to go get MBAs.</p>

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<p>Why do elephants have big ears? Why are socks itchy? Why do pigs taste so good? Why do men have nipples?</p>

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<p>Or maybe different people want different things? Majoring in the humanities might not be the best choice for you, but you can’t generalize like that.</p>

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<p>No, sorry, but your major isn’t a better choice than mine. It’s a different choice, but certainly not a better one.</p>

<p>I don’t even know what you’re majoring in, but you haven’t said too much about enjoying it, so I’m going to assume it’s not your life’s passion.</p>

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<p>Ooh! I know the answer to that one…but I forgot what it was. I think all babies start out as girls or something like that.</p>

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<p>I’m glad that I don’t have these problems. What makes me happy is making money. Making money is what makes me happy. For me, Making Money=Happiness</p>

<p>I’m not trying to sound like some greedy miser. It’s not really the money I enjoy. It’s the process of working and getting the money that I like. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t give a rat’s @ss how I make money. I just like knowing that I am making money. And the more money, the bigger the challenge, and the more happy I am pursuing that challenge.</p>

<p>And then I can spend money on golf and beer :slight_smile: And watch hockey games :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)</p>

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<p>Obviously when I said better, I mean better job opp. in the future.</p>

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<p>Nope, my major is not my life passion. However, no college major could ever be my life passion.</p>

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Most jobs do only require a BA. Here’s why it’s better to major in science or engineering.

  1. There are jobs where you need a science or engineering degree (or accounting, or nursing, or arch). Humanities majors cannot apply for those jobs. I wouldn’t want an average English major building bridges if they havn’t taken math in 4 years.
  2. For any job a humanities major can apply for, engineering, science, and other majors can also apply for them. The requirements for the jobs are pretty basic and they’ll take whoever fits best in the role. There is no reason why a humanities major would be any more competitive than any other major.<br>
    Basically a humanities major has no specialization to fall back on and has a more competitive job environment.
  3. You mention math and physics. Those are very quantitative majors with huge signaling abilities to future employers. I mentioned earlier how the average person respects a math or science major because they feel they are bad at those skills while they don’t respect a humanities major because they feel that they can read or write. Whether that is fair or not has nothing to do with it. Math and Physics are seen as tougher and therefore are more respected.</p>

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At my school all engineers have a senior design project where they have to present a full year research project. CS majors also have basic humanities requirements so they will have 4 years worth of writing, just not as many papers. Science classes also require writing in lab reports, just a different type of writing from history papers. Good classes will have discussion and debates, so they gain communication there.</p>

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Recessions usually last ~2 years and booms last ~7 years. Business cycles happen and no one can stop them. We’ll have another recession some time 10-15 years from now and you can’t predict when or how bad it will be. If you have a career in very high demand (whether it’s nursing or you’re just one of the best in your field) you will be fine during a recession. If you aren’t in high demand you’ll be laid off and have to live off savings for a while. Skills give you something to fall back on and help make you recession proof.</p>

<p>I think I saw somewhere a person mentioned that econ pays more than business. That stat doesn’t tell the whole story. At many top schools there is no business major so econ is the de facto business major. At a school with econ and business the business majors will have easier times finding jobs because of the better recruiting and alumni connections. I’m speaking first hand as an econ major at a college with a top business school</p>

<p>The advice I would give anyone is to major in what you enjoy, but to also tack on another major or minor that is marketable and/or practical. Marketable majors are those that are seen as more quantitative and more respected like Math and Physics. Practical majors are ones that go directly to a career like nursing or accounting. Engineering is a great cross section of the two because it’s very marketable for generic jobs and lends itself to a career track.</p>

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<p>I read that men can produce milk too. I heard that when women are not available, a man can feed a baby like this as a last resort.</p>

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Ok, let’s argue, Plattsburgh! Shall we have an NYU vs Fordham/Columbia debate, or an uptown vs downtown debate? Ooh I’m moving to Morningside Heights soon, so maybe I’ll see you around the Columbia campus (cause your library is awesome and close to my place).

small willies? :confused:

No one cares about math/sci :frowning: It’s always CompSci/Engineering vs Business vs Liberal Arts. No one has bashed my major/minor in this entire thread…they don’t care enough to bash us :[</p>

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<p>Business majors win hands down cause we’re better than you and we know it :)</p>

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<p>I think engineers are the ones who tend to incite the humanities majors’ frustrations the most – that’s why we don’t get bashed as much (“we” meaning math and science majors).</p>

<p>As for the debate, well my answer is that one should do what would be most fulfilling to oneself for the long term. That, I would conjecture for most, would be to make some good money – for most of us, our career isn’t everything. A significant part of our fulfilling life comes from being part of a family, friends, and being able to do things that make us feel healthy. And money gives one flexibility to work with the time one has with one’s family and friends, long after college days are over. Spending 4 years doing a major one can just tolerate, not love, isn’t so bad unless you aim to derive a large part of your satisfaction from your line of study and/or the career it leads you to.</p>

<p>There are, however, some who’re so passionate about a certain career path that they simply must pursue it. To these, I say go for it, but have a backup plan. For instance, as a passionate math major, I would like to research mathematics some day, as of now, but I always could do something more applied, within the settings of CS, economics, etc. </p>

<p>I do think, however, those who are doing English majors just because they like it decently are doing themselves a disservice. One should do a major like that with a clear plan – maybe of teaching, or of become a professor and studying a narrow topic. </p>

<p>Not all of the world has the luxury to major in whatever they want, and one should realize that when a humanities major says “Oh my god, majoring in something so you can make money, what a sad, pathetic existence” (s)he is a spoiled brat :slight_smile: – many in countries outside of the U.S. major in something like CS to get a small-time degree (not from CMU or MIT caliber schools mind you), and just make a very humble living. If one is privileged enough to be able to do a career which is fulfilling and interesting, well one should consider oneself deeply lucky. </p>

<p>I iterate, of the big reasons I can dream of having a career in what I love is that I am lucky. And so it is with others like me.</p>

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<p>Humanities is a joke</p>

<p>/thread</p>