<p>Hello,
I'm senior in high school this year and have been contemplating like crazy about what to major in college and what my future career I will be lead to. </p>
<p>I'm good with math (pre-calc now), sciences, and social sciences at school. I love using a computer for school, video editing, web editing, etc (I would love to have a career that uses technology as a part of everyday work). I've been suggested to become an accountant but got scared off from the ridiculous hours of work. </p>
<p>Do you have any career suggestions for me? I would want to work in a promising field, with a fairly good salary and work satisfaction but yet not one that gives no time for family.</p>
<p>If you want to maintain your sanity, don't even consider becoming an accountant. It's okay pay but the most mind-numbing white-collar job in the world. I'd suggest doing something in IT.</p>
<p>Jakor,
You care to elaborate? Why is IT a good choice? Which careers in specific? and isn't outsourcing starting to take over? Also, IT can become such a nuisance with lay-offs and no options to work on your own when you get tired of this trend.</p>
<p>I don't know why you think accountants work terrible hours. I don't think they do except, perhaps, in the accounting firms and/or at tax time. If you're in the accounts receivable department at a large firm, you work steadily but not all that hard.</p>
<p>Personally, I would find accounting unbearable. It's work that requires little real math skill but a lot of memorizing of rules.</p>
<p>I'd look towards Nano or Biotechnology. Only problem is not many colleges offer Degrees in one. However I read that Biomedical Engineering is the fastest growing till 2015 (and many colleges offer this). But note that Biomed Eng. has more to do with Engineering that Biology.</p>
<p>A lot of accounting jobs are dependent on how complex our tax code is. Once our country is smart enough to change to a simpler tax code, where all you do is fill in your income, subtract an allowance, and multiply by a percentage for taxes, I do not know where H&R Block jobs would be.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about the stability of IT either. Lots of companies are now switching to free online services like gmail in place of traditional IT.</p>
<p>We can't really say what will be the "stable" job in 50 years. I expect some type of engineering has the most stable prospects. Plus, people with an engineering degree can switch over to other fields like management.</p>
<p>ruyi, could you support your argument? also, what kind of skills/studies does the field require? and what about financial advisors, i've seen job rankings that included this.</p>
<p>mvstudent, Go search the Dept. Of Labor's website for Biomedical Engineering. It's the fastest growing career (till 2015). Biotechnology comprises vast facets of today's world.</p>
<p>Oh sorry for the wrong impression milki, I just want some "backup" to what is being said. I would love to be a software engineer but my dad is one and he suffers from the regular lay-offs faced every few years. I don't want to go study for 4+ years and then end up with a career that has little job openings or ridiculously long work days. In other words, I don't want to have regret.</p>
<p>yeah, what milki said. sorry i don't know much about it! i just have some techy friends who seem to enjoy it, it's a good growing field, and i don't think the careers it offers have a reputation for crazy-long work hours. that link he gave seems pretty good though. here's another:</p>
<p>IT because, though there is some instability, it is not as risky a career path as some might expect. I merely thought that you'd find a job involving computers most interesting (surely being an accountant has rotted the minds of many-a-promising youth). You don't necessarily have to be like a computer repair worker or w/e. There are still many businesses that are interested in American programming labor (creating better technology for the future). Could do that.</p>
<p>Something that milkoholic17 just said, you could definitely be in marketing. Help your clients utilize all the digital and physical advertising space possible in order to maximize business! This is something that can't be shipped overseas effectively (few people in other countries even want to start trying to get in the mind of the average American consumer).</p>
<p>aerospace engineering. my professor told me that there are less aerospace engineers going into the field than those leaving. also, think about space tourism. it is just getting started and the opportunities are vast. also, i think it is going to be better than bioengineering/biomedical engineering because so many kids are flocking to biomedical engineering since the media said it was going to be a great field a couple years back.</p>
<p>IT is good, but only if youre working on some serious project like developing the next software for blah blah blah. if youre going to be the network guy of a company or the computer consultant, youre not going to make that much because there are a lot of these jobs out there.</p>