<p>My son who is 18 years old has no idea of what major he wants to pursue. He is almost at the end of his first year at UT Austin and I feel he needs to make up his mind soon. For one thing, he has fulfilled most of his Core classes due to his AP claim. He is trying hard to come up with a major but he doesn't know what he likes in regards to his "Career Choice". I am trying to help him but I don't see him interested in anything besides playing video games. I know that based on his PSAT, SAT, ACT scores, his best subject is in Critical Reading. He did not train for any SAT prep classes. He also didn't do any SAT practices at home. On the day(s) he had the test(s), he just went in to take them. No preparation for these tests whatsoever. His Critical Reading score always came out to be the best each time ranging from 700-740. If SAT is truly an aptitude test, I would think his natural strength is in critical thinking. There is an organization out there that can help us to determine his natural ability so he can narrow down his career choices. It will take a full day of testing and will cost $700.00. We can't afford it so I am hoping if anyone can tell me what careers would be right for a person with a strong critical thinking skill. He doesn't want to be a lawyer. He doesn't like Computer Science and definitely no engineering. He said he is not good at Math although I don't think he is bad at it since his SAT Math scores were from 670 - 700 range. He passed Calculus BC AP exam with a "4" so he can't be that bad in Math. Any help is appreciated! </p>
<p>Empathy waves to you. I am the same sort of person. No career sounds appealing to me. I just want to play my life away. I doubt if there is a way that a parent or anyone else can help a person like me find direction. </p>
<p>There are hundreds of careers that your son would be good at. Tell him to walk away from the video games and get engaged in real life. Is there an organization he volunteers at? Is there a professor he’s close to? Where has he worked during the summer?</p>
<p>Your son’s math skills are fine for almost any career except theoretical physicist and the like. But I can’t randomly suggest things he’d be good at without knowing what he’s interested in. And until he weans himself from virtual reality he won’t get closer to actual reality.</p>
<p>I would suggest Econ (my personal favorite for an undergrad major).</p>
<p>Requires some math and quant skills, but you also study some history, psychology (game theory), political science…all utilizing critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>Econ does not prepare you for a specific career but instead provides you with great analysis skills that can be applied to many different jobs. Lots of career options available to Econ majors…marketing analysis, supply chain analysis, environmental issues analysis, public policy work, real estate, and many others.</p>
<p>Most entry-level jobs do not require a lot of critical thinking skills, but you do need them to be successful in just about any career. So knowing he can think well doesn’t really narrow his choices.</p>
<p>Outside the STEM fields, there aren’t many majors that lead directly to a lot of career choices.</p>
<p>I think anyone who is confused should at least give some business classes a try. Management and marketing skills are useful just about everywhere.</p>
<p>Is he interested in politics? Political science might be a fit. Also, regarding CS, has he actually taken a CS class? My D2 would have NEVER said that would be a career path for her (she also is a naturally high CR scoring kid, also good at math but prefers the reading/analytical side). She took a required CS class, and was smitten… now heading down the path of CS major.</p>
<p>I second Haystack’s recommendation of economics. It’s an excellent foundation for lots of possible careers. He would learn applied statistics (and clearly has the base aptitude). Economics is also an excellent foundation for political analysis, for business, law, and any kind of job that requires modeling or planning. In my son’s case, an econ major, plus great thinking and writing skills, have taken him into business for 4 years, sports analysis for 4 years, and now into journalism.</p>
<p>Having said this, there are many careers that can come out of a strong foundation in applied math or stats, plus an ability to think critically and write well. The “major” doesn’t matter as much as the skill set that’s needed or nurtured in completing the major. As a competitive debater in high school my son was thinking of possibly an academic career, possibly law, and was considering majoring in political science. I told him that if he was thinking about an academic career in political science then he should major in economics as an undergrad because he’d study more statistics, game theory, and formal modelling and those are critical skills for most areas of advanced study of political science – and that’s what he decided to do. But he also long had an interest in journalism (in high school and college), and in the end those interests merged into a career.</p>
<p>But keep all of this in context. A “major” is perhaps only 25-35% of the coursework that a student takes. There is so much else to explore, both in cognate areas to the major, and in general education. So I hope your son looks for good and interesting courses at UT no matter whether they’re required or relevant to his chosen major.</p>
<p>I suggest that he major is something that interests him, without regard to “career,” and do the very best he can. (Which is more likely if he LIKES the subject than is trudging dutifully through it.) His eventual career will emerge from that path.</p>
<p>Maybe he needs to take some courses in which he got excellent AP scores, rather than skipping subjects. One of those may turn out to be the thing that turns him on.</p>
<p>My own S did not decide what he wanted to do until part way through senior year of college. (Although he did, of course, have a major by then.) He is now pursuing that career in grad school, and absolutely loves it. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see him so fully engaged at last. (S is also in journalism, and I am happy to say just sold his first story. 
)</p>
<p>First, the SAT is NOT an aptitude test. Nor is the “critical reading” test a test of critical thinking skills. So, the score your S got is irrelevant in deciding on a career. </p>
<p>I would suggest that your S head to the career services office–or whatever it’s called at UT --and find out what services it provides. At some colleges, aptitude and other tests are available for “free” or for a low cost. Many offer the chance to talk to a career counselor who may give him some ideas. Another service that’s sometimes offered is the chance to talk to alumni working in different fields. UT also may have different student clubs for students interested in different things–pre-law; investing, etc. Often they have speakers who give talks about their fields. </p>
<p>All that said, there’s no direct correlation between most majors and a career in many fields. He should pick something he enjoys studying.</p>
<p>That may or may not be economics. How much math is required to major in econ varies among colleges. At some, you have to at least complete multivariable calculus—that’s beyond AP BC Calc. Ohers have less stringent requirements.But the info you’ve posted is certainly not enough to say your S would do well and enjoy life as an econ major. </p>
<p>$700 sounds like an awful lot for a career testing. I think you need to look at this a different way. You seem to be asking what his “natural ability” is and assuming he should find the most appropriate career for someone with that particular strength. I would instead try to think about what he enjoys doing, and push him to do some career research, job shadowing, join relevant student clubs, listen to speakers, try internships etc. in the most related areas. I think it’s hard for some people to know what they want to do without actually trying it. In the end it doesn’t matter if they are somewhat better at one thing than another, if they don’t enjoy doing that. Motivation is often more important to success than aptitude.</p>
<p>Critical reading only measures a student’s preparedness for college level work. He shouldn’t pick a career now. What he should do is take a variety of subjects and pick the one he most enjoys for his major. He’s in college, not trade school. He will find that he enjoys many subjects, any number of which could lead to a hobby or a career.</p>
<p>echoing jonri–Doesn’t UT have an academic advising office where he could take aptitude tests and discuss options with a counselor?
Many community colleges also offer a day of aptitude/interest surveys for much less than $700. Maybe he could do that in the summer if your local college offers this. (I was one of those students who got to the end of soph. year with no major. At that point I was “forced” to declare a major. I did the aptitude tests/counseling at my college–and ended up picking the major with the least required hours so I could go to Europe for a year and still graduate on time. . . not a smart way to choose a major.)</p>
<p>What’s his “tribe”? I mean, describe the kids he tends to befriend and hang with - are they tech-geeks? activists? poets? artists? performers? (okay, you’re going to say gamers - but they must talk about something else). What’s his favorite class so far? Does he like the class where there is a lot of writing? Or does he prefer the classes with no writing? All these provide clues to potential career choices.</p>
<p>Your son is just finishing up his freshman year. I get that college is expensive and you want him to have a career - or at least a job - upon graduation. But college is a process, much more than just a direct means to an end. Some kids just take a bit longer to find their path than others. I agree with others - UT must have a good career placement office as well as academic advising. Have him make an appointment to discuss potential majors and career choices. Lastly, his major doesn’t necessarily have to have a direct connection with his “Career Choice” - meaning just because you study math doesn’t mean you’re limited to being a math teacher or some math-related field. (I was a math major and I ended up in city planning)</p>