College Major - Meeting Mind and Heart Halfway

College Majors
1

Hey guys!

I’m really torn to make a decision about my major. I’m Comp Sci and Business right now. Being a sophomore, the last thing I’m allowed to be is indecisive. One side wants me to avoid CS like plague but the other side understands its importance in the coming future. What I know for a fact is that I do not picture myself coding for a living. That is not my goal. I am more interested in World Politics and Global International Relations… things like Security, Terrorism and how it shapes countries and changes their stances. Another thing that is cool is analyzing numbers. Doing the math in Econometrics, combining it with Economy and financial engineering is something that catches my attention.

A good solution is if I meet my heart and mind halfway. Obviously I want my LinkedIn to be blown with job offers when I graduate, and that should happen if I don’t lose CS. Get a CS minor, minor in Cybersecurity, machine systems etc. etc etc… Just stay with CS somehow and then hone my skills/take up research projects at my college in the fields that actually interest me. That way I still have the fall back in CS (hopefully that day never comes when I have to JUST code for a living) but I would have worked/researched and honed my skills in things I like to do through my research and outside the classroom activities. CS can come in handy in giving me an edge in terms of problem solving abilities, logical thinking and by just having that backing of a technical skill when working in the Economics/IR industry.

In short - I don’t see CS as a goal, I see CS as a channel that should take me to my goal. CS should provide be a solid base to stand on (make me financially secure) but my research/efforts/outside classroom projects should be able to show which side I tilt towards to the employers.

Does this make sense to you guys? I would appreciate some insights and some critiques on logical errors I have in my approach to deciding my major in college.

Thanks!
Hope you have a good rest of the weekend.

2

Are you a sophomore in high school or college??

If it’s high school, then being a sophomore, the very first thing you should be is indecisive.

3

College, sadly.

4

A CS major, in and of itself, does not make your LinkedIn blow up with job offers or make you financially secure. I had several LinkedIn recruiters contact me throughout graduate school and after with offers, and my BA is in psychology. They wanted me because of the skills and experience I had - namely, statistical consulting and research methods. On the flip side, a CS major with a bad GPA or who doesn’t know how to code well or who has terrible communication skills may not do that well financially.

With that said, I don’t really understand your dilemma. You’re already a CS major…is it that you don’t want to major in CS anymore? Do you not like it? You know, you can always minor in CS and learn to program, then major in something else and still do cybersecurity or science and technology policy. It sounds like your second major should lean more towards international relations, economics or political science given your interests.