<p>It’s amazing how many times Art History comes up in these discussions.</p>
<p>So, I started college as a probable biology major. Took an Art History class and thought it was great. Took another one, and another one, and yet more. However, I never thought about changing to Art history because becoming an Art Historian did not fit with other things that were important to me and I stayed a Biology major. </p>
<p>However, on my way to med school (which was not really part of my original plan), I did do a detour for an MA in Art History (just for fun), and in fact, my med school transcript has 2 graduate level Art History courses on it that I took as electives. Now that I am old, I am thinking of getting into teaching Art History at the local college for fun. Just audited a course there to start waking up those neurons.</p>
<p>Discovering a new field in college can enrich, without necessarily requiring a change in direction. Again, personal choices.</p>
<p>To Got Milk, the original poster: as you can see, there are lots of issues concerning choice of majors and involvement of parents in the choice. Many of these posts are really about the purpose of undergraduate education, whether it is “learning for learning’s sake” or learning to get a job (in many cases, the desire is even more specifically for a high-paying job).</p>
<p>In your case, with a choice between engineering or accounting, you are on the latter path, and your parents and you agree on this basic question of education’s purpose. (Some of us don’t agree, but that is irrelevant to you, at least in answering your question as posted.) So really, there should be peace and harmony in our house, relatively speaking!</p>
<p>There must be an easy way to show the parents that accounting is a good choice, vocationally, and that accountants are highly respected. Any suggestions? Could they meet with the accounting department, with the poster? Google online about job prospects and salaries? Anyone here an accountant?</p>
<p>The only thing I would add, after reading some of the posts, is that kids are taught to think of the job market in neat categories from an early age. At 4, it tends to be fireman or police, and at 16, medicine or law. A quick glance at craigslist reveals the incredible complexity and variety of job offering, which also change over the years. The challenge is to get in the door. Most people who are reasonably educated can do many of them, and most involve learning on the job more than using a major.</p>
<p>When we first started looking at colleges a couple years ago and began to discuss what S wanted to do in life, it became very stressful for him. His answer was I don’t know what I want to do. I knew this was the answer before I asked. We started by looking at the things he did NOT want to do. He said he didn’t want to go into the medical field or be an accountant. He also mentioned a few other areas he was not interested in. We then looked at his talents which were math and science, and later on discovered he has a natural talent for teaching and enjoys problem solving. I suggested he start with Engineering for his bachelors degree and if he finds another interest to consider it for his masters. We both agreed it was better to start down a path and change directions down the road (with careful consideration) then to not have any direction at all.</p>
<p>OP,
As long as there are jobs for whatever major, it is fine with me. My S. was smart to realize not to have a “fine art” but rather be a “graphic designer”. I have pointed to my D. that there are no jobs for “marine biologists” (her original wish), that made her think about medical field which she eventually pursued. So, yes, it was important to make sure that there is professional future in a filed of study. However, there are families that are in different situation and they are looking for something else than future job. Some, as one example, are looking for good place to find a future spouse, others are looking for prestige and do not care much about major. It depends on a family.
If you do not like engineering, it is hard for me to imagine that you would be successful choosing it. It is the hardest major at college, harder than pre-med. I have been there. Yes, my own parents suggested engineering because I was really good at math and sciences, they were easy for me and physics was my favorite science. While it was very helpful and I did not have any problem in college, I did not like the job. Technical aspect was not interesting for me at all. Engineering is for kids who are curious how things work, they love to take things apart and put them together, I never was such a kid. So, after 11 years working in a field, I could not take it anymore and switched to Computer Science (where I wanted to be originally). I love it, should have gone there before, but it is better later than never. Was one of the best decisions of my life. I do not care how computer works, I enjoy writing software, it does not even feel like a job, it is almost entertaining for me. It is important to love what you do!</p>
<p>It seems that there are relatively few people who think that it can be both. Why is this the case?</p>
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<p>That is a reasonable choice when one of the possible majors of interest is something like engineering or physics which has long prerequisite chains and must be started early – switching to something else becomes relatively easy, compared to starting in something else and trying to switch into engineering or physics without having taken the prerequisites starting in freshman year.</p>
<p>ucb, I think it can be both. I think that it can be about learning for learning’s sake, but with a purpose. The purpose is to become educated, and have a good base for a vocation once you are out of school. I am not all about the “high paying” part. But we have made it very clear to my son that he needs to choose a career path that will allow him to be self sufficeint in a lifestyle that he would like to have. I think it is hard to know what your true passion is at 17, I don’t even know mine at 45. But for those that have found something they like and are good at, if they are lucky, they can make it a career.</p>
<p>The only way to find out is to plunge into whatever choice (flip the coin if not sure), try it, if it does not feel OK, switch. Many many pre-meds are in this situation. Some realize earlier, some later. Good schools have weed out killer pre-med class scheduled in first semester of freshman year. I wonder if physics could be used for OP as such class. I cannot imagine any engineering degree without physics. OP might be out of misery right after first semster, just like many pre-meds who cannot handle that first weed out class. Having bad grade in physics might be actually a good fortune for one who cannot see him/herself in engineering.</p>
<p>OP, I’m in the exact opposite boat. When I was in college, the typical majors for girls was nursing, teaching or accounting. So since I did well in math, I figured that with an accounting BS I could always get a job… companies are in business to make a profit, right? (And then there’s always the old saying of “everything changes except death and taxes.”)</p>
<p>That said, I have never had a pure accounting job though I use it every day in every job I’ve ever had and now in the company I own. However years ago, I went back to my old HS and found a national career aptitude report in my file that the school had my entire class complete. I had always wished I had majored in engineering and was not surprised to see that I scored off the chart in that area. However, the report was never mentioned to me when I was in HS. Have you taken a similar test?</p>
<p>One option for you is to have your parents go to job research sites such as Monster.com if you plan to stay in the US (I just jumped to the end of this thread). They’d be amazed at the number of accounting job openings especially for those with an accounting masters, CPA certification or MBA. On the other hand, my engineering friends say they are always worried that their job will be exported. They’ve told me that off shore companies can hire 10 foreign engineers for the price of 1 in the US.</p>
<p>As for my college son, his gift and passion chose his major (BS and future masters in Computer Science, specializing in security) though I have convinced him that a minor in business would aid his career. At some point, he wants to open his own company and I said, “Well, you better know how to run a business and understand a budget and profit/loss statement or you’ll be hiring others who know more than you.” And if he goes corporate, the business skills he learns in college will help him as he rises in management.</p>
<p>So at least minor in accounting. Surely your parents will understand that managers need those skills. I’m in the dark here but can students major in accounting and minor in engineering? Surely, some accountants have to manage and budget the costs of engineering departments.</p>
<p>There is no jobs security, except in medicine. Not for accountants, engineeris, computer programmers, I am all too familiar with that. I have explained it very clearly to my own kid. I have been out of job 9 times and currently employed. I am Computer programmer (now they call it all kind of fancy names, but the job is the same) and my H. is an engineer. We both have MBA. Our kid is in Med. School. It was her calling, but we were very happy with that, almost relieved. Whatever compensation, I have not met unemployed MD in my life yet, they might exist soemwhere else, not in our very economically depressed city. They have been fine, thru all kinds of down turns, the small and the big and whatever…</p>
<p>"Surely, some accountants have to manage and budget the costs of engineering departments. "
-??? I am not sure what this means. All departments’ budgets are determined by respective departments’ managers/directors. They submit budgets to upper mangement every year.</p>
<p>Boy, this thread has really veered away from the OP’s question. </p>
<p>To the OP: Rutgers is a fine school, and a good place to study either engineering or accounting. However, if you are truly an “average” student, and not good in physics, and not interested in studying engineering, you are unlikely to actually succeed in engineering. Try to convince your parents to let you pick your own major. If that doesn’t work, try to pick your freshman year classes so that they could be used for either major. Engineering majors tend to have a lot of required classes, but see if you can fit in a class that freshman accounting majors take as well. </p>
<p>After you have a year of college under your belt, you will be a lot better positioned to revisit the “major” discussion with your parents. </p>
<p>Regarding your point about getting laid off when you’re 50, it is impossible to know at this point what the carer prospects for particular majors will be 30+ years from now, so I wouldn’t see that as a valid argument of engineering vs. accounting.</p>
<p>I think that is a misinterpretation of some of the comments. IMHO and from my observations, if you choose a major solely/mainly for job security/money reasons and you hate it, have no aptitude, or feel lukewarm about it as a student…you are unlikely to have the demonstrated long-term success and the psychological peace of mind to attain them.</p>
<p>Programming to do medicine (I have done it at several places) does not have the same job security as being in medical field at all, it has the same job security as programming in any other field (manufacturing, retail, engineering…).</p>