<p>...that people like to tell others "do what you love" when depending on "what you love" won't get you far in life? Let's be honest, certain majors only get you but so far. Unfortunately and realistically there is a hierarchy of majors. Since majors lead to jobs and jobs lead to money, wouldn't it make sense to pick the best major that leads to the most money? I know this sounds so superficial but the cost of living isn't getting any cheaper. In a perfect world I could see "doing what you love" would be great, but that's just it, this isn't a perfect world. </p>
<p>You need to find a happy medium. Find something you like doing, that will pay the bills and a little extra. If an engineering major is something you would love doing, then you’re in luck. I think people involved with theater, drama, music, etc should have a second major to fall back on if they don’t make enough doing what they love.</p>
<p>Like Mathmagician said “You need to find a happy medium”. If you love to dance, then major in it. But it would probably be best to have a 2nd major just in case. I’m an English Literature Major. Alone all I can really be is maybe a professor one day. However, I can also go to Law schoo with it. Thats a plan. I’m also looking for a second major so that i’ll have a backup plan</p>
<p>If you have many interests and talents and need help narrowing them down to find the best major for you, then it would make sense to choose the one with the best job outlook and/or highest pay.</p>
<p>Some people however only have narrow interests in things which might not pay well. It is a personal choice to decide between doing what you love vs what makes a lot of money. Some people might be ok with foregoing a high standard of living in order to do what they love. (Keep in mind though that many Liberal Arts majors are unlikely to lead to careers that are directly related to the areas of study). </p>
<p>Or if you really want to have luxuries or you’re thinking of raising a family, money will be a bigger concern. You have to keep in mind though that you are more likely to have an above average income in any given career if you love your job and you are passionate about it.</p>
<p>Also, I remember hearing a saying “Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Basically, if you love your job, then the days of your life spent working feel like leisure.</p>
<p>A lot of the people who say that have never actually experienced not having any money. Its easy to say that when you know you have your parents as a safety net to fall back on to pay for your health insurance, your car, etc. Maybe they have a nice big house in a major city you can live in while you search for a job. If that’s the case and you really love theater, maybe its worth trying to find a job in theater arts.</p>
<p>If its not…do yourself a favor and study engineering or accounting. I promise that doing math is way less stressful than being poor.</p>
<p>Not necessarily. A whole lot depends on the person. A sharp person with excellent people skills, a strong work ethic, and a BA in sociology will probably go much further than someone with a major that sounds more practical if that (latter) person doesn’t have the “stuff” to back it up.</p>
<p>If you’re talking about perfectly average people, then yeah, major in something with a more practical or defined career path, like teaching or pharmacy or law.</p>
<p>If financial stability supersedes passion, then why do we make it appear as though college is the only option. The very fact that you restricted your question to “majors” confirms this. I know people earning 6 figures as plumbers and contractors. </p>
<p>Also, “majors” don’t “lead to jobs.” Qualifications, aptitude, work ethic, and other skills lead to jobs. What you major in is almost irrelevant. Even most engineering majors I know aren’t working for engineering firms, rather they’re going to law school, medical school, working in finance, national intelligence, etc.</p>
<p>Many times you won’t decide what you like or are good at until you are well into college…or beyond. Job opportunities will come later. Many of my college friends ended up going into fields that had little to do with their majors. As someone who hired a lot of college graduates (as a managing director in corporate finance) many times I would look for some diversity…MBA’s were a dime a dozen. Depending on the specific job or field, a lot of time companies look for different skills and perspectives. I know an attorney that hired a woman because she was in the Cal band…Another was a medieval history major and got accepted to UC San Francisco medical school because her background was so different from every other “pre-med type” out there. She ended up as the president of the Med. school honor society and is now a surgeon. Your personality and individuality will make as much of an impact as your major.</p>