<p>No, because I want to be a CS/Eng major and those are pretty lucrative majors. I feel sorry for you guys, respect you for doing what you want to.</p>
<p>Yeah, I can relate to that, especially with my grandparents who live with me. My parents are more open-minded and less bias towards my indecision on major/career choice. You try to explain it to them, but most of the time it just ends in a stale mate so I always try to avoid talking about school.</p>
<p>Tell me about it. For one, I’m criticized for having “too hard of a major”. Basically, I’m considered “not good enough” for the field I want to be in (pre-vet).
My aunt and uncle are snobs, in addition. One of my cousins isn’t that bright, but the other one goes to Binghamton and had over a 100 GPA in HS. He applied to a few ivies as well (not to mention that he didn’t get in/got deferred… they conveniently leave that out of the equation.) So, when they asked me NUMEROUS times even when I said that “I’d let them know once I heard back from the schools”, they finally caught me off guard and I found myself rambling off some of the “higher end” schools that I was applying to… even the ones I thought of applying to and never did. It’s just annoying because my whole family never asked my cousin while he was going through the application process.
I just wish my family wasn’t so nosy… and that my immediate family had more confidence in me.</p>
<p>Sometimes people say things without thinking. A friend of mine pooh-poohed son’s GF’s GRADUATE school major, saying she’d just be overqualified and not able to find a job in today’s market! </p>
<p>The next day she apologized because she had been pretty rude and Debbie Downer. Btw, the girl did find a job in her field, in the city of her choice. :)</p>
<p>This is a huge problem as a theater major, especially when I’m asked why I’m wasting my intelligence (I notched a fairly strong GPA and 2210 SAT) on an arts major. </p>
<p>My go-to response is “sure, it’s competitive. But out of Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and the San Diego Repertory Theater, can you guess which one didn’t downsize in my hometown over the past two years?”</p>
<p>Flawed example, yes, but it generally gives them food for thought. If you don’t do what you love, even your paycheck isn’t going to save your enthusiasm after a few years.</p>
<p>mmm. my cousin went to school for bio and to do premed and all that stuff. She graduated in 4 year from uci in bio, but didn’t do well enough to get in to premed and flopped when she swap to pharam. @@ should of picked something she liked to study instead of what was the most $$$. topic always get brought up at our relative meeting of how she went in to bio and i do comp sci.</p>
<p>My Dad said when he was in college the big thing everyone wanted to study was “Underwater Basket Weaving” and Psychology. Not sure if he was serious.</p>
<p>My family complains, in a way I’ve never understood. Most of my extended family barely got out of hs, if at all, and no college. I want to study astronomy/astrophysics and they dislike it for the simple reason that it’s not pre-med. Apparently, the only road to happiness is through a MD and a private practice. I sometimes want to ask how they can be so judgemental when most of them have never seen the inside of a college, but that’d be rude( at least that’s what my mon says)</p>
<p>My story is similar to StrangeBro’s. My family sometimes likes to criticize me because although I go to an Ivy League university, I just want to be a teacher. They say I could do anything… like be a doctor or lawyer. But, it’s not about that. I know I could do everything, but I want to do what makes me happy.</p>
<p>My parents criticize my wish to study the physical sciences, much less any social science or art! Who needs any other field when you can become a doctor?</p>
<p>maybe if he voiced his concerns legitimately instead of being a dick about it…</p>
<p>I was at a friends house and her parents practically tore my head off because I wanted to major in history. Graduated undergrad 20 years ago this year, wow I’ m getting old! The family started to question me when they realized it wasn’t history education. But my plans were to go to law school, or get a PhD and teach at the college level. Everything worked out so there you naysayers!!</p>
<p>People are calling it on themselves when they share information. If you share any information, others assume that you are soliciting their input. If you are annoyed by reaction, do not share. If it gets spilled out with heatted reaction, that bother you (some people, like me do not care at all), then you have options:
-leave a battle field
-turn it to joke
-lie that you are not serious about it and plan to change to something else
-force yourself to ignore</p>
<p>Arguing is a total waste of time and futile attempt anyway, people do not change their mind. It is the same as discussing politics with those who are on opposite side of it, it is NOT very entertaining at all. Having a fight when you could have enjoyed the company of others does not benefit you personally at all, unless you are a type who enjoys fighting.</p>
<p>To play a bit of the Devil’s advocate -</p>
<p>I have a degree in psychology. When I graduated in the early 90s with a fairly strong economy, I sent out over 400 resumes, yes 400!, I got contacted to do 2 interviews, yes, 2 out of 400 and I had a decent GPA of around 3.3 or so. I wound up working as a temp in secretarial/receptionist positions for not much over minimum wage and taking grad school classes at night. I eventually got a job doing IT support, not so much because of my degree, but because I’d spent 2 years working in the computer labs while I was a student. I’ve spent my career in IT, but even now most of my co-workers either have 2 year degrees or a military background. To this day I say the ONLY thing my undergrad degree did for me was get me into grad school. If I hear my son’s friends are contemplating majoring in psychology in this economy, I’m tempted to jump up and down on the furniture while screaming “No!!! Don’t do it!!!”</p>
<p>My son’s father got his degree in English. Not certain he sent out quite 400 resumes when he graduated, also in the early 90s a year after I did, but he did travel to several major job fairs in every large city within a 5-10 drive. His GPA was also a bit lower than mine, probably not above a 3.0. But try as he might, the best job offer he received was as a management trainee at Radio Shack. He was putting in LOTS of hours for very low pay and wound up leaving that job to sell cars, then he was let go from that position for low performance after only a couple months (doesn’t it take longer than that to build contacts and prove yourself???), so he also wound up temping. Fortunately(?) he got a job as a secretary at a very good company and wound up taking a bunch of training they offered and moved up within the company. Did his degree help him get where he wound up? No, not really, I’m sure someone with a high school diploma could have wound up with the secretarial job that allowed him to get his food in the door.</p>
<p>One of my closest friends in college was also an English major. He really wanted to get into editing. He sent out resumes across the country to every magazine, newspaper, and book publisher for proofreading positions. After he did not get a single job offer, he wound up taking a job working on a phone support line for a cable television company.</p>
<p>Chances are with a liberal arts degree that you won’t wind up with a career in the field you love because with a liberal arts degree you don’t gain any specialized skills, anyone can do the job you wind up with. The fields to pursue are those that require some licensing or special skills so that you don’t have as much competiton in the job market. </p>
<p>My son has been involved with the drama club throughout high shcool and ‘testing me’ has asked me several times what I’d say if he told me he wanted to major in theater arts. I’ve flat out told him that I wouldn’t support it and doubt I’d pay for it, what I’d tell him to do is minor in theater arts. With a minor he can still spend time enjoying the classes he loves, he will still have the academic experience to put on a resume if he really wants to seek a job in the field, and besides the skills gained in theater arts, such as public speaking, will be beneficial to other careers, but being concerned about his ability to support himself afte school I’d like him to major in something practical. I’d rather see him get an associates degree in auto maintenance than a 4 year psychology degree like I did. </p>
<p>Just some food for thought from someone who got a liberal arts degree in a good economy. In this job market, all those with English degrees and history degrees and psychology degrees, etc will be competing for jobs with all the downsized middle managers with decades of work experience…</p>
<p>I’m so sick of how everyone assumes it’s so easy to “just be a doctor.” I was pre-med, but am probably giving it up because you have to be well near PERFECT to get into med school. And yet I hear that all the time: people should just become doctors because “they’re smart.” Even a friend of mine’s dad keeps telling his son to give up on becoming a psychologist and become a psychiatrist because they make more money, like it’s just a box you check on some major declaration form. </p>
<p>That being said, my cousins haven’t graduated high school so my relatives don’t really say much. Plus it helps that I’m majoring in Biology, so it sounds like a super rigorous science major to those who haven’t heard of the “crapology” degree.</p>
<p>Edit: Speaking of, why oh why did I make my username “MedSchHopeful”? XD</p>
<p>Most of the time I insult my college going nephews and nieces like this, if they are being mean or obnoxious to their younger cousins/ siblings. It usually makes them uncomfortable and pushes them out of the house (or in a corner) so they do not bother the younger children in the house anymore. :)</p>
<p>“I’m so sick of how everyone assumes it’s so easy to “just be a doctor.” I was pre-med, but am probably giving it up because you have to be well near PERFECT to get into med school.”
-No you do not. Yes, you have to work hard. However, without working hard you will not get anywhere in any field. Your comment refelcts yourl personal perception. It does not reflect how others are feeling and should NOT discourage people from trying. There are many aspired pre-meds, none perfect and many are getting to Med. School (including my own D.) because they work hard, not because they are perfect. Nobody is perfect…but many are falling out of original track because they are not willing to work hard for one reason or antoher, all of them could be very valid for this particular pre-med.<br>
However, I agree that statement " people should just become doctors because “they’re smart.” is incorrect. People who are interested in medicine and are ready to work hard should become doctors. What is being smart? Some consider that those who adjust to their surroundings/situation the fastest are smart. I tend to agree with this definition. MD’s path require very hard work. Those who realize that and adjust to this requirement quickly, will make it. If you want to call them smart, so be it. However, no genius is required, it might be helpful but by far NOT sufficient.</p>
<p>I’ve been able to work my way up from a coordinator > associate manager > manager > director without a degree. I make 70k now and plan to get past six figures soon. I’m going to UCLA just because I want a bachelors degree listed on my resume. People who say their degree held them back must be pretty bad workers.</p>
<p>^ have to agree with you on that one. Entitlement has been on the rise these days…</p>
<p>I talk to high school students about their futures daily. I would NEVER tell them no. BUT we research the statistics, pathways, and details of the possible paths they take. Some, after deeper research, change or alter their plans. Some continue on.</p>
<p>As a parent or anyone involved with young people, encourage them to job shadow before jumping into a path with both feet. Tell them to research their path monthly to stay on top of their plans. HELP them.</p>