<p>Ok, some of you might say money isn't everything blah blah blah, but we all go to college for a better education, for a better job = better salary. I'm in my sophomore year and I have no clue what I want to do with life. </p>
<p>I'm thinking of a Psychology minor and perhaps major in Business Management and instead of a Psychology minor, do an Accounting minor instead. </p>
<p>I was deeply interested in the social worker major today and researched a lot about it. To put it in a nutshell, I found that the starting salary for social workers are quite depressing (around 25k). So you mean to tell me that I went to college for 4 yrs just to earn as much as some high school graduates? >.></p>
<p>I know I may sound money hungry right now, but let's admit it... salary and job opportunities are important for every college student out there. The last thing I want to be doing once I graduate college is to be living from paycheck to paycheck.</p>
<p>But what could I possibly major/minor in that relates to the field of Business that I can easily find a job, after graduating with my bachelors degree?</p>
<p>I'm looking for something around 40-50k as STARTING salary, btw.</p>
<p>Stupid question: what are entry-level jobs for a business management major? It’s not like someone would give you a lot of responsibility straight out of college with practically no work experience.</p>
What is it about social work that appeals to you? There might be more profitable careers that share aspects of social work that are the most important to you.</p>
<p>Actually, to be honest, I don’t even know the answer to your question, LOL! I’ve never thought of going into business, but since I screwed up big time being a biology major, I have to explore different fields.</p>
<p>Social workers seems like a perfect fit. I like helping people in general, and always thought pre-med was the way to go (I’m Asian, go figure), but recently I found that I’m more into the social aspect of helping people. Being a social worker means working for underprivileged people from many different diverse backgrounds and I find it so intriguing! Honestly the only thing stopping me from changing to this major is the starting pay that I’m seeing around here… It ain’t too pretty looking. </p>
<p>I’m also looking into physical therapy… Seems like a pretty rewarding career as well.</p>
<p>25k is just the starting salary, like you said. It will increase, so it’s not that bad. I understand though… I couldn’t even live off of 25k yearly. I hate when people tell me that if the salary makes me want to reconsider a career, I’m not really interested in it. So not true. </p>
<p>Have you put any research into jobs for business management majors? If not, you should probably go research different jobs for the majors/minors you want to do now. I think a major in psych would be great for you, since you said you’re more into the social aspect of helping others. Even a minor in this would have some great jobs you would enjoy.</p>
<p>You don’t have to go and change everything right away. I would take a variety of different classes, including trying one that has to do with business.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard about BM, it’s not very specific like other majors. It’s kind of like liberal arts I guess, although BM probably has a better job outlook… Can’t post a link, but if you look up careers in business (hope I don’t get in trouble for that?) it should be the first, or one of the first few given.</p>
<p>Accounting, finance, MIS, logistics. All good majors within business that all have pretty good job prospects and good entry-level salaries. But make sure you MAJOR in accounting, not MINOR. You’ll want to take the CPA exam and you probably won’t pass it if you didn’t major in accounting. In fact you should probably major in any of those programs, not minor in them. Those options or engineering are pretty much the only way to earn that much right out of college. </p>
<p>And yeah, social work doesn’t pay well but it is rewarding for some folks.</p>
<p>Don’t look for a job based on starting salary. If you want to go into social work, go into social work, enjoy it, and realize that money isn’t everything -and it’s a STARTING salary. When you’re working 40 or more hours a week, you really want to be doing something that you enjoy. </p>
<p>As for the person who said they couldn’t live on 25k, please. I don’t mind telling you that my starting salary was 30k (in publishing) and I live in NYC. If it’s possible here, it’s possible anywhere.</p>
<p>A lot of people these days seem to think that they ought to be earning as much as their parents currently do, despite the fact that their parents have been working for 20-30 (or more) years. My dad makes quite a bit of money now but he certainly started off at the bottom when he finished college.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. I’m not living in my dream apartment right now, I bargain hunt for clothes and I cook most of my meals myself. But that doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying life, and it doesn’t mean that I won’t someday (hopefully) have more money to my name. My parents (who both have doctorates) are only just now getting to a place where they can spend a bit more, vacation longer, eat at fancy restaurants, etc.</p>
<p>Don’t base your choices too heavily on starting salary. They are a “starting salary” for a reason. It may start out lower but the thing you want to look at is opportunities to move up within the field. You will want to ask what ceiling there is in your field of choice. </p>
<p>As far as what you want to do in life, that’s another hard choice but I wouldn’t pick something based entirely on amount of money you can make. You can make a lot of money in just about any field if you’re good and you know how to move up. I graduated from Boise State University (and now work with them) and they run this program called Beyond the Blue that you may want to check out.</p>
<p>Beyond the Blue spotlights various academics within the university in the form of podcasts and YouTube videos. It’s definitely worth checking out to get an idea of a wide variety of fields. Currently, they’re featuring a podcast about a professor who works in “snow science,” within the geosciences field. Previously, they’ve had psychology-related podcasts. </p>
<p>Well, my mom has been working for about 25 years and she makes about 20-25k a year working her butt off everyday and my dad is handicapped so he’s unable to work. Coming from this kind of background, money does play quite a big role in my life when it comes to choosing what career I want to go into. The sad truth is, I’m not at all interested in accounting or business management. I don’t have the brains or motivation to be a doctor, lawyer, or whatever else my parents want me to be. </p>
<p>Even though my parents said they’ll be proud of me no matter what and that I can choose whatever field I want, they did tell me to pick a career that pays reasonably when I get out of college.</p>
<p>I like earning a lot, but it honestly doesn’t matter that much for me if I’m able to do what I love. I think I’ll be going to major in Social Work but I have to plan and see the best way I can earn the most money coming out of college with that degree. That’s why I’m considering minoring in something or even double major. </p>
<p>I wish I could start college all over again :(</p>
<p>MrBc - Yes, I do understand that it’s possible to life off of that much. I’ve grown up and become used to all of the luxuries I’ve been provided with. I see this as a really negative quality about me though. </p>
<p>Also, once I graduate I might have an extremely hard time paying for my medical expenses. I’ve been unable to find any companies that will cover most of it, so yeah. Just one of my meds is a few thousand dollars (without insurance) for a month’s supply.</p>
<h2>So, I think 25k isn’t possible for me to live off of if I can’t find any better insurance companies. I see how it’s possible for most people though.</h2>
<p>Bloopers, your mom has more financial responsibilities than you will have. It won’t be easy, but it will be a lot easier for you since you won’t have a child and a husband who is unable to work. </p>
<p>You should choose something you’re actually interested in, otherwise your working life will be awful.</p>
<p>Oh I don’t know how my parents do it… When we first moved to America, my mom was the only one financially supporting the family, and mind you, I have three other siblings. My dad receives some money from the government because of his situation and he also takes care of everything at home.</p>
<p>I know for certain i’d have it easier than my parents did starting off with like 25k a year with no kind of burden, but I still like to be able to buy nice things for my family, and especially help my parents out as much as I can or even send them on vacations. </p>
<p>I feel that by slacking my first 1 1/2 years in college, it closed so many options out there for me. And my GPA is crap… Ugh.</p>
<p>I’m not depressed, btw lol. Just very confused!</p>
<p>It’s not really your job to buy them nice presents or send them on vacations, especially when you’re not making enough money yourself. I understand helping them out financially, but you will need to create a budget. Nice gifts are most likely not going to fit in your budget.</p>
<p>I’ve been told that even if I can’t really get rid of the bad grades, I can try to make up for them. I would go see an advisor at your school for help on all of this.</p>
<p>And it’s hard to imagine right? My mom made very little money before she went to school, and it only got worse while she was in school. I was a child at the time, so I don’t remember most of it.</p>
<p>What you’ve got to consider is whether the school you are attending is worth the starting salary. If you really enjoy the field of social work, you can live off $25-30k/year, but NOT if you have tons of student loans - which means it’s not wise if you’re attending a school that you’re taking a lot of loans out to pay for. However, if you can find a cheaper state school option and transfer, then graduate with little or no student loans, life will be much easier with $25k a year. Not to mention you may end up married in a few years and have a second income to supplement. Also, promotions, moving to different areas with higher start rates, etc.</p>
<p>Also, get internships as early as you can and lots of experience while in school. Most of the jobs I see in my area require work experience with children, which I do not have (I’m a psych major, BTW). So be sure to get a lot of good, diverse experience during school so you have more to talk about in interviews and on your resume.</p>
<p>It’s true that my parents don’t need help financially at all, in fact, they’re helping me right now with my rent and living expenses. I just feel like it’s my duty as a daugter to give them that kind of luxury since they’ve worked so hard their whole life though And getting paid like 25k seems pretty bad for a college grad. On one website, it says the average pay for social workers are 53k… But sheesh… How much experience would I need for that? 10 years? 20 years?</p>
<p>Idk what to do anymore it’s been tough thinking about it these last few days. I never thought I was that screwed but as I did more research, I realized that the choices I’ve made in the past is putting me where I’m at now and I have no one to blame but myself D;</p>
<p>Social workers working for agencies may not do too well financially. Work for the government, and maybe do a bit better, like in a prison. Social workers are in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, residential treatment centers, etc. In some states, you can also do counseling with a Master’s in Social work, so you could turn the job into more of a “private practice” in counseling down the road with experience and further education. I think, like any other field, you can limit yourself, or look for opportunities to build your knowledge and skills and move to the next level, or use your background and expand your expertise and credentials so you can also do other things. You don’t just have to be a social worker sitting at the same desk, doing the same tasks for your entire career…if you think it’s your interest and “calling”, then pursue it.</p>
And getting paid like 25k seems pretty bad for a college grad. On one website, it says the average pay for social workers are 53k… But sheesh… How much experience would I need for that? 10 years? 20 years?</p>