<p>So all i've ever heard since growing up is the only way to make good money in life is by being involved in medicine, whether is be a doctor, surgeon, pharmacist, etc. etc. The only problem is i hate all of that stuff! Biology and chemistry never really interested me. I hate the sight of blood and needles. This isn't an option for me. What does interest me is business, technology, and psychology. Unfortunately my mother thinks a liberal arts degree is useless and won't pay for one, which makes it hard for me to do psych. I really don't know what to do with my life and i'm terrified i'm going to be struggling throughout. Based on my interested what can i do?! </p>
<p>Premed is really just a slate of courses one takes for health field related grad school studies. You can be any major you please, but just take the one year of bio, one year of chem, one year of organic chem, one year of physics and calc. Might be some English requirement too. Take the premed courses to keep mom happy and keep your mind open too. Having those courses will only give you more options later even if you don’t immediately or ever go into the medical field.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse my mother is not forcing me to go into medical, which i appreciate but, in my culture(i’m persian), the “in thing” right now is to become a doctor. I guess i’ve put this pressure on myself based on the people around me. But most of the schools i am applying to are strong in business and technology related studies. What could i do to maximize my opportunities at getting a good job? everyone says business is useless but there must be something i can do to get a good job.</p>
<p>Are your parents doctors? If so, it may be the only thing they know, and they want you to be able to have a decent career with steady income so they’re just suggesting something they view as safe. I know enough doctors who tell me they would never go into the health care field now.</p>
<p>Agree with cptofthehouse – any of those schools would give you plenty of options in terms of majors. I bet if you focus on what you love, you’ll find a good summer internship in that field, and as soon as your parents see you’re doing well in school and finding work you like, they’ll relax.</p>
<p>What about the other fields that you are interested in like business or technology. Would your mom pay for those majors? What about doing double major or major/minor, something for you and something to keep your mom happy?</p>
<p>I think it is important to go into a field that you are interested in. But I can also see your mom’s point of view. If your mom has to pay full sticker price, many of the colleges you listed are going to cost a lot.</p>
<p>I have cousins who are doctor, dentist and nurse and they do make good money. But other family members who are in technology and business make good money too.</p>
<p>@classof2015, actually they immigrated here. not doctors, my father has no college education and my mother has a bachelors in law from a college in India(essentially useless here) my dad is a manager of retail food stores such as dairy queens, Brooklyn National Deli, etc. and my mother is a real estate agent. </p>
<p>I’m really interest in the “business side” of things such as psychology, computer science, engineering. I just don’t know how to go about getting a good job with such an interest and if its worth it to pursue it at all when Finance is an option</p>
<p>@BusyMei again she isn’t forcing me to do anything, she wants me to be happy but is trying to get me to do medicine(which i refuse to do, she’s accepted that but still tries anyway) because she believes its the only way to good money and now i’m scared it truly is the only way. I feel lost, i’m not sure what i can do with my interests…</p>
<p>For computer science, have you ever taken a programming class? If so, do you like it and are you good at it?</p>
<p>The software job market is hot now (goes in cycles like the economy). A college graduate with good grades and good work experience can get a job for $70-90k right out of college.</p>
<p>For business, it is a very large field, IB, finance, consulting, marketing, etc, etc. Not sure if you have any particular area you are interested in now. Top IB jobs are probably among the best pay jobs for college graduates. But they are hard to get and work extremely long hours.</p>
<p>Perhaps you can do some research and show yourself and your mom what jobs some of the majors can lead to.</p>
<p>I’ve never taken a programming class. I would have liked to but my schedule did not allow it. I’m really leaning twoards business right now, but i’ve heard management majors are absolutely useless and accounting does not appeal to me. I’m really looking at Finance, MIS, marketing, and Internatinal business but i’m not sure what i want to do. I don’t want to end up with a useless degree! that is what i’m scared of :(</p>
<p>You can take courses in or related to those AND the basic “pre-med” courses in science/math and then decide what to do a year or two down the line. You could probably work them all in as gen ed/distribution/core requirements if your college has them.</p>
<p>You’d certainly have overlap with MIS and finance, in terms of math, I’d think. And take a CS course and see how you like it :)</p>
<p>What about economics? An econ degree might prepare you for most of the fields you listed.</p>
<p>Having a degree is just part of it. Good grades help for jobs and graduate school. Start looking for related work experience as soon as possible. That is very important also.</p>
<p>@OHMomof2 that seems like a good idea, to be honest the only med. profession i could even consider is pharmacy but it doesn’t seem all that appealing to me. Maybe Finance and MIS would be best for me as i have been a very money oriented/numbers person(although math in school is not my strongest subject for some reason, i do have problems occasionally), but i’m really interested in a management type job. Maybe a Finance manager or something in banking. i’m really just afraid of the job prospects not being there.</p>
<p>I get that. If you go ahead to college and take the courses you want as well as some your parents want, then decide to do something non-medical, you may be in a good place later - like 2 years later - to explain to your parents how you will use your degree to earn a good living.</p>
<p>Doesn’t your mother know that science and math are part of a liberal arts education? You need to spend a little time communicating and educating as part of the process of a choosing a school and then a career.</p>
<p>If you are good at math and interested in technology you might like a CS degree. You don’t need to have done any programming. Or an applied math degree, where you can work in finance or other areas. Business is a rather weak major.</p>
<p>You don’t have to pick your major now. Your first year, try a math, a computer science, an econ, a psych or cognitive science class and something that just flat out intrigues you. Explore for a year.</p>
<p>@BrownParent this is something i would like to do but feel too much pressure to be on a track immediately to do so. i’ve been under so much stress and i’m scared i will not do well in life. I am starting to think computer science may be a good idea but i know nothing about it! I just don’t know where to go from here</p>
<p>At any college you will have classes outside your major and usually you will have general studies requirements to fulfill. That’s why I suggested what I did, because you have room in almost all college programs to do that. Why don’t you pick a school or two and look at the general studies requirements so you will have an idea of the types of courses outside your major that you will be required to take. even within your major, you can only start with the prerequisite classes. You will have to wait to complete those before you can advance to upper level work usually taken in your Jr and Sr years.</p>
<p>My daughter majored in computer science, but she spent her first year taking other types of classes, mostly science and math. She was good at math and logic, so when she took a year long introductory course for majors it appealed to her. Many women don’t come at computer science like boys often do, by getting involved in programming and hacking type activities. A computer intro course is well worth taking to find out if you like it. It will be useful even if you don’t want to major in it.</p>
<p>You can major in anything on the undergrad level and then go into medicine, law, business, or whatever you end up wanting to do. Or psychology for that matter.</p>
<p>It would seem that your parents don’t really understand the American college system. You can enter without a declared major and try things out. There are usually distribution requirements, meaning 2 or 4 classes in social science, science, math, humanities, arts etc. You can declare a major after a couple of years at college.</p>
<p>Though many students and families look at college as being primarily for vocational purposes, the curriculum in programs other than engineering, nursing, and other career-focused majors is not geared to a specific job. </p>
<p>And the job market is complex: you may not even imagine what you actually might end up doing. You don’t have to think of it in such neat categories. Do some interning and volunteering while at school, and study what interests you.</p>
<p>Maybe there is a guidance or other counselor who could talk with you and your family.</p>
<p>If your family insists on a direct connection between schooling and job, I guess you can submit to pressure and try to go to a more vocational school, but generally I think majors like business can be limiting in the long run. Better to do an MBA later.</p>
<p>@compmom i agree with your view. The thing is i KNOW what i am interested in, i just don’t know how to go about it. I really grew up with an interest in business because of my father. Although he lacks higher education, his work ethic is admirable and is one of the hardest working men i know! He deserves so much more than he makes but alas his lack of higher education puts him at a disadvantage here. He does his job better than anyone in his partnership with a degree. He has “networking” mastered and is doing very well for someone without a higher education. He regrets not doing well in schools because it has limited his ability to progress and wants me to not have that same problem. So yes the business interests do come from my father. But my own interests that developed as i matured have definitely been psychology mainly and to a certain extent technology. I just want to find a way to put these things together but its not as easy as it sounds! One of my top choices (Cornell AEM) interests me because i probably am most likely to be able to do what i want with my education there. I’ll probably be giving up the other aspects that i imagined college would be like(such as cheering on an awesome basketball team) I’m determined to find a way to make my vision possible</p>