<p>Not sure why your parents think Civil Engineering is such a lucrative career path. Civ E’s work a lot with construction projects - and that’s a very cyclical industry. I know a very good Civ E, he’s been unemployed several times in his career. In fact, he and his wife purchased a house with money they inherited when her mother died - he insisted on putting all of the money into the house and having no mortgage, when the wife wanted to take out a small mortgage and spend some of the inheritance on furniture. His reasoning? Construction is such a cyclical industry he expected to be laid off at certain points in his career. And he has been. (He does cost analysis for a firm that builds large commercial buildings, he’s also worked on some highway projects for the state).</p>
<p>Why don’t you tell your parents you’re looking at Biochemistry instead of Biology. Bio-Chemistry has an exotic ring to it so your parents can still impress. You also might find you like it. FYI, Bioengineering almost always requires a graduate or even a PHD to get a job. That’s not to say Biology and Biochemistry don’t.</p>
<p>remind your parents that you won’t be do as well if you aren’t interested in something than if your truly willing to study something that your are willing to do. this is your career, your life: make it the best for you as possible.</p>
<p>Bedouin, a “real major” as oppossed to a “fake major”??? Seriously…</p>
<p>“They want me to become a civil engineer because of the job prospects and the high salary.”</p>
<p>Wait… What? They told you to do Civil for the job prospects? Seriously?</p>
<p>Bedouin is either a ■■■■■ or 19 years old. Or worse, hates engineering but is an engineer for the wrong reasons, and is suffering from a lot of cognitive dissonance. </p>
<p>The world would truly suck if everyone got only an engineering or business undergrad. Thankfully the western world is not the developing world where the only jobs are ones in eng or med. Tell your parents there are TONS of adults who followed their passion with a non-professional undergraduate degree and ended up making a ton of $$. I did an arts degree- egads! it’s not even real! it’s a joke! it requires no brains!- but funny how they pay me far greater than 1/4 million a year then, eh? Who’s the fool here? </p>
<p>Listen your parents might be disappointed initially and be nervous about what this all means, and maybe even say all kinds of silly things at the outset, but they will get over it and come to brag about what you do end up doing. I know soooo many parents just like your parents who have gone through this. </p>
<p>Your job is to become financially independent and have a fulfilling life you are happy with. I’m sure your parents would agree. Your job is not to spend your life doing something you terribly dislike so your parents can have bragging rights.</p>
<p>My husband is a civil engineer and things aren’t looking real good on his end. I would advise against engineering.</p>
<p>^Civil is the least employable of engineering majors. Other engineering majors are faring better.</p>
<p>Go with the biology degree is that is what you really like. DD got a double degree in bioengineering and biology. In the end, she realized she loved the biology end of the programs but not the engineering part. She will probably never use her engineering degree but WILL use her biology degree. She is anticipating doing a two year physician’s assistant program.</p>
<p>It doesn’t do you any good to get a degree in civil engineering when you won’t probably seek a job in that field because you don’t like it.</p>
<p>@Bedouin</p>
<p>Two major problems with your post. 1) Biology isn’t a liberal arts major (and liberal arts are real majors too) and 2) most Biology PhDs are funded through the NSF and NIH, among other govt agencies. You don’t have to pay tuition (and most times you get a stipend too).</p>
<p>To the OP: tell your parents you’re interested in bio engineering or biomedical sciences.</p>
<p>There are a lot of people who have followed their passion and ended up not able to pay for their bills. I would say majority of students are not passionate about their majors. They major in something that they are slightly better at, and if they are sensible it’s a major that’s some what employable. That being said, do not major in engineering, or get a law/med degree if you have no interest. </p>
<p>No, I would never encourage my kids to become engineers. Engineering degree, yes. Engineering as a profession, no. </p>
<p>I think OP should have a discussion with his/her parents about the major instead of lying to them.</p>
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<p>I would only encourage my kids if THEY wanted to enter this profession. It is not something that students should be coaxed into doing for ANY reason.</p>
<p>If my kid wants to be an engineer, programmer, accountant…I wouldn’t discourage it either, because if it’s something she wants to do, then she probably would be very good at it and be happy doing it. I just wouldn’t be like OP’s parent to say it would guarantee job security over other majors.</p>
<p>First of all i’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you!I really think that my parents are just too scared that i am going to end up with a low paid job.What really gets to me though is that even though they say that they have accepted my decision and that i should do what makes me happy , they are STILL making comments such as “You’d be a great engineer”.“Come watch this documenatry with me.It has to do with engineering”,“I told __ that you are studing engineering and he kept congratulating me”.My aunt went as far as to say:I’m shocked.You are such a great girl.You are supposed to be progressing,not regressing!.Anyway i have explained to them why biology is such a better fit for me.Now i’m just going to let them get used to the idea.</p>
<p>naturewise, it sounds like you have made your decision. I would suggest that you move forward and do NOT entertain discussions about this with family members. Just “smile and nod” as they say. If you get into a discourse with folks again and again…it will be frustrating to you…and it will encourage THEM to continue to pursue these discussions. If you don’t entertain these conversations, the will likely end sooner.</p>
<p>Thats great … good luck!</p>
<p>Great advice from thumper1. It’s best not to be drawn into such discussions with family members. You’ll never change their minds and it will just encourage them into thinking that you’ll change your mind if they just keep pressuring you. Don’t take the bait…</p>
<p>Just “smile and nod.” :)</p>
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<p>Such a good point IMHO, that its worth repeating. I’m a fan of ‘follow your passion’ as a rule but I think there is a balance to be found. You needn’t love your major, just maybe like it enough because you know you will enjoy your future career with it (since learning in school can be quite different than the actual occupation, for example).</p>
<p>Just for the record “The term liberal arts denotes a curriculum that imparts general knowledge and develops the student’s rational thought and intellectual capabilities, unlike the professional, vocational and technical curricula emphasizing specialization. The contemporary liberal arts comprise studying literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, and science.” from the Encyclopedia Brittanica.</p>
<p>Pre-professional programs like business and engineering aren’t liberal arts.</p>
<p>But back to the OP. Your parents are under no obligation to fund your education so it behooves you to convince them that there are opportunities for biology majors. (Don’t worry there are.) Do your homework. As an architect, I agree with other posters that the idea that civil engineering is a safe major is pretty amusing (at least in this country.)</p>
<p>I see you posted again. If they aren’t pulling the plug, I wouldn’t argue with them, but it can’t hurt to give them some information about where the biology majors from your college end up.</p>
<p>I hear it’s pretty rough to be a civil engineer right now.</p>