Yes, that is why parents ask for my help. So I can help the kid pivot. That’s the point. I’m not an employment agency “placing” young grads in CS jobs.
Why the snark?
I have a kid who knows a lot of history. In fact at some point he thought he might major in history. And in college I encouraged him to take more history :-). That is a true fact. I am fond of history. Now a history major – that is an entirely different matter.
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If my kid chose to study history, I would have said go for it. I don’t see a problem. Smart thinkers can find employment.
I’m interested in hearing people’s ideas on how to make these types of majors more relevant in today’s world. This isn’t a discussion about how humanities majors are useless and kids should only major in things that will land them a job in investment banking, as per the chart you provided.
Feel free to start a new thread on the uselessness of humanities degrees.
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I would never do that. But I would say to kids that you should be aware of what you are doing. And I would tell colleges, that you have a duty to tell kids what the employment situation is after a major. This should be a mandatory class.
The material is relevant. Does it need to be a whole major though? That is the question I ask. Gently.
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I’ve observed two elements which make these majors more relevant-
1- Strategic language fluency. Use the State Department’s definition if you want. You can major in underwater basket-weaving and minor in tambourine performance, but if are fluent in Farsi, Korean, or anything on the list, you will be relevant in today’s world. A colleague of mine did a search for someone who majored in anything and was an American citizen who could get security clearance and was fluent in Ukrainian and Russian. This was NOT for the US government or any of its agencies- a corporation (financial institution if I’m remembering correctly).
2-Statistics. Take the hard version, not “buyer behavior for marketing managers” where you learn how to recognize a regression when you see one, with no understanding of what it is or what it does.
Every discipline has a need for statistics. Read the story of the restoration/cleaning of the Sistine Chapel, how scholars decide which “newly discovered” sonnets were actually written by Shakespeare, how Sotheby’s authenticates a Vermeer, why our understanding of the economic underpinnings of slavery have shifted.
Take statistics.
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I don’t disagree. As long as the kids majoring in finance who think they are going to Masters of the Universe instead of crunching loss ratios at a regional credit union, and the bio majors who will be operating an autoclave instead of finding a cure for Parkinson’s are taking that same class!
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It is not hard to get into CS at many moderately or minimally selective public (or private) colleges, because the minimum level of rigor in CS is high enough that it scares away enough of the student population at those colleges that the CS department is not overloaded.
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By this, do you mean something more advanced than introductory statistics for general education or its AP statistics equivalent? (Many such more advanced statistics courses do require calculus as a prerequisite.)
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Oh yes. My eldest won a language scholarship sponsored by the government. There was a presumption that after she completed the program, she would almost certainly have access to a number of really interesting jobs. Sadly, covid canceled that.
I also agree that Stats is a very useful class and that most majors should require it.
Right. Along with the peace studies kids who are not going to work at the UN but maybe can find a clerical job at an NGO or the psychology kids not hired to do superbowl commercials but doing community support assistance for the local government. Most jobs arent thrilling, regardless of major.
My job is thrilling. My spouse’s job sounds boring to me but he finds it thrilling. I barely understand what my kids and their spouses do for a living but they find it thrilling.
I have no idea what you do for a living but it’s never too late!
I have had jobs that most consider thrilling at times, but even the most glamorous jobs have lots of routine in them for 99% of people. That is why it is called work and they pay you for it.
The White House is not always thrilling. Nor is the CIA. Nor large law firms. Not even war-crimes tribunal at the Hague. All have lots of routine,
Of course. I’m not disagreeing with that- I love to entertain but I hate to wash up afterwards- so I either suck it up and wash up, or stop entertaining. This is normal maturity/impulse control.
But you seem to find it hard to believe that people can love their work- warts and all. Or that someone with a humanities degree can actually find rewarding, interesting and challenging work. And I’m wondering why.
Even Yo Yo Ma does scales…
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Our S19 at Bowdoin was the same. He couldn’t commit to an engineering major because he didn’t like giving up history, art, English, etc.
A list heavy on LACs was the answer. He’s a math and physics double major but had plenty of room to take the more liberal arts type classes he wanted. He’s taking a painting class right now as a senior and the prof told him he should switch his major to art. Lol. (He’s been taking art classes since he was young and just loves having the chance to take art in college as well.)
We (and he) feel like he’s had the perfect balance for him and his experience has set him up for many types of careers.
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Ha! I’m right in that list. I don’t regret my major one bit. I would not do what I do now without my degree.
Both my kids’ majors are there. My son is graduating this year, but so far, no regrets. My D has no regrets for sure.
My hubby majored in math and philosophy. Funnily enough, he never talks about math, though he uses it everyday in his job. Philosophy is still his passion, though it bores me to tears. To each his own.
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Humanities major here, M.A. in history as well… I teach humanities to junior high and high school students. A secret, I freaking love my job. Honestly, I love everyday I get to teach for a living. It’s good I have a husband because truthfully I couldn’t support our family on my salary alone, but life isn’t all about money. Teaching can be a very rewarding career.
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In seeking to update humanities to make it more relevant, a good place to start would be to ask why some regret majoring in it and what can be done to address that.
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Aah, the much vaunted analytical and critical thinking at play.
Ziprecruiter sponsoring a study on who regrets their college major… when a VERY high percentage of Zip’s users are unemployed. Or about to be downsized. Similar to the surveys done by HGTV that most of their viewers hate their kitchen, right? Which is why they are watching HGTV in the first place, right?
Disclaimer- I have been a Beta tester for Ziprecruiter. And almost nobody goes on Ziprecruiter because they love their job- regardless of what that job happens to be. You want to find people who love what they do? That’s what professional associations and conferences are for. You want people who are miserable at what they do and regret their major? They are hanging out on job boards all day.