<p>Many websites have econ, math, physics, etc listed as some of the best majors to have in terms of pay/opportunities? It doesn't make any sense since most people here say that it's ridiculously hard to find jobs with these types of majors.</p>
<p>That depends on how you define finding a job “in” the major. Physics majors don’t usually get a job as a “physicist” with a B.S. but they do find good jobs in other fields (finance, engineering, software, analytics, etc…). The same can be said for mathematics majors too.</p>
<p>But wouldn’t a finance/ accounting/cs major be better for those types of jobs instead of say a math or physics major? That’s what people keep telling me and I’m confused</p>
<p>A lot of schools don’t have finance or accounting majors. The idea is that studying math or physics builds logical/critical thinking skills that you can use to pick up what you need on the job. </p>
<p>What about a top public school that offers both business majors and math majors, physics majors, etc? Would the math major still fare well in finding a well paying job?</p>
<p>You are assuming that your coursework in your major is what prepares you to be a successful employee. For better or for worse, this is often not the case. Employers want smart employees with strong analysis skills – those students who do well in tough majors tend to have those qualities. Accounting is a pretty specialized field, you need to have taken a fair amount of accounting coursework to work in those jobs – but there a lot of other areas where just being smart and analytical are what it takes to be good at a job.</p>