<p>Don't necessarily major in a subject that you love; it's better if you study a subject that you can tolerate AND that will help you gain marketable skills... unless your parents/spouse are rich and you don't need to earn a living.</p>
<p>When I was in college I asked a career advisor if it was true that teaching is the only job I could realistically do with a degree in the subject I studied. He chuckled and told me that was a myth, and that there were tons of jobs I could do with that degree. But when I graduated from college, and couldn't find a job, I went back to the career center, and the same career advisor suggested I became a teacher.</p>
<p>So when it comes to choosing a major, don't buy any sales pitch along the lines of "study what you like and the money will follow." It's illogical. What if you study what you like but you don't have real talent for that subject? Do you think the money will magically follow? Yeah, maybe a minimum wage salary will follow you, but that's not the implied meaning of that saying.</p>
<p>Please don't make the same mistake I made, for your own sake.</p>
<p>bah!
i wholeheartedly disagree with what you're suggesting.
if my philosophy major means i'll be making lattes for several years, then so be it. i wouldn't trade it for the world. doing so would basically remove my desire to exist. (and no, i have no intention of taking the freaking lsat's)
why only tolerate your job? that's why people don't want to go to work. sure, it takes more initiative to find a job with a degree in some obscure subject, but they exist, and if you really want to be content with your life, then you'll study what really fascinates you and work in a field that enables you to continue working with this fascination. otherwise, you'll be that poor sap that comes home from work every day, b!+ches about some annoying thing that happened at the office, then turns on the tv and with a passing thought laughs jadedly at the vigor and zeal he had in college.</p>
<p>for you, wbksoft, i say keep looking. branch out. study more facets of the subject you got your degree in. there's hope out there somewhere for you (what did you major in anyways??)</p>
<p>no, wbk, it's obvious from your other thread that even though you majored in something you loved, you didn't market yourself well with other extra curricular activities. you don't have to completely change your subject, just do a better job of making yourself look like a better applicant. </p>
<p>for instance, i'm going to be a philosophy major but i'll be concentrating in neuroscience, which means that i'll be taking physics, computer science, sociology and psychology courses to satisfy the concentration. that's how you market yourself while still doing what you love-- you pick a certain aspect of your major (for instance, mine is neurophilosophy) and you find out what applications that certain area of your major opens up.</p>
<p>i mean, i'm not even in college yet and i've lined up research with a comp sci professor regarding neural networking, and i'm not even in college, yet. just be proactive and do something else to enrich your studies than just sit and read a book.</p>
<p>it's not hard if you're doing what you love.</p>
<p>
[quote]
bah!
i wholeheartedly disagree with what you're suggesting.
if my philosophy major means i'll be making lattes for several years, then so be it. i wouldn't trade it for the world. doing so would basically remove my desire to exist. (and no, i have no intention of taking the freaking lsat's)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What you can do, is double major in the subject you love, philosophy, AND some other marketable subject that you can tolerate. Trust me, ten years from now, when you are earning a decent paycheck, you'll say to yourself "this is why I studied the marketable subject in college!" Also, keep in mind that your zest for philosophy might not last your entire lifetime, and knowing that you spent time and money on a college education, and still earn $30,000/year at some dead-end job, is not a very pleasant feeling.</p>
<p>
[quote]
i mean, i'm not even in college yet and i've lined up research with a comp sci professor regarding neural networking, and i'm not even in college, yet. just be proactive and do something else to enrich your studies than just sit and read a book.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you are not in college yet, and you have already lined up research with a computer science professor, I respect you. I respect you because I am easily 6 years older than you and I still don't have a clue. No wonder the career advisor treated me the way he did.</p>
<p>Well, I can halfway agree with the OP. He is thinking realisitically, I mean why not study something you can tolerate if it will bring you in a lot more money after you graduate? I know I would.</p>
<p>That being said I think the OP has a jaded outlook due to expecting everythign to be spoonfed to him in college. </p>
<p>Here is an important suggestion to incoming freshman: Take initiatiative and always prepare yourself for everything. Don't rely on an advisor to tell you what to do, find your own information and if you have to talk to an advisor you should already know everything they are telling you. Until you start doing things for yourself you aren't going to make it in this world.</p>
<p>wbksoft,
Did u do some part-time job in college? That can help your resume not just EC.</p>
<p>IlikeDice, are u designing your own major? That sound cool what you are describing. I really wanted to do neuroscience but my school is not offering it.</p>
<p>I know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'll probably make around $50K a year (that's what my current boss pulls in) or the future equivalent of that. Some of my friends are going into careers that will give them $70-90K or higher a year. </p>
<p>I LOVE my current part-time job and I know it's what I want to do as my career. I get a small stipend every semester but I love going to work every day, I'm always happy there, I get to travel, and I love the people I work with. I've made more connections in this business in the last 9 months than most people make in all of college. </p>
<p>A lot of my friends have part-time jobs related to their field that pay pretty good ($10/hr and up) but they're miserable. They dread going to work. They hate doing their homework and hate studying for what they plan to do for the rest of their lives, yet they expect to be happy doing it? I don't get it. </p>
<p>I'd rather love my job and make less money than hate going to work and making more.</p>
<p>Let's not forget the enviable people who happen to love something you can make a lot of money at. For instance, I happen to be fascinated with economics and business in general at the moment. I think I could honestly be quite happy working as some sort of an economist or something along those lines.</p>
<p>I think realistically speaking you should study something that you like and succeed at it in college. Try taking a law class sometime during your undergraduate studies, and if you like it you can always apply to law school later if you're dissatisfied with your initial career choice. Just my .02.</p>
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but money doesnt buy happiness...i'd rather be doing something i enjoyed than be miserable at my job
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<p>That's a good point. However, studying the subject that you love doesn't necessarily mean that you'll end up doing a job that you love. In the case of the folks who said they were philosophy majors and loved philosophy, unless they are planning to become philosophy professors, I wish them good luck finding a job where they get paid to philosophize.</p>
<p>I also think it's interesting that you bring this up, because your reasoning was my reasoning through college. Then I graduated from college, couldn't find a job where I got paid to do what I learned to do in college, so I settled for a job that in theory is similar to the subject I studied in college, but that in actuality is totally unrelated. So if you are gonna end up doing a job unrelated to your field of study, a job that you don't necessarily like, you might as well study a marketable subject, even if it's not a subject that you totally love. You'll still end up with a job you dislike, but at least you'll earn a decent paycheck.</p>
<p>Better advice would be to start looking for a post-grad opportunity (either a career or grad school) by the end of sophomore year at the latest. If you wait until you graduate to look for a job, you aren't going to find one that's very good. If you connect with your professors, you'll probably have better luck finding something that interests you.</p>
<p>
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You'll still end up with a job you dislike, but at least you'll earn a decent paycheck.
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<p>This is one of the things that is wrong with the world today, IMO. My school doesn't have the "ideal" major for my future career, so I'm studying something I love and in the meantime holding an amazing job in my intended field. My major is somewhat related, but not exact. The thing is that my planned career---can be obtained through a degree in business, communication, sports studies, sociology, biology, etc., the "list" covers just about any major.</p>
<p>My boss got his bachelors in Communications, Masters in Sport Management. I've met professionals in the field who earned the following degrees in undergrad: History, Elementary Education, Sport Studies, Criminal Justice, Sports Management, Engineering (various areas), Philosophy, Meteorology, Fitness Management/Personal Training, Physical Education, Sociology, Anthropology, Accounting, Animal Science, Music, Textiles & Clothing, Economics, and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. The common thread--they all gained valuable experience in our field during undergrad, and were able to study something they loved while also discovering a career that they were genuinely happy with. The pay isn't outstanding or anything, but we're happy people. </p>
<p>Just because you had a bad experience with a major you loved doesn't mean that others shouldn't major in something they love. I would HATE going to class just to get through it and tolerate it. I'd rather study something I enjoy and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel that will show me a career I enjoy.</p>
<p>Ya know, with a computer science degree u can get a job anywhere. Saw ur other thread too. Not many computer science geeks end up becoming teachers. So what you are saying sound weird.</p>
<p>Quote:
"When I was in college I asked a career advisor if it was true that teaching is the only job I could realistically do with a degree in the subject I studied."</p>
<p>And what is wrong with being a teacher anyways? But computer science - teaching not the usual combination.</p>