<p>My class starts 2 days from now(engineering) and let's just say I am not the slightest bit interested. I am on fourth year now(LOL) and I have no hope on changing my major this late. I did go through a lot, but as I see it, engineering in general is meant for a whole different group of people. You need to be an engineering type to be with engineering people, and I am not one. Social life sucks big time, and you don't get to meet a whole lot of great people if you get stuck with this major. I was extremely interested on doing a major with a huge focus on business, since that's where I want to end up in the future.</p>
<p>I don't even know why I am saying this now, but I just wanna say to the new people here. Do not do whatever your parents say. My mom was the one who forced me to do engineering( saying there are no business jobs left) and I went it. Why would I do engineering when I have never done tinkering/fixing/solving real life objects ever in my life? Why would I do engineering if I think solving problems is a drag, not interesting? Why would I do engineering if I hate physics and theoretical problems? Why would I do engineering if I want more free time and less study time(alright not a good question, forgive me lol. Engineering does require quite a bit of study and time)?</p>
<p>I am planning on doing MBA when I graduate.</p>
<p>Well, I would not say NEVER pick the major your parents are telling you to pick, but I understand you. I am facing this and so are many others. My parents want me to go into med school and I want to do something business related. I think the main problem is that I am scared to not get a job in the business industry or to not get a good job at all. I think there is a sense of security that comes with doing what your parents tell you to do. It seems they are older and know better. On the other hand, I am afraid that I will be unhappy like you are. Do our parents really know what we would be happiest doing?
Were your reasons for majoring in what parents told you to major in similar to mine?</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter, she really did not know what she was saying either way, and I believed her regardless. Business(in general) is a very open field, it’s what you make of it. Thousands of people go there just to earn money…but my interest WAS business. I like it. It’s in my blood, just like my dad. He had no say to what I can study, but it’s my mom who thinks she knows everything, but obviously her thinking and ways are completely backwards.</p>
<p>@northofboston</p>
<p>Similar, but a little different here and there. My dad let me do what I want, but it’s my mom who thought she knows everything. She wanted me to be like her brother(also an engineer, no surprise) but what she will never understand is- WE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU CANNOT EXPECT ME TO BE LIKE HER BROTHER.</p>
<p>sorry for the caps. I just can’t understand how people(parents) can be this idiotic.</p>
<p>So major in business or economics and take the pre-med courses on the side. You do not have to major in biology to do pre-med (most pre-meds do not get into any medical school, and biology majors do poorly in the job market).</p>
<p>ucbalumnus,
I am currently trying to double major in a life science and econ; we’ll see how it will go. I think the main problem is that my school is very strong in sciences, but does not have a very strong economics department.</p>
<p>andy316,
I agree, our parents cannot always expect us to be the ideal that they built in their minds. I think it is good that at least your father supports you. Just as a side note, at a job fair I have met with an investment banker who majored in engineering for his undergrad and then went to a business school. I think many people change their opinion about what they want to be after getting their undergraduate degrees. Now, at least if you do not succeed in business (and I really hope that you do), you will surely be able to find a job as an engineer. The good thing is that now you are completely sure about what you want to do in life and you can still do something about it.</p>
<p>This is a topic I can personally attest to. While I may not be in college yet, there are the slight pushes from my parents to pick something that will make the inevitable job search easier. (i.e., STEM major.) I am an artsy type, not really the science-y girl. And yet I am planning to major in civil engineering, a field that I’m sort of “meh” about. Well, actually, I take that back, because I do have an interest in environmental issues, but most of the schools I applied to don’t offer a Bachelor’s in environmental engineering. (And I hear you need a Masters to get a job in environmental science). So… civil it is.</p>
<p>Is my approach too pragmatic? Perhaps. But in the future, I might be in the position where I need to take care of my parents. I don’t think I could do that with a meager salary that tends to exist within the art/ writing job markets. In my case, my family means so much to me that I am willing to delay my passions.</p>
<p>And hey, I’m an optimistic gal. (Maybe painfully so…) I’d like to think that I could become a designer or staff writer or something similar based on both my natural talent and my technical degree. If nothing else, I’ll be motivated to get SOME degree in college.</p>
<p>My dad told my older sister what to major in and she listened to him. She was laid off 5 months ago and is having trouble finding a job. I am so glad I didn’t major in what he told me to major in.</p>
<p>I don’t see why people make the mistake of thinking they need to get a degree in English to become a writer. If you’re good, you’re good. You’ll put your work out there and you’ll either sink or swim. Nicholas Sparks didn’t quit his day job for his passion.</p>
<p>@andy316: I’m only a freshman applicant and so I haven’t studied any major yet, obviously, but I completely understand what you mean. My dad was an electrical engineering major, has a secure, well-paying job in the field, and is constantly talking about the benefits of going into engineering and how it’s always in demand, yadayada. He hasn’t explicitly told me I should go into it, but his implication is so obvious that it’s not really implication at this point.</p>
<p>I think that part of the reason why parents push med school/law school/STEM onto their kids is because they’re also pushing certain kinds of VALUES on their kids: security, practicality, financial readiness. (My dad talks about how liberal arts degrees train you for nothing and that it’s very easy to replace liberal arts majors. Sad, but true when you look at stats.) While those are values that everyone would benefit from adopting, that doesn’t mean that they need to choose certain career paths to achieve those ends.</p>
<p>I second that MBA. A Master’s in Engineering is more a managerial position, I’ve heard from engineering majors who already graduated and current ones as well.</p>