Opinions to help me decide

College Majors
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>It's been some time since I last started a thread. I can't quite make up my mind between some majors (that lead to careers I'm very interested in) and would like some help:</p>

<ol>
<li>Dietetics/Nutrition: food is my passion, and certainly studying it's different effects on people and health, or how eating habits vary from culture to culture is amazing. All other things I've read about it are great, and I find it to be challenging enough for me. </li>
<li>Communications (for PR or working something media related): communicating is easy for me and my people skills are quite good. It would be an easier option than the first, and is more "marketable"...like to work maybe in business or journalism or stuff like that.</li>
<li>Hotel Management: my counselor included this option on my senior year and it certainly does ring a bell. It's more like business related, but very hands on. I like the setting and lifestyle.</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm a 21 yr old career changer. I would like to choose a major (which I would finish in a couple years only, except for dietetics which would require internships etc) that leads me to a good career: one in which I can keep learning, have fun and is well payed. Although in the long run I'd like to work in the government or maybe even the military, I'm also considering to travel and work maybe in different countries and would like a major -career- that would be good anywhere I go.</p>

<p>I'm pretty much set on dietetics, for I truly believe I would enjoy it.. and it's very common for dietitians to be previous career changers from what I'm seen. But I want to be sure I make the right choice and would value your positive opinions/comments.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>That definitely sounds like the wiser option; it’s where your passion most strongly lies. Whatever you do, do NOT major in communications. Every college coach ever will tell you that most employers and grad schools won’t take that degree seriously.</p>

3

<p>Let’s see…
“…how eating habits vary from culture to culture…”
“…working something media related…”
“…also considering to travel and work maybe in different countries…”</p>

<p>lol…I think you’d like to have this guy’s job:
[Andrew</a> Zimmern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Zimmern]Andrew”>Andrew Zimmern - Wikipedia)
[Bizarre</a> Foods - TV Shows - Travel Channel](<a href=“http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Bizarre_Foods]Bizarre”>http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Bizarre_Foods)</p>

<p>or this:
[Cruise</a> Ship Jobs. Chef jobs, sous chef jobs, executive chef jobs, cook jobs, pastry chef jobs.](<a href=“http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/galley.htm]Cruise”>Cruise Ship Culinary Jobs - Chef, Cook employment on cruise ships.)</p>

<p>Seriously, does culinary school have any appeal?</p>

4

<p>About a year or two I was set on becoming a chef or the likes. I was in a position like you, and I had come up with a good plan. Possibly you could get a degree in business or food science and then go to culinary school. Then when applying for jobs, you will be more marketable than someone who only went to culinary school and does not have a true “college degree”.</p>

5

<p>I had a niece who majored in foods & nutrition (more of a home ec major) + business and communication courses. She had great internships in major hotels and could have walked into any number of high paying jobs with rapid promotion based on these internships. She’s now in culinary school and hoping to open her own business when she graduates.</p>

6

<p>The posters (and possibly the OP) are conflating two careers here. Culinary school would teach you to cook and prepare you to work in a restaurant or as a caterer. Becoming a registered dietician involves a premed-style science education, with lots of chemistry + some specialized courses. It’s an allied health field. Registered dieticians work with patients who have various special nutrition issues: for instance, people who’ve had stomach stapling surgery, or people with metabolic issues such as diabetes or PKU, people who need to be tube-fed, and so on.</p>

7

<p>^ I’m not conflating the two careers. In my professional work, I’ve collaborated with many dietitians.The OP indicated s/he read about dietetics, is aware of requirement for internship, so I’ll assume the OP knows the difference. Based on some of the OP’s stated interests, however, I just thought I’d mention culinary school as a possible path to consider.</p>

8

<p>The major draw back with Hotel Management/Culinary is the hours and schedule.</p>

<p>Not a very good quality of life, not when compared to most standards. The nature of the business requires you to work mostly nights, weekends, and most holidays. </p>

<p>I have a good friend who went into the Hotel Management and liked it for the first couple years. He was young, so working nights wasn’t an issue. He also got some perks like free golf when his resort was closed and some other various “cool things” like some free hotel rooms when he had company and some free tickets to events via the concierge.</p>

<p>Plus, he was always a “ladies guy” and enjoyed a many trists with some of the female guests.</p>

<p>However, eventually those benefits became less important and the ones he needed weren’t as available. Eventually he settled down, got married and had a child. Then he hated his job. It goes without saying how hard it can be having a newborn and work nights, weekends and holidays. Plus, as his life/expenses grew his career didn’t. If you want to be promoted, you typically need to re-locate and chase after the open jobs, especially if you work for a chain and it’s tough on a family. Another negative thing was he’d often have to cover call offs. So if a front desk person called off unexpectedly, he’d have to go in and cover that shift.</p>

<p>He ended up going back to school for IT and just started a new career in IT security.</p>

<p>My wife has a close friend who is a dietician. I believe she works for a hospital, not sure. However, I do know that she seems to enjoy a pretty good quality of life and it appears to be a low stress environment. I don’t know how much she makes, all I can say is that she is 27, and just bought a nice townhouse with her husband who is a graphic designer. So I think she might be making OK money, she was on local TV a few times giving health tips.</p>

<p>Comm/PR can pay off or it can lead to nothing. If you got a good internship to go along with it then it might lead to a good job, but it really leaves you at the mercy of luck and the economy.</p>

<p>Personally, I like the Dietician route. While it is a narrow field, it’s also a skill. A skill will usually lead to an opportunity.</p>

9

<p>I can’t stop smiling right now, I started to believe no one was going to reply to my thread. And although I’m not looking for someone to make a decision for me, I like to evaluate different opinions… and all your comments are truly wonderful. As I mentioned, I’m changing careers (I’m currently finishing a LLB degree… which is a law degree), and because of my confusion actually visited a counselor from my college. Today I met her, and her comments where pretty much the same as all of you. She was so happy I had found my true passion (I was a little shy about saying: Hello! I love food. hahaha) But as it turns out, she actually thinks it’s positive for I could (if I want to) use my knowledge of law and do something regarding nutrition policy (she was thinking on the long run or something).
I, on the other hand, I’m just a little concerned about my science skills. I used to be really good in chem and bio while at hs, but haven’t seen them in the past couple years. But I’m positive that with effort and my love for what I’ll be doing, I can overcome this.</p>

10

<p>I’m not sure where you plan to pursue your interests, but have you taken a look at the grad program in nutrition at Tufts? Lots of offerings on nutrition policy.</p>

<p>BTW, I’m glad you’re smiling and I very glad you found everyone’s comments helpful. There was a bit of guesswork involved in figuring just what direction you were going and how you would combine your various interests.</p>

11

<p>ASPIRE…I totally get your advice, as I mentioned…I’m in a different “career” right now. I’m finishing my LLB degree. I like it and have a deep respect for it, but you can’t help loving what you do. I love food and I love helping people. A+B=C. To me, dietetics makes a world of sense. Thank you for your post.
ZAFINO… I would love those jobs. They seem so fun hahahaha. Seriously now, I know how crazy it sounds saying I love food (I laugh every time), but I also like helping people in some way. I would have tried Med School if I didn’t get queezy around blood hahaha.
But for now, I’m focusing on my dietetics <3 I really want to become a RD. You let me know about your nieces restaurant…maybe I can go try it!
JINGLE… yes, I’m all about the allied health field. I love how its med style science but in a lighter version…more about preventing. I believe what you mentioned is clinical nutrition, I might be mistaken. This is very appealing to me, the different effects food has on our body. Actually my counselor told me that when she lived in San Diego, a friend of hers fought cancer by changing her eating habits (and I guess more, but she didn’t do the traditional chemo). I’ve also heard about treating diebetic patients and renal failures. But… I must add cooking school (like a seminar? or few courses?) would be wonderful.
BIG EAST… I want to do what I love, and earn money in the process. Maybe not millions, but enough for a good quality of life. And your post is a relief. Although I know pay scales vary depending on location and work setting and so… but still. I’m loving the good quality of life+low stress combo…it’s what I want. “A skill will lead to an opportunity”… I sure hope so.</p>

<p>No comm, no pr…no hotel management. Point taken.
Attend cooking school (at least for a summer course). Fabulous.
Start opening old chemistry and biology books and notebooks. ASAP</p>

<p>If you have time check this interview out, it inspired me: [CookingSchools.com</a> - Interview with Joan Carter](<a href=“http://www.cookingschools.com/interviews/joan-carter/]CookingSchools.com”>http://www.cookingschools.com/interviews/joan-carter/)</p>

<p>Thank you all for your kind comments :)</p>