<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I have been trying to figure out which of the following majors would be best for me to take. I’m going through OSU’s Preferred Pathway program so my options are somewhat limited. I would have gone for CS had I went the quote-on-quote normal route, but I did not. I grew up in a bad area and needless to say, never appreciated a good education. I’ve recently met someone (well, about a year ago) who changed that. I’m currently in some remedial math classes, catching up. I’m going to be taking Calculus within the next term or two and feel much more confident in my ability to learn than I did back then. I’m in a stable environment and want to do it.</p>
<p>See, I’d like to do something involving technology. I was fortunate enough to have taken a CS course during high school and really enjoyed it. I never got far outside of the basics because of the math and logic, but I’ve since went back to learn it all. I still am. I can honestly say that I enjoy every bit of it. I would love to do something in Biotech or something similar.</p>
<p>The choices I have:</p>
<ol>
<li>Microbiology</li>
<li>Neuroscience</li>
<li>Molecular Genetics</li>
</ol>
<p>For what it matters, I am taking other normal courses right now. I have a 4.0 as a full-time student. I went in under Business just to get into college. Now I’d like to switch it up. I’d love to hear where these majors could potentially lead you. What I mean more specifically is, what would these allow you to specialize in later down the line? I would really love to do something related to technology and science! Would be a dream. x)</p>
<p>Thank you for your help. I appreciate your time.</p>
<p>I suggest you do some career research, and try to figure out if there is a career or group of related careers that interests you. If you choose a career first, you can then pick a major that will help you break into that career. It doesn’t make sense to choose a major without really considering what kind of career options that major will give you.</p>
<p>I also highly suggest you take the time to actually look at job boards, as though you were a graduating senior looking for a full-time job. You may find that the kind of job you are interested in actually requires a graduate degree, or an engineering degree, etc. You should consider average salaries for different careers (especially if you are taking out loans to attend college and will need to make a decent salary to pay them back) and also unemployment rates for students in each major you are considering.</p>
<p>Just as a word of advice, the majors you have listed sound interesting and cool, but those fields are not necessarily booming with entry-level jobs. Sometimes, a more general major that is more of a career-track will provide better options. If you like CS, have you considered an MIS major in the business college? Also, just because the Preferred Pathways program has a limited number of majors as options doesn’t mean you can’t get to OSU and decide to major in CSE or CIS. If you have talent in CS, those fields are excellent for jobs and high salaries. You might need to spend longer in college than you anticipated, but a year or two extra in school might be worth it to be in a field you are both interested in and that is flush with good job opportunities.</p>
<p>You’ll get more responses on the science or engineering subforums instead of the OSU one, SirBiscuit.</p>
<p>Oh, I see. Thanks much then! x)</p>
<p>@Maybell: I will start doing research like you suggested. I never thought to view it from the eyes of a graduating senior. Now I feel silly. I will consider staying an extra year or two if it means attaining the major I really want. I am in no rush after all, haha. I will meet with an adviser to discuss this further. </p>
<p>Once again, thank you!</p>
<p>I just graduated from OSU–as did the vast majority of my friends, and I think one of the best things you can do in college to prepare for “real life” is to make sure you have realistic career aspirations, and to work towards making them a reality by getting internships and industry connections. A lot of my acquaintances were in for a rude awakening senior year when they tried to find jobs, because the kind of jobs they wanted weren’t the same as the ones available. Actually looking through job postings on different career boards gives you a sense of a) what kind of jobs companies are actually hiring for and b) what kind of qualifications employers are looking for.</p>