STEM degree or Business related degree?

<p>What should I advise my DS that is a natural in math and science and is having second thoughts on a STEM related degree in favor of a Business related degree in Marketing, Finance, Advertising etc..</p>

<p>When I ask, why not pursue a degree in his wheelhouse, here is what I gleaned:</p>

<p>1.) He does not enjoy Math or Science regardless of all A’s in AP Calc, physic, Chemistry…</p>

<p>2.) He has had enough of the nerd herd in high school and does not look forward to being part of a nerd herd on steroids in a top Engineering / Technology college or program. </p>

<p>3.) He wants to enjoy his college experience. Student reviews tend to say - “great program, no social life, mostly guys, and don’t plan on having any fun for four years because you will be studying constantly to maintain a 3.5 and keep your merit award”.</p>

<p>I say, forget the fun, he will have plenty of that when he is done with school and in a high paying STEM related job while the business related majors are in entry level jobs struggling their way up the corporate ladder. With, say an Engineering degree from a top program, he will always have an opportunity to get an MBA a few years down the road and have the best of both worlds.</p>

<p>If he doesn’t enjoy math and science, he is more likely to have trouble getting a good GPA in it. And he shouldn’t be in a STEM job–that would be hell.</p>

<p>He should major in a subject which interests him. The job search will be easier if he gets internships during the summers of college. I suspect a lot of the unemployed humanities majors didn’t do internships in high school.</p>

<p>It’s more important that he does well in college than in what major–there are plenty of opportunities for people who do well in college. </p>

<p>If he’s possibly interested in med school, he could do that with any major.</p>

<p>While I don’t think 2 an 3 are very good reasons at all to not go for a STEM major, reason 1 is plenty. If you don’t enjoy science and math, then engineering will be torture. It is all math and science. Regardless of if you’re good at it or not, you need to have a passion for it to trudge through those UL courses. You will also be miserable working in a field you don’t enjoy for the rest of your life. Best get a job that you want to do. </p>

<p>Don’t force your DS to go into engineering if they don’t like math and science just because of the money. Let them go for business if that’s what they’re passionate about</p>

<p>College Alum said: “I suspect a lot of the unemployed humanities majors didn’t do internships in high school.”</p>

<p>Did you mean “college” instead of “high school”?</p>

<p>He really has no passion and equally dislikes all subjects in school. Yet he aces everything with an average amount of effort. College GPA won’t be a problem no matter what he decides. He ended up with a 36 in Math and English on the ACT and has received lots of interest from tech/engineering schools. If he gets merit, that is where it will come from.</p>

<p>He actually has no passion for business either. The business interest bubbled because it would be an easy major for him with more fun “mainstream” peers. </p>

<p>I am thinking an honors program in a state school that gives him more freedom to explore his interests may be the answer.</p>

<p>Has he had a part-time or summer job yet? Many young people seem to find their interest or passions after they have some experience at a first job. Mostly in a “don’t want to do” way!</p>

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<p>Yes, I meant college. Thanks for the correction.</p>

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<p>Well, don’t force him into engineering. It’s different than math and science; there’s more brute force than in math/science.</p>

<p>I would stop listening to arguments after #1–he doesn’t like it, why would you want him to work at something he doesn’t like the rest of his life? I also wouldn’t get hung up on majors right now, he will almost certainly change his mind at least once between now and then. If you force him into something he doesn’t want to do he WILL flunk out. Would you rather have that?</p>

<p>The best choice seems clear. Since your S does not enjoy math and science, he definitely shouldn’t go into a STEM major. He may not have a clear passion in any subject, but engineering is so rigorous that it isn’t just a path you take if you are unsure of what you want to do. Even if he has natural aptitude in math and science, if he is unhappy in his major (and job afterwards) it is nowhere near worth it, and he would be more likely to succeed in another area. Do not force your S into engineering if it is not something he wants to do.</p>

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<p>Well, that’s kind of a problem in choosing what to study in college. Is there any that he dislikes less? Or is there some subject that is not one of the usual ones that he is really interested in (perhaps including something that may not require a bachelor’s degree at all)?</p>

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<p>That also makes the decision harder. If he is better at some of the equally-disliked subjects, then he might as well go into one that he is better at.</p>

<p>The science and engineering subjects with labs can be time consuming in college. So can art (studio), architecture (studio), and music (performance).</p>

<p>Perhaps a combination of math, statistics, and economics/finance? These subjects are typically not high workload in college, but do give reasonable job and career prospects for internships and at graduation. If he has little passion for anything and is not significantly better at some subjects than others, then the next things to consider are workload in college and job prospects.</p>

<p>It is ok to go into college undecided – but he then needs a plan to make progress in all of his possible majors so that his graduation won’t be delayed if he decides on a major late without having taken the needed prerequisites.</p>

<p>Note: do not assume that “STEM major” = “good job and career prospects”. The most popular STEM major is biology, but it has rather poor job and career prospects, according to the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html&lt;/a&gt; .</p>

<p>I actually am not pushing him toward anything, mostly creating a dialog with him to see where his head is at before he ends up on the wrong path. Because he is so good at the math and sciences the thinking has been some type of engineering or tech program since that is where the money is at. </p>

<p>He also doesn’t like writing, statistics, history, or reading so there is no obvious fit. He has never read a single book that wasn’t assigned or picked up and read a magazine or newspaper for more than a quick glance yet he can knock out a short story in a few evenings and get an A+ on it. This is what I’m dealing with.</p>

<p>Engineering and science (other than math and statistics) do tend to have relatively high workloads, so consider his study habits. Also, a high workload major that is not his passion may be a worse fit than a low workload major that is not his passion.</p>

<p>While it may be anathema among some here, it looks like your son with no passion for any academic subject would be going to college to get better qualifications for job and career. Normally, I’d say that job and career prospects are something to keep in mind when choosing a major, but that choosing a major one dislikes only because of job and career prospects is a bad idea. However, if every subject is equal in dislike, then the job and career prospects of major choice end up being the primary criteria by default.</p>

<p>Look into programs which are math/economics - they might interest him - the math part is more statistics like than with engineering.</p>

<p>This is an interesting issue as I was just speaking with my DD who is a Chemical eng major about my son who graduated with degree in accounting. He graduated in 3yrs with a high GPA with lots of socializing while she is working extremely hard, more so this year, her 3rd(happily a member of the nerd herd lol). When she heard the salary offers he received she was jokingly annoyed and questioning if she should switch to business. She is leaning towards grad school research so doesn’t expect a big payday. Bottom line is finding a match between personal interests/strengths, ability and the end goal of finding a fulfilling life’s work. Not easy for a 17/18 y/o. I agree with others that he shouldn’t do engineering/STEM if not motivated. I also think in addition to academics he does need to experience the fun aspects of college because once out and working full time it’s not the same.</p>

<p>I’d suggest musicology.</p>

<p>Seriously, why does he need to decide that now?</p>

<p>The vast majority of folks change majors multiple times, and also change careers at least three times. So the odds are very, very good that whatever he decides now, won’t be the ultimate major or career path.</p>

<p>Give him some room to grow.</p>

<p>OP- I think your correct about the an honors program in a state school that gives him more freedom to explore his interests. Pick one that has STEM majors just incase he changes his mind.</p>

<p>Let him explore business. I will tell you, a business degree from a highly ranked undergrad business program is no walk in the park. Wharton, University of Michigan, etc. undergrad business programs will challenge him plenty, and position him well for good employment after graduation. Those top schools also do a good job of helping their students track down internships, also providing a boost for getting a good job later. Engineering is a steady paycheck, but if he is smart and he finds some component of it he loves, he can make a lot more money in business. Money isn’t everything, but if he wants to pursue business, I say help him find a good program and let him go at it.</p>

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<p>Your last line says it all. While engineering here is the darling major and has the potential for a good salary, it’s not the be all to end all to a happy life. Not too many years ago, every single one of our friends that were engineers ALL were laid off from their jobs, it’s not uncommon during slow economic times. Many of them were out of work for years. Some of them never got back into the field. Around here, engineering is a pretty well paid field for new grads, starting in the $60K range, great money for a 23 year old kid. However, there are a LOT of jobs in the business world or other fields that pay that much or MORE. Most people I know that go into sales make double that or more their first year out. Medical technologists (aka ultrasound, CT scans, MRI technologists) start at about $65K around here. </p>

<p>Right now it is more important for him to find a school that fits him. Sure, it’s easier when you know what you want to study or have a good idea, but find a school that makes him happy and lets him explore various areas. It may very well be he ends up in engineering but what if he really decides he wants to b a high school math teacher? That is something you need to let him find out. Even kids that go into college “knowing” what they want to do almost always change their mind–something like 80%. </p>

<p>Visit schools, find a good fit for location, size, etc. and work from there. A LOT will change for him over the next year, that I can promise.</p>

<p>An alternative to either engineering or business would be a broad liberal arts program. At the college level, your son may discover not only better instruction in familiar science subjects, but also exposure to new areas that would pique his interest (such as neuroscience, geology, linguistics, or computer science).</p>