So, Mom wants to get me into college some time after the pandemic ends and the only problem is that I’m kind of undecided on what classes to take. I’ve already ruled out getting a degree in Liberal Arts because it doesn’t really feel like an lucrative choice to me; and I don’t really feel like getting into the medical field because it takes longer to meet the qualifications and I’ll probably crack under the pressure.
So, all that’s left is Business and probably Engineering, but I’m not sure if that’s as useful as it sounds when it’s mostly retail in my city.
Firstly, the liberal arts and sciences (most people forget the “and sciences” part encompasses all of the traditional academic majors from a school - humanities (religion, philosophy, literature) and social sciences (psychology, sociology, anthropology) but also mathematical and computational sciences and the natural/physical sciences (physics, biology, chemistry).
The vast majority of people who get college degrees in the U.S. get degrees in one of those areas, and the majority of them are gainfully employed making middle-class salaries. (Check out this chart from the WSJ: WSJ.com)
The truth is, precisely what you major in doesn’t really matter all that much outside of a few specialized fields. You should pick something that you like and that will teach you skills that can be useful in the kinds of careers you’re interested in, but there are a lot more fields than engineering and business that can do that.
What are you interested in? What kinds of careers are you drawn to?
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If your concern is employability and decent compensation based on your undergrad degree, agree with @juillet that outside of a few specialized areas (e.g. comp sci, engineering), your major won’t matter too much. What will matter are your grades and relevant work experience/internships in college. I would also say that in today’s job market, it is a major advantage to show quantitative abilities. An Art History major with extensive mathematics, physics or even economics classes is not at a disadvantage compared to a Business major for jobs on Main Street, Wall Street or the consulting world. Without a solid quantitative background, you might have to rely on luck or family connections.
Re: liberal arts and sciences
According to
it looks like majors that are considered liberal arts and sciences make up a smaller portion of bachelor’s degrees than overtly pre-professional majors.
However, this does not necessarily mean that an overtly pre-professional major is always a good idea, since some such majors are aimed at limited job markets, and having such a major may make it harder to get some other kind of job because employers may assume that you will leave for a job related to your major when one becomes available.