What Major is marketable today?

<p>My daughter is going to graduate in 2013 from high school. She has worked her course load to go into Pharmacy. However, that looks to be a dying market. What degree should a student pursue if they want to be able to obtain a job upon graduation? I am curious to see what everyone thinks would be a marketable degree. I know she should pick something she is interested in, but just looking for ideas.</p>

<p>Teaching, nursing- especially advanced practice, respiratory therapist, physical therapist, social worker, business/accounting/CPA .</p>

<p>Just some off the top of my head. I am a nurse and have never had trouble finding a job. Make decent money with flexible schedule and Work 32 hours a week. :)</p>

<p>another nurse here that votes for nursing. Lots of different opportunities out there. If I had any sort of energy left- or could do it over, I would go into nursing informatics. That will continue to grow over the coming years as technology grows!</p>

<p>AND- you can always find some type of job. It may not be exactly what you want, but something that will fill time and put food on the table until the next opportunity comes along. That is not true with all careers.</p>

<p>Best thing for your daughter is to not limit her to traditional “female” occupations-- that’s not where the money is</p>

<p>Going along with the health care theme, several kids graduating high school from our area are heading into physician assistant programs, especially the 5 year combined masters programs. </p>

<p>My D with a combined economics/international affairs degree had lots of interviews and accepted a very good offer. She also had a lot of good internships during her college years. </p>

<p>The engineering grads that we know of this year are finding jobs too, often with companies they had interned with last summer.</p>

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<p>depends. </p>

<p>But many of the “female” occupations are more family friendly and stable than some of the other professions. Not all, but many. So it does depend on interest as well as priorities.</p>

<p>Is pharm truely a dying profession. It really seems to just be evolving. My sons friend is graduating this year from a 0-6 yr pharm d program. He already has a job making $120,000 a year waiting for him (at 24 yrs of age) in a major metropolitan area. He did not even open himself up to relocating and just looked in one city.</p>

<p>Engineering and computer science/programing are also getting jobs.</p>

<p>Another vote for accounting, if that’s your temperament. Depending on your state of residence and its CPA requirements, a new accounting grad (who’s CPA-eligible) can get a good-paying job straight out of school without a grad degree.</p>

<p>D (a 2012 grad) landed her soon-to-be full-time job last summer. Talk about a stress-free senior year! Almost all of her accounting classmates already have jobs lined up post-graduation.</p>

<p>At the bachelor’s degree level, consider the results of <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>Of course, it must be something that she is interested in, or at least does not mind doing. If she dislikes doing it, she is less likely to be good at it or happy with her life.</p>

<p>Computer science is still very marketable and pays well. It’s even possible for females to major in it. ;)</p>

<p>Math, computer science.</p>

<p>Going with the math theme, actuary is according to one survey, the job with the best hiring prospects and security. Downside, in terms of sizzle, not so much. </p>

<p>My artistic son–who is also good in math–surprised me by going that route.</p>

<p>NO, no, actuary is a horrible field-stay away, bad, pay, bad everything—no, no, no :D</p>

<p>Just trying to preserve jobs for our S :D…</p>

<p>Really though, for strong math students, it’s an option but like being an accountant, you have to have the right personality for the job. It’s not a 'social" career like a pharmacist or nurse would be.</p>

<p>My son channels his Finn ancestors. </p>

<p>How do you tell a Finnish extrovert from a Finnish introvert?</p>

<p>The extrovert looks down at your shoes when he’s talking to you. </p>

<p>[A</a> Top-Ranked Job | Be an Actuary](<a href=“Why Actuarial Science? – Be An Actuary”>Why Actuarial Science? – Be An Actuary)</p>

<p>Excellent publication came out not long ago by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce on College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings, called “Not all College Degrees are Created Equal”. I was surprised how high the unemployment rate was (almost 14%) for Architecture majors <a href=“http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf[/url]”>http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Here’s a short version (press release) <a href=“http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.PressRelease.pdf[/url]”>http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.PressRelease.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Re Architecture— I overheard a girl (working at Pottery Barn, take note) who told the customer ahead of me that no one in the U of Oregon Architecture dept got a job last year after graduation. No one. </p>

<p>I echo the good prospects for nursing, esp upper level/Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistants. I’m a pediatrician and our system loves these “mid level providers” because they’re well-liked by patients, and cheaper for the clinic to have than docs. Be aware that some NPs and PAs eventually chafe at the lack of control and representation in medical organizations. A good friend who is a derm PA, and a very good one, is frustrated regularly by the fact that she can never be a full partner, shareholder or voting member of our physician-run organization. </p>

<p>I can’t imagine that Pharmacy is a bad field, though in my experience, you pretty need a Pharm D these days to be competitive. Same with Physical Therapy— I think most programs are doctorate programs these days, and tough to get into.</p>

<p>I thought that ALL pharmacists had a PharmD nowadays - that there is no longer an undergrad pharmacy degree (like there used to in my day). Is that not true?</p>

<p>Architecture jobs are strongly linked to the housing economy which is in the tank right now. Hopefully, it will return soon.</p>

<p>Nursing, accounting (and musicology ;)). (I don’t know ANY unemployed musicologists.)</p>

<p>Md…</p>