<p>My D. still does not know her specialty. She starts her rotations next March, then she will have an idea.<br>
However, I believe that this thread is discussing job security vs. responsibilities in each position, which will be different depending on many variable, specific organization, location, number of employees,…etc. In terms of MD’s, as many of them eventually have their own practices, they have more freedom than most of us to choose what they actually are doing during their day. There are MD’s who have several positions / responsibilites. As an example, they mihgt teach at Med. School, do Research and still be a care provider (practicing physician of any specialty). Or they might choose to be in more supervisory position delegating more of their responsibilities to PA / RN / LPN…ore they might decide to work a part time because they just had a kid or for other reasons. But all these details are NOT the focus of this thread IMO.</p>
<p>In terms of marketable degrees (the topic of this thread), there should be many in healthcare that wil be marketable. The way healthcare is going, much will be delegated to the ancillary staff. And the solo practitioner will be a rarity.</p>
<p>Marketable to me means “undergraduate major which could lead to gainful employment”. “MD” is NOT a major.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, in this tight job market there is no easy answer to this. My Penn State engineering major niece had a little trouble finding a job and 4 years earlier when she entered Penn State this was not expected to be an issue at all. She got one end of summer post-graduation- and it’s a good one (2010 grad)- but the offers were not pouring in. </p>
<p>My English major son landed a great job due in part to great work experience during college, being able to write very well and being very smart in his job search. On this forum an English major is not considered particularly “marketable”, but it sure CAN be! He just got recruited away from the first job, so it all continues to work- at least for now.</p>
<p>Momofwildchild-- can you tell us what kind of job(s) your English major son got? That’s a major my D is interested in, and as much as I love the classic majors, the thought of marketability does worry me a bit. Was he a go-getter and crafted his own job (my D would not probably be that creative)? Or did he end up in a field that you wouldn’t usually see English majors in because of his writing skills and someone just saw how good he was? I’m curious (and hopeful)!</p>
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<p>To me, it further says that it should lead to employment even if you are merely average at your major. I bet your son was quite an exceptional English major rather than an average one. An extraordinary student should end up well off no matter what they major in, but not everyone can be extraordinary.</p>
<p>jaylynn- His job is with a major corporation in the tv/electronics area. It is a business/analyst type position (almost 2 years now) and he’s moving to a different communications company. He had worked for a tech startup and also as a paralegal during college (Penn). A lot of his classmates (2010 grad) had trouble finding jobs due to the 2009 economic collapse. My son had planned to go to law school and I was pretty mad when he bailed on that plan since I didn’t think he could get a job- but he did. He was willing to look at cities many of his classmates wouldn’t consider since they weren’t NYC, DC or Philadelphia!</p>
<p>I’m seeing more and more articles in the WSJ and other publications saying that employers want graduates who can write and think and are looking beyond the typical majors.</p>
<p>MD cannot be a major, since pre-meds could be any major. But not mentionning Medical profession as one of the marketable ones is not correct.</p>
<p>Thanks, Momofwildchild!</p>
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<p>I agree with this (and I also agree with Vladenschlutte about the “merely average” rule - which is another reason why I keep saying “accounting.”) </p>
<p>To riff off of MOWC’s post: I think that the ability to write clearly and precisely is a necessary skill no matter what the major. I have no doubts that D will be an excellent accountant, but I also know that several of her profs have complimented her on her writing skill. Some of these hard skills (like writing) are essential to workplace success, but for many jobs, the “right” major is still requried to get your foot in the door…</p>
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<p>What type of engineering? Civil engineering was hit hard by the recent downturn, for obvious reasons.</p>
<p>She is civil and the Penn State career center was almost no help, which was disappointing. She wound up at the company for whom she was an intern before senior year, but they didn’t have the funding until fall 2010. She’s doing well now. (Philadelphia)</p>