<p>I am planning on getting only my bachelors degree and don't plan on continuing going to school unless it's necessary for my career. I'm currently thinking about majoring in engineering but when I looked at the curriculum it requires over a 130 credits as apposed to the 120 that almost every other major requires to graduate. I said stem because I'm interested in the sciences but want to start working once I graduate.</p>
<p>A couple of things:</p>
<p>1) You can start working after graduating in a variety of majors, not just STEM majors. The majority of people who go to college won’t go to graduate school, and the majority of BA holders are employed - the unemployment rate is only 4% for BA holders and their median income is about $47,000 (and medians are not skewed by extreme high numbers).</p>
<p>Furthermore, the 2010-2011 (most recent years) unemployment rate for recent graduates with computer science and mathematics majors (9.1%), engineering majors (7.4%), life and physical science majors (7.3%) are not significantly different than the unemployment rate for recent graduates with arts (9.8%), communications and journalism (7.8%), and psychology and social work (8.8%), and only slightly lower than that for other social science majors (10.3%). The major difference is in post-college salary, not employment.</p>
<p>2) Since most college classes are about 3 credits apiece, a 10-credit difference is the equivalent of roughly 3 classes. So if the engineering majors are really only 130 credits as opposed to 120, you’re ruling them out on the basis of just 3 classes. I wouldn’t do that. (I have more often seen engineering majors require around 150 credits, which could be an extra year of school - however, the entry-level salary for bachelor’s degree holders in engineering is about $10K over computer science and math majors, and almost twice the salary of other science majors. If you pay an additional $30K to stay one extra year in college, you’ll make up the difference in 3 years of work or less. There are a lot of dimensions to choosing a major besides financial returns - and I think you should choose primarily based upon enjoyment of the subject - but that’s something to think about.</p>
<p>3) If you want to major in a STEM field that can be a good choice! But do realize that “STEM” is a broad appellation that was made to encompass a really wide range of majors. Biology or chemistry are very different (both in terms of subject matter and career prospects) than computer science, mathematics, or physics. What I suggest is that when you start college, take a few classes in some areas that interest you. I would pick the 2-3 most appealing majors and take the introductory “for majors” course in each of those fields some time in your first year. That should give you some insight into whether you like it enough to continue in it as a major!</p>
<p>You should also remember that undergraduate majors are broad areas that can lead to a variety of job outcomes.</p>
<p>juillet said “The major difference is in post-college salary, not employment.”</p>
<p>That salary difference exists because the STEM grads are working in the STEM field, while the arts and social sciences grads are working in jobs that don’t require a degree. </p>