<p>You start out in a major expecting one thing and you get something different.
Or, the work is so hard that you transfer to a different major.
Or, the work is so simple and easy that you aren't challenged.
Or, the subject is dry and boring.
Or, the basic courses are interesting but the advanced courses are worthless.
Or, you earn a bachelors degree in a major but you can't get a job.
Or, the education didn't prepare you for the career.
Or, you get a job but the career is a big disappointment.
Or, the pre-professional preparation is far more satisfying than the profession.</p>
<p>For which majors do these things happen the most?</p>
<p>I would say psychology and pre-law. What do you think?</p>
<p>Gag me with a spoon. If all one wants is an education, one can read the books in the public library- it saves money, eh? :rolleyes: Going to college to get a job should NOT be a prime goal, but one should have SOME idea of the market value of your major/abilities.</p>
<p>Gag me with a spoon. If all one wants is an education, one can read the books in the public library- it saves money, eh? Going to college to get a job should NOT be a prime goal, but one should have SOME idea of the market value of your major/abilities.</p>
<p>True, but the job I really want to do (lawyer) requires graduate work. My undergrad studies are more of an intellectual pursuit.</p>
<p>Which majors are most disappointing in the long run? There is absolutely no answer. I know people who are psychology majors and LOVE it. I know plenty of cocky engineering majors who push their way through those nauseating lower level classes because they feel they need to maintain some type of status among their friends/family. These types generally end up having no fun at school, don't engage in any social events, and turn out to be over-educated emo kids. Oh, but they will make at least $60k once they graduate so the whole four years of ****ing away their parents money is some how justified. :rollseyes:</p>
<p>Do what YOU want to do. For me, college is about....</p>
<p>getting a job. -my- primary goal. Like one member already said, you can get a hell of an education with a library card and a computer with internet access, so why push your way through some sort of academic bureaucracy and fork over $20k per year? Because it's an investment. You will eventually end up with a nice job and pay off that hideous student loan, and when that day comes you will enjoy the fruits of your labor.</p>
<p>Just be smart about it and figure out what you really want. Money isn't everything, making mommy and daddy happy definitely isn't everything, find something you're interested in and try to get paid doing it. I know I am....</p>
<p>Probably the majors that students pursue only because the students think the majors lead to jobs that pay well. Other disappointing majors are ones that students pursue because they're following their parents' dreams, not their own.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity: why psychology?
I'd like to know some concrete reasons, since in these days I was thinking about taking it at undergrad level :)</p>
<p>My expectations are:
- LOT of research, especially in modern neuroscience
- publishing
- or else, a degree in Law or similar, after psychology undergrad
- worst case: career in therapy (though from what I understand, entering the career of psychology requires a different path in the U.S. than here in Italy)</p>
<p>alero86-
I chose Psychology because it is the most popular major but you can't do much with it unless you get a PhD. Although, there is school psychology with a masters. So, it is not good career preparation for the vast majority of majors. But, this reveals my values - career oriented. </p>
<p>Psych can be good preparation for life, especially child psychology. In fact, I would say that Child Psychology should be a required course for everybody but it depends on who teaches it. A flaky teacher can ruin a course like that. Psych has its share of eccentrics.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I think a lot of students take psychology hoping to gain insight into what makes people tick but are disappointed when they realize psych does not have the answers. That's another big reason why I chose psych as most disappointing.</p>
<p>I think the biopsychology areas would be more satisfying that the strictly psychological areas. The more "mentalistic" areas of psychology are unsatisfying because the ideas are so nebulous. Too much mumbo jumbo.</p>
<p>In newspapers, magazines, and on TV I come across more stupid ideas from the area of psychology than all other academic fields combined, especially about family life and childrearing. Psychology is not really a social "science". It is too loose in interpreting data. Psychologists tend to pass off their political and social bias as "science". So, students hope to hear some truthful facts but what they get is probabilistic propoganda and opinions. Some areas of psychology are guiltier of this than others, I believe.</p>
<p>In psychology, research is quite sloppy (except biopsych). Psychologists can't really do good research because of the nature of their subject matter. Psychologists seem to think they know what they are talking about when they really don't.</p>
<p>This is what I have experienced in my limited exposure and have heard from others. Is this judgement too harsh?</p>
<p>Collegehelp has a good list of problems there. Journalism can be a bad choice. If you get a job, it will be low paid, and you will find that higher paying ones are hard to come by. You may stay in the field awhile, then switch. (I have a relative in the field.) The one about lower level courses being interesting, but higher level ones worthless I found to be true in the physical sciences. After awhile, every course seemed alike- lots of time spent applying partial differential equations to everything. "You get a job but the career is a big disappointment"- this is my life currently in computer science. "Dry and boring"- ah, this is the one we should not discuss on an elite college admissions website. But, do people drop out because it's hard, or because it's boring? Yes, many college courses are BORING. High school teachers know that they have to keep the kids engaged, and keep a pace going, even entertain a little, or they will have a disaster on their hands. College instructors do not. They figure that you will doze or cut class. They know you won't throw spit balls.</p>
<p>i was a psych major, got my masters, and i have an amazing job right now. when i was job hunting, there were tons of interesting psych related jobs. all my psych major friends are doing similar interesting psych related work.</p>
<p>philosophy and sociology are pretty hard to apply to the real world.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Which majors are most disappointing in the long run?
[/quote]
Any major you go into just for the job prospects and money. If that is all you want, become a long distance truck driver or a plumber. It's much less expensive and the payoff comes more swiftly. :)</p>
<p>Warblerule my friend, I think that I disagree with you. I need to ponder a bit more. For now I'll say that I fear that too many undergraduates view a college education as vocational.</p>
<p>Ask the following questions of any major you choose.</p>
<p>Will it teach me:</p>
<ol>
<li>how to be a critical thinker? Will I learn how to evaluate and analyze information. </li>
<li>how to write?</li>
<li>how to work in groups? </li>
<li>how to present information orally? </li>
</ol>
<p>These are the skills you will need in the wonderful world of work.</p>
<p>Finally if you are lazy, self-centered, untrustworthy, negative, mean-spirtited, or cynical no one will want to work with you and once the word gets out in your profession no one will hire you. If you are any of these things it will not matter what you major in. And, btw, don't underestimate the role of luck and the importance of showing up on time.</p>
<p>A friend's daughter got a degree in communications from a well regarded (and expensive school). They were sure she would land a great job upon graduation because degree was from well-regarded school that they thought would "open doors". They were pretty disappointed when daughter moved back home and job searched for almost a year before getting a job in sales(that she could have gotten with a degree from anywhere) with an annual salary less than the cost of one year of attendance at her college. And she doesn't even like the job.</p>
<p>Allow me to clarify, LakeWashington. Out of the sciences (or most majors, for that matter), biology is one of the hardest fields to break into with a BS. With a PhD, of course, you have plenty of opportunities if you're flexible- but I was referring to the biology major as a terminal degree. A few years ago, the job:graduate ratio in the sciences was
Geology 14.35
Chemistry 9.07
Physics 5.23
Biology 1.23
This is mostly due to supply and demand rather than some inherent problem with the biology major- not every marine biology major gets to work with dolphins. The high production of biology majors also means the average pay is low. :( That doesn't mean you shouldn't study it; it just means you need to be better than most of your competition. I completely agree with tsdad's points; my volunteer experience at the Primate Center was the prime factor for me getting my summer job- they barely looked at my science coursework (which was humbling). :rolleyes:</p>