Wrong major regrets, but is there another path?

College Majors Science Majors
1

Here’s my story: I’ve made it to senior year with a 3.8 GPA in a B.S. of Chemistry with concentration in Information Technology. However, I’ve learned two very important facts about my particular case:

  1. I majored in Chemistry thinking it would provide me a good future, but the market is in seriously bad decline. Apparently Chemistry isn’t so great for a science major.
  2. I recently discovered I truly love Information Technology more than Chemistry.

It’s taken me a lot of soul searching and experience through college to learn this. Everyone I’ve spoken to, made friends with, worked well on teams with, and tutored were in Information Technology. Comparing how I feel about Chemistry: I survived, it was brutal, and I’m disenchanted from the prospect of the career.

As of now I haven’t graduated but I’m very close. I could just let the degree fall in my hands and call it done, trying to get a job in IT for experience. Alternatively, I can keep going back until I finish the remaining 10 courses of the IT major, and switch my degree to that.

So far, counseling with advisors and deans tells me I shouldn’t be ashamed or kicking myself. I have a strong degree and more credits than a minor in the IT I love. However, as of now I’m smoldering mad that I couldn’t acquire a full B.S. in IT along with Chemistry.

Is it possible to get a 2nd bachelors degree after graduation in Information Technology despite having a concentration in a previous bachelor’s degree? Would it matter or should I try to hunt jobs with the minor and tons of effort? Should I save money from a job and plan to enter for a master’s degree in IT later? I’m deeply confused, and I would appreciate your collective feedback.

2

Don’t get a second Bachelor’s degree. Start by getting a job in the field (you have a minor) and then go for a Masters degree. That will get you much more than another B.S…

3

You are mad at yourself for not planning ahead a double major? Seems pointless to waste the energy being mad now. Depending on what aspect of IT you are interested in, much is learned on the job anyway. Many positions will only need a degree and it won’t matter so much what it is in. On your resume, you can have a small section for relevant coursework in IT and math that are useful.

4

Addressing replies…

@xraymancs: That’s what I intend to do, I’ll keep speaking to relevant parties to learn more.

@BrownParent: As upset as I am, it is comforting that the experience is what matters and entry into the field is flexible regarding the degree. I was planning on listing my various skills on my resume to aid my degree, and I do intend to take more classes past graduation to become further specialized.

5

Don’t think that your chemistry degree has been a waste. It is not the specifics of what you leaern but the ability to learn and to think critically that is the value of a college degree. Otherwise, college would be nothing more than vocational school. It is quite common for science majors to find employment in fields outside what they have specificallly studied.

6

First of all, be very sure that you want to work in information technology. Look at the jobs currently advertised in
“Information Technology.” Looking myself at jobs in “Information Technology” at Indeed.com today, I see they mostly entail supporting networks/servers/hardware/software in organizations/companies, but there are exceptions like jobs in web design. Identify the knowledge required to do well the jobs you like.

In the job postings I find a great willingness to accept a candidate without a degree provided he/she has experience (in some cases simply “knowledge” in the work), so it does appear that one could get in with impressive knowledge however obtained.

I, however, have an experience relevant to your situation. Long ago, in my twenties, I got a job in a laboratory with no more academic preparation than high school and a single semester in general chemistry at a community college. I was hired to do support stuff like wash glassware, but I eventually got to do chemical analysis. I could have stayed in that mode, but there were three problems with that: I didn’t know much of the chemistry behind what I was doing (and that bothered me), I was regarded by the other analysts as beneath them, and I couldn’t make as much money as someone with a degree. You will possibly face one or more of these if you go into the field you now want without a degree in it.

(I quit the job, enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in chemistry at a university - after 12 years out of full-time school, got the degree and then had a career in laboratory work that didn’t have any of the fore-mentioned problems. It was an upheaval to do it, but I have no regrets. It was great to be thoroughly prepared for my work. Yes, knowing the theory does matter.)

I’m inclined to say do things properly and, provided the courses you have yet to do for an IT degree are strongly relevant to the actual work you aim to do, get the bachelor’s degree in it.

7

I once hired a system administrator who had a Bachelor’s degree in comparative religions but had worked in the university hospital doing IT and had some Linux expeerience. He was great and really did not need to have a Bachelor’s degree in IT to do his job. However, he took advantage of the free tuition and was easily able to get a Masters of information Technology Management and with that went on to a much better paying job elasewhere. It would have made no sense for him to get another Bachelor’s degree. He already had one. Instead the Masters enabled him to significantly increase his salary.

8

I am interested in getting a masters degree in IT. How hard would that be for someone who has done well in science, but is lacking in IT knowledge from courses?

9

From what you wrote in your first post, you have some coursesin IT already under your belt. Just look for a job inthe field and then with some experience apply for a Masters degree. You should be able to get into a program with experience.

10

If you’re concerned about finding work— You have a very strong GPA in a demanding major. They’ll both make your resume stand out.

When searching for a job, it’s your skill set that’s important. Be certain your resume highlights your skills that are important for the position.

For example, it’s possible to have a job that involves coding and writing algorithms and not have taken any academic CS courses.

It would be interesting to see if employers view self-taught coders as a positive because it indicates motivation and self-discipline.

11

I wonder…

If I take more courses in IT before I graduate with my degree, will employers look on my transcript and see I have them? Even if not the correct major, it could be worth a chance.

12

I work for a web technology company. Our developers have degrees all across the boards - biology, history, economics - our lead software architect has a law degree! My degree is in Computer Science and I’m working in marketing. Go figure.

Finish the chem degree with pride. If you can fit a few more IT courses in, great. Look for ways to get certified in various skills. In my area, Java, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, CSS3, HTML5 - these are all specific skills we need and will hire enthusiastic people who have demonstrated a willingness to learn and some aptitude.

Do you have any opportunities to do internships in IT? That would help you understand whether this is truly what you want, and also could lead to a job but if nothing else will help you begin to develop contacts in the industry.

What you’ll find as you get further away from college is that in many instances, it only matters that you’ve earned a degree. Larger companies especially will often use lack of a degree to weed out candidates. What your degree is in, at least in IT, is less important. In IT, to succeed you’ll always need to be learning new skills. That’s what’s so exciting about the field. Very few IT professionals who have been around for 10 or 20 years are working with the same technologies they studied in college.

There’s nothing wrong with realizing your passion is different now than you thought it would be. You haven’t wasted your time - you’ve shown intelligence and dedication by earning a terrific GPA in a very difficult major. That says a lot about you to potential employers.

A second bachelor’s wouldn’t make sense. Look at various master’s programs and see what the prerequisites are - you may be in better shape than you think.

13

The knowledge you don’t already have that is needed to maintain computer systems in organizations someone with your background should be able to learn on his own from books and experience. If you want an M.S., there are scores of online M.S. IT programs that, it seems from my surfing the web on it, will accept you as you are. I suggest exploring that - sign up with them for information and ask them if they will accept you as you are. The bricks-and-mortar colleges don’t seem to be as open in accepting people for M.S. in IT without a B.S. in it, although I see that the Cal State LA M.S. program admission doesn’t mention an undergraduate degree, but does mention working experience.

There’s a lot to be said for touching base with the “real world” now by working in industry or at least applying for jobs to see the response.

No doubt there is some kind of IT job you can do as you are.

Computer Support Specialist

From http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Computer-and-Information-Technology/Computer-support-specialists.htm#tab-4:

“Education requirements for computer support specialists vary. Computer user support specialist jobs require some computer knowledge, but not necessarily a postsecondary degree. Applicants who have taken some computer-related classes are often qualified.”

There is this interesting passage at http://www.wetfeet.com/articles/career-overview-information-technology:

‘Requirements:
There’s a broad range of jobs in IT, and not all positions require technical skills. “The best tech support people we had,” one insider says, “had humanities backgrounds.” Technical, communication, and business skills are all important to the field, and four-year college degree programs-not necessarily in computer science-are still one of the best ways to prepare for entering the IT job market.’

But you may want to do something more ambitious.

For instance:

Computer Systems Analyst

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects 24% job growth and 200,000 job openings in this job between 2012 and 2022, which makes it exceptionally hot.

From http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm and http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm#tab-4:

“Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively.

“Most computer systems analysts have a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field. Because these analysts also are heavily involved in the business side of a company, it may be helpful to take business courses or major in management information systems.

“Some employers prefer applicants who have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in information systems. For more technically complex jobs, a master’s degree in computer science may be more appropriate.

“Although many computer systems analysts have technical degrees, such a degree is not always a requirement. Many analysts have liberal arts degrees and have gained programming or technical expertise elsewhere.”

A really plum job is Computer and Information Systems Manager. Such a person is in a position of leadership and the pay reflects it.

From http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-information-systems-managers.htm#tab-4:

“Computer and information systems managers normally must have a bachelor’s degree in a computer- or information science–related field. Such a degree usually takes 4 years to complete and includes courses in computer programming, software development, and mathematics. Management information systems (MIS) programs usually include business classes as well as computer-related ones.

“Many organizations require their computer and information systems managers to have a graduate degree as well. A master of business administration (MBA) is common and takes 2 years beyond the undergraduate level to complete. Many people pursuing an MBA take classes while working, an option that can increase the time required to complete that degree.”

The BLS has a comparison of computer jobs at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Computer-and-Information-Technology/Computer-support-specialists.htm#tab-7.

Should you want to pursue employment in chemistry, what will really get you in is hands-on experience with gas chromatographs, GCMS, HPLC, and ICP-MS (but it is hard to get that experience at most universities).

There is also a field developing in computational - or data - science in which I find a bricks-and-mortar school that will accept a chemistry B.S. for its M.S. program (Georgia Tech, there may be many others) and quite a few jobs coming up on an Indeed.com search. Scientific programming languages (especially C/C++ and Python) are called for. An area where chemistry and IT come together is in LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems).

14

Why not teach with your chemistry degree?