Yet Another "Help me choose a major" Thread

College Majors
1

<pre><code> Hello, I have just graduated high school and the clock inside my head has begun to tick at a much higher volume. I've been considering various majors for over a year and have not yet made a final decision, but now I feel I must. I don't want to change majors in college in order to avoid a potential 9th semester of paying tuition.

 First, a little about myself. My academic passion is history, but I don't see much work in that field outside of teaching or becoming a lawyer. Both of those occupations would be soul crushing, mostly because I dislike large social settings, and because the fields are oversaturated from what I've heard. My personal passion is simply "figuring out how things work". I've broken more than my fair share of machines in order to figure them out. I'm methodical and analytical in nature, which served me well in high school. I enjoy taking "smart" risks and like uncertainty. This might stem from the fact that I'm easily bored. Regardless of that, my risk taking led to me establishing a small business of sorts a few years ago. I will be going to Georgia Tech this fall.

  Now, my criteria. The major must be/include:
           #1. Broad in scope. I covet versatility, it acts as a safety net and opens up possibilities.
           #2. The chance of self employment. I know it's harder (my father has been self employed for years)
                  but I hate being an underling, and self employment has many other benefits.
           #3. Broad in geographic distribution. I have no plans to start a family or any relationship to tie myself to a 
                 specific place. I also dislike being in one place too long, and living in the same general environment 
                 (city, rural, ect)
           #4. Rapidly Developing. Medicine and Computing have changed much more than philosophy over the last
                 100 years. This is because development=opportunity. 
           #5.  Have low levels of unemployment. I must work as a salaried employee before I can employ myself.
           #6.  The use of my abilities. Mainly in analysis, mathematics, and critical thinking.

 Currently, I'm considering the following.
            Accounting. For numbers 2, 3, 5, and 6.

            All the core engineering disciplines (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical). For numbers 1, 4, 5, 6. I'm also 
            going to a great school for engineering.

             Biology or Anatomy for pre-med. I love how intricate living systems are, and am not squeamish about
             death or bodily functions. However, med school is both expensive and competitive.

</code></pre>

<p>I am willing to get a masters degree after my bachelors as it seems everyone goes to college.</p>

<p>Thank You for any and all input (:</p>

2

<p>Actually, accounting fits criteria #1 too. You can go public or private. You don’t have to be tied to an accounting job but everyone has to understand the books especially if self-employed. I know people who majored in accounting who are in real estate, financial planning, and sales and marketing.</p>

<p>One thing you can do is start with the basic engineering curriculum. You can get math and science gen ed classes out of the way if you decide to head into accounting.</p>

3

<p>What about trying consulting? You might go with a business major of some kind and a computer science minor. Lots of travel, a variety of client environments, and will use your skills effectively. Eventually you can strike out on your own once you have some experience. Firms like Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, and E&Y are the types of companies I am thinking of where you would hope to start out.</p>

4

<p>Both engineering and accounting seem like good choices for you. Both are secure jobs that are valued in the long run. Engineering is great at georgia tech. Why not try out both? You can take intro courses to both types and see if they suit you. There’s alot more time to explore than you think in college and you don’t have to come in with everything decided. Many don’t declare majors until their second years. For me, it was important for me to get a taste of the classes and the type of work I will be doing before I could understand if I really enjoy it. So try it out, if you don’t like one, pursue one of your other interests. Good luck.</p>

5

<p>I feel like accounting won’t really satisfy #4 at all. It doesn’t change a lot… and #6, once you learn the ‘rules’ of accounting, I don’t think it stretches you a lot over time in using those abilities, either. The math in accounting is very simple – if you can add, subtract, multiple, and divide, you can do accounting. There is very, very little ‘figuring out how things work’ in accounting. Based on your post, I honestly think you will be bored in accounting.</p>

6

<p>Computer Science with a minor in Economics </p>

7

<p>I sometimes am told that the window of opportunity for computer science has long since passed. What can you say to that?</p>

8

<p>Also, thanks for the consulting idea. I’m looking into it. </p>