Deciding on a Major

[Stridder44]

I've been trying to decide on a major for quite a while now. I'm about 2 semesters into college and still can't figure out where I would go. First it was Psychology, but decided against it after talking to several people who have their Ph.D's and say you pretty much have to go all the way (12 years) unless you want to become a school psychologist.

Then I switched it to Business Marketing/Marketing, but every time I tell someone this I die a little inside and become less and less interested in it. I thought it would be cool to come up with advertisement campaigns that would promote a companies product, but meh. I have no idea what to go into.

I love working with an audience, making people laugh, really just being able to entertain people. I love presentation, whether it's with a film, a game, anything big and loud that will affect and entertain a lot of people. Being in charge of something like that would be awesome! I'm currently (while continuing school) trying out acting, and I love it! But I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket by going for a BA in drama. I want to have a plan B (or plan BA if you will ;)). I guess I just wanted to get your insight or personal experience.

[ravenvii]

Why not major in Scientology Studies?



I kid, I kid!

[goodtimes5]

Major in business admin then.

[Stridder44]

Why not major in Scientology Studies?



I kid, I kid!

You're right. Maybe I have too many thetans in my body or something and that's why I'm so lost. :rolleyes:

[jng]

. The most useful majors are engineering. But if that's not you, don't do it. . Just do what you enjoy for your undergrad. You don't have to go all the way in psychology in my opinion. Better to do psych, enjoy it and get good grades.

Also, I heard doing an undergrad in business is one of the dumber things one can do - if you plan on doing an MBA later or even in general.

[zioxide]

I love working with an audience, making people laugh, really just being able to entertain people. I love presentation, whether it's with a film, a game, anything big and loud that will affect and entertain a lot of people. Being in charge of something like that would be awesome! I'm currently (while continuing school) trying out acting, and I love it! But I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket by going for a BA in drama. I want to have a plan B (or plan BA if you will ;)). I guess I just wanted to get your insight or personal experience.

Major in Communications Studies (like me :p)

[tobefirst]

I love presentation, whether it's with a film, a game, anything big and loud that will affect and entertain a lot of people. Being in charge of something like that would be awesome!

With your degree in marketing you could get a job as an events planner, which sounds like it could fulfill the love quoted above. Maybe the reason you're dying inside is because you're thinking of other types of marketing? Could events planning be for you?

[mactastic]

You could always get a teaching credential. It only adds an extra year if you coordinate it with your undergrad work, and (assuming they're not firing all the teachers like we're in the middle of here in California) is instantly marketable.

Plus you'd get the chance to be in charge of something that entertains a bunch of people 180 days a year!

[iJon]

I'm a Marketing/Business major and the degree by itself will look better than a Psychology degree or some other pointless degree. On the other hand though, many companies just want to see you got your undergrad and what you got it in wouldn't matter much.

That will differ from company to company.

jon

[Rodimus Prime]

Go talk to your career center at your college. Most of them have some very nice little test you can take that help out and they are surprising at how good they are. These are not the ones you see online but some the schools shell out a fair amount of money for.

On top of that talking to them about what you like they can guild you to what career field is good for you and which majors go well with it.

[jessica.]

Major in Communications Studies (like me :p)

This was exactly what I thought when he said he wanted to talk to people.

You need to do PR work, seriously. Major in Communication Studies and minor in something like business. Just do what you enjoy, really.

I agree it is hard to decide. I'm thinking of starting a PhD or going back for a second Master's and I'm having a hard time deciding if I do go for a second Masters what it will be in. For some reason though Psychology majors are just more driven liberal arts majors. I'm sorry but you are right, unless you go all the way it seems nearly pointless.

[Hawkeye411]

Go for the Ph.D. in psychology and then you can entertain students when you teach.

[McGiord]

to be able to communicate/translate in other languages of your interest, in any field of experience, is always a professional advantage.

[rhsgolfer33]

.
Also, I heard doing an undergrad in business is one of the dumber things one can do - if you plan on doing an MBA later or even in general.

I don't know where you heard that; behind Engineering and Computer Science majors economics and business majors are generally next in line for highest starting salaries (depending on your emphasis - Accounting, Finance, IT, Marketing, etc). Also, having an undergrad business degree can cut down the amount of units you have to take to get your MBA and in some cases allow you to obtain it in as little time as one year.

Personally, I'm an accounting major and I love it. Its definitely not for everyone, but you get to work in teams often, solve problems, and put together budgets and financial statements. Its interesting. Job prospects are excellent as well: starting salary for a B.S. averages about $47,000 nationwide and for students from my school has been about $55,000 plus signing bonuses for students going to one of the big 4 firms. If you choose to get a M.S or an MBA your salary will increase. Personally, I'm leaning towards getting an M.S. straight out of college and then going on to my Ph.D from there and becoming a professor, but that's a couple years away.

Good luck on your major quest, it took me a little while to find mine too.

[SamIchi]

Do something you enjoy, I don't know what major would fit what you described. Try to find something similar, even if it isn't exactly what you want.

listen to Steve Jobs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

It's about the journey, the experiences. I love that speech, one more reason to love Apple.

[ChrisA]

I don't know where you heard that; behind Engineering and Computer Science majors economics and business majors are generally next in line for highest starting salaries

If you were going to go into Engineering or Computer Science you would have know that in high school. It seems there are two kinds of students. Those who can do match and those who can't. If you did not already run through the algabra through calulus math seriaes in high school you would have to make al of that plus the two years of Calc and diff eq. yo umissed at the university. it would take years.

I have kids now. What I tell them is that if that don't take math (algabra, geometry, analytic geomery, trig and calc.) then they can not later deside to go into enginerring or the hard sciences. But if they do complete the five year high school math sequence then they will have more options later. Nothing wrong with libral arts I was a dual major in philosophy and comp sci./EE

[Agathon]

Do what you enjoy doing. You won't do as well at anything else.

There are basically two choices.

1. You can do a vocational degree, which will make it easier to find your first job and will likely result in a larger starting salary.

2. You can do a non-vocational degree, which will make it harder to find your first job and will likely result in a lower starting salary.

Most people will take #1, which is somewhat of an illusion. The long term salaries for #2 are on the average lower, for the simple reason that more women take degrees like that, and many of them end up not working or taking time off to raise a family (this is one of the big problems in our society).

However, last time I looked, if you are any good, you will end up earning more in the long run if you do #2. Vocational degrees are tied to narrow fields of skill, whereas the other sort are tied to a much broader skill base. People often wonder what humanities degrees are for. Well, they teach you to think, speak and write coherently, as well as to solve qualitative rather than quantitative problems. If you look at our societies, there are a hell of a lot of jobs that need those skills. If you've ever read a report or business letter written by the average person, you will know why this is a valuable skill.

It's the same within the sciences. Abstract fields like physics require a much greater degree of talent than applied fields.

You can see this if you look at standardized test results. The students with the highest scores overall are those who take subjects like Physics, Philosophy and Economics. Lawyers, engineers and computer scientists score much lower on average (although Chemical Engineers do quite well). The reason is that Physics, Philosophy and Economics are much harder subjects and require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in.

Do what you want. Making long range plans is rather daft IMHO. When my parents entered the job market, the economy was very different than it is today. In another 20 years it may well have changed again.

[wvuwhat]

I've been trying to decide on a major for quite a while now. I'm about 2 semesters into college and still can't figure out where I would go. First it was Psychology, but decided against it after talking to several people who have their Ph.D's and say you pretty much have to go all the way (12 years) unless you want to become a school psychologist.

Then I switched it to Business Marketing/Marketing, but every time I tell someone this I die a little inside and become less and less interested in it. I thought it would be cool to come up with advertisement campaigns that would promote a companies product, but meh. I have no idea what to go into.

I love working with an audience, making people laugh, really just being able to entertain people. I love presentation, whether it's with a film, a game, anything big and loud that will affect and entertain a lot of people. Being in charge of something like that would be awesome! I'm currently (while continuing school) trying out acting, and I love it! But I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket by going for a BA in drama. I want to have a plan B (or plan BA if you will ;)). I guess I just wanted to get your insight or personal experience.

Communication Studies, FTW. I moved from business administration (and had that dying feeling inside) to sports management the to advertising, then finally settled on Communications with a minor in Advertising. I'm happier than ever and I enjoy the career freedoms that a degree in Communications offers, plus I enjoy learning about graphic design and all the things that go along with Advertising, so it was a natural choice.

[Agathon]

What on earth is Communication Studies? I swear that people are just making new subjects up.

[rhsgolfer33]

You can see this if you look at standardized test results. The students with the highest scores overall are those who take subjects like Physics, Philosophy and Economics. Lawyers, engineers and computer scientists score much lower on average (although Chemical Engineers do quite well). The reason is that Physics, Philosophy and Economics are much harder subjects and require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in.

I disagree with this. I don't really think physics, philosophy, or economics are much harder than law, engineering, or computer science, nor do I think they require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in. Most attorneys I know are equally intelligent to all the economics, philosophy, and physics professors I've had (strangely enough I've taken classes in all three). I think to succeed in anything you need to be intelligent, no matter the subject, and I think a lot of people at the college level and beyond are equally capable of succeeding in physics as they are at computer science, provided they are willing to put in the effort and have the desire. I've found, at least for me, that economics, law, physics, philosophy, accounting, geology, english, etc, all take similar intelligence to succeed in.

Bottom line, do something you enjoy, no matter what others say about it.

[wvuwhat]

I disagree with this. I don't really think physics, philosophy, or economics are much harder than law, engineering, or computer science, nor do I think they require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in. Most attorneys I know are equally intelligent to all the economics, philosophy, and physics professors I've had (strangely enough I've taken classes in all three). I think to succeed in anything you need to be intelligent, no matter the subject, and I think a lot of people at the college level and beyond are equally capable of succeeding in physics as they are at computer science, provided they are willing to put in the effort and have the desire. I've found, at least for me, that economics, law, physics, philosophy, accounting, geology, english, etc, all take similar intelligence to succeed in.

Bottom line, do something you enjoy, no matter what others say about it.

While I do agree with this. I have to say that there's a different skillset involved with each major. I consider myself intelligent, both in book and streetsmarts. I took some economics classes and did very well, but I didn't enjoy the math aspect. Call me crazy, but I don't want to be dealing with math for the rest of my life. I can get straight A's, but I lose interest very quickly. I think that people need to do what they want to do and they will show interest and succeed in their endeavors. Either way, it's better to be majoring in something that you enjoy in my opinion than just making their way to getting a degree and being stuck in something that doesn't interest them for the rest of their career.

[wvuwhat]

And, yes, I am drunk and I apologize for the terrible grammar. Do what you want, you can always find something you like and go to grad school. Which, I am doing...communication studies to law school...HURRAY!

[Agathon]

I disagree with this. I don't really think physics, philosophy, or economics are much harder than law, engineering, or computer science, nor do I think they require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in.

Then why do philosophers, economists and physicists smoke them on standardized tests like the GRE? If you wanted some independent test of academic aptitude, it would have to be something like that.

[Rodimus Prime]

Then why do philosophers, economists and physicists smoke them on standardized tests like the GRE? If you wanted some independent test of academic aptitude, it would have to be something like that.

Well first off the GRE is more of a formatively for engineers so a lot of them do not give a hoot on the test.

But you calling Philosophy and economics harder than engineering. Now that is a joke. A way to look at majors on how hard on is look at the average GPA and you will notice Engineers do not have the highest average. Very few students graduating with honors compared to lets say philosophy which very few graduated with out honors.

2nd off half of the test is in a area engineers in general are horrible at. The math section is not hard enough to off set it and is still more friendly to the philosophers since logic is on the math side.

[Agathon]

Well first off the GRE is more of a formatively for engineers so a lot of them do not give a hoot on the test.

Where's your evidence? The fact that Chemical Engineers seem to do quite well compared to all the other engineers would seem to count against this supposition (perhaps it attracts particularly smart people). IIRC the engineers do quite well compared to the computer scientists.

Note that we aren't talking about all students, but those who were at least thinking of grad school. That's not going to be the C students.

But you calling Philosophy and economics harder than engineering. Now that is a joke. A way to look at majors on how hard on is look at the average GPA and you will notice Engineers do not have the highest average. Very few students graduating with honors compared to lets say philosophy which very few graduated with out honors.

That's not a very convincing argument. GPAs may well differ according to subject. But that doesn't matter, since grades may well tend to be standardized within departments. I'm sure many English students receive high grades, but they don't do as well on the standardized test. The GRE, whatever its faults, is at least a common measure of aptitude.

I'd have to say that many parts of Aristotle's Metaphysics would be a somewhat harder read than any engineering book I've seen.

2nd off half of the test is in a area engineers in general are horrible at. The math section is not hard enough to off set it and is still more friendly to the philosophers since logic is on the math side.

The kind of formal logic philosophers do has very little to do with the math section on the GRE. In any case, the GRE is specifically designed to measure intellectual aptitude. If it's authors could eliminate bias, they would. Whatever "it" is: the physicists, philosophers and economists (and some astronomers, IIRC) have more of it.

One could mount a convincing argument that the current GRE is worse for engineers as it now includes an analytical writing section as opposed to the former exam, which included analytical puzzles. But that would make no difference, since the trends I have mentioned go back long before the changes were made to the GRE about a decade ago.

[jng]

I don't know where you heard that; behind Engineering and Computer Science majors economics and business majors are generally next in line for highest starting salaries (depending on your emphasis - Accounting, Finance, IT, Marketing, etc). Also, having an undergrad business degree can cut down the amount of units you have to take to get your MBA and in some cases allow you to obtain it in as little time as one year.


I read it in some article interviewing admissions folks from MBA programs. The logic behind the argument is that undergraduate educations are expensive, esp. at private institutions and you get more bang for your buck studying something like a language or literature. Therefore, people who apply to MBA programs having majored in "business" appear - well, to have made a not so wise investment decision. Many undergraduate business programs don't cut it because in the end, most of them graduate without experience. And what they learned in class? They could have learned much of that on the job - according to the article.

It doesn't have anything to do with salaries, but rather "investments."

For the life of me I can't remember where I saw/read this.

[R34]

Hi, im a college student myself and went through a phase like this. im still kind of in the middle of one, but your situation isn't a whole lot different than mine other than the fact that i can't wait to get into more upper division investing classes. I was up in the air for a while between electrical or civil engineering, music, Bus. Econ and Bus Admin.

First things first you should know that these days a bachelors degree is a dime a dozen, especially with a business major. but its all the more reason why you need an undergraduate degree to compete with the rest of the world. If you are planning to return for an MBA i would recommend a major from the college of letters and science. It will set you apart from other applicants of a job you may apply for. It will also make you more well rounded and you also may enjoy it more.

You do not learn nearly as much specialized material in an undergrad program as you do in a graduate program. Also, the courses are fairly vague in comparison to what you will learn from experience and/or a graduate program. this meaning, the variety of job options available to you is still fairly broad regardless of your major. There are exceptions, but for the majors your are debating, there are not many. Young adults fresh out of college usually switch jobs many times, usually between different fields, before finding what they want to pursue as a life long career. That's why it's usually recommended that you get some work experience before getting a master's degree. Then you can go back and specialize in that field.

Another thing that you should keep in mind goes back to what my father always told me as i was growing up. "Find the thing that you enjoy/love doing the most, and find a way to get paid for it".

For me, my favorite thing to do is play and study music. I play guitar and i decided recently that i would pursue my music as a career. Day in and day out i play guitar, songwrite and actually STUDY music technique, style, theory, etc (17+ hours a day). Nothing makes me happier and the ultimate goal is to get signed to a record label (get paid for what i love to do). In the long run i feel that my life will be much more enjoyable. So what i am doing right now is taking music classes along with my business study and planning on some time off after i graduate to go to music school and pursue music as a career. Worst comes to worst i have an undergraduate degree to fall back on if i need to get a 'business' job.

One thing that might set our situations apart is that i enjoy studying real estate and stock investing too, so i have another source of income as a back up. its always good to have a plan B (or C and D).

Sorry if i rambled on about my life too long, but i was just explaining what i ended up doing when i ran into this dilemma. so far i couldn't be happier and, like i had said before, have a backup just in case. Maybe i'm too much of an optimist and might be sounding too cliche by saying this, but follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you that you can't succeed.

[munson]

It's all about the Music Industry program, if you have it at your school.

Other than that, I would try to dual major in Comm. Studies and Marketing.

[Rodimus Prime]

Where's your evidence? The fact that Chemical Engineers seem to do quite well compared to all the other engineers would seem to count against this supposition (perhaps it attracts particularly smart people). IIRC the engineers do quite well compared to the computer scientists.

Note that we aren't talking about all students, but those who were at least thinking of grad school. That's not going to be the C students.

o.

I should repeat my statement. Engineers going to grad school the GRE is nothing more than a formatily.

The GRE is a test you can prepare for no if and or buts about it. It nothing more than the SAT which is proven that reviewing for it can make a huge difference in the scores. The GRE is no different.

Problem is Engineers the compition to get into grad school is pretty weak and like I said the GRE is a formatily. The scores are just recored and never looked at again.

Compare that to other majors and all of a sudden the GRE is another issue. The test is bias and hurts engineers.
intellectual aptitude seems to be more along the lines of how you are trained to think in school. Engineering is a way of thinking that is far from the norm. The test is set up to hurt them. Something is wrong when the scores for engineers are clearly lower across the boards and not just a little lower but a lot lower. To me that screams there is a clear bias in the test.

That and add in the fact that for engineers the GRE is a formatively. Engineers have by far more important and predigest test they are after. Namely the FE and PE.

[byocrysis]

Major in Microbiology, thats what I am doing and it is way frickin' cool.

[themadchemist]

It's the same within the sciences. Abstract fields like physics require a much greater degree of talent than applied fields.

You can see this if you look at standardized test results. The students with the highest scores overall are those who take subjects like Physics, Philosophy and Economics. Lawyers, engineers and computer scientists score much lower on average (although Chemical Engineers do quite well). The reason is that Physics, Philosophy and Economics are much harder subjects and require a greater degree of intelligence to succeed in.

This is something of a baseless generality. I mean, I personally do find physics harder than biology or chemistry, but maybe a physicist would see things differently and find bio and chem harder? These sorts of sweeping statements aren't really useful to anyone.

For what it's worth, you can explain half of macroeconomics by talking about ion channels in a lipid bilayer. Once you get beyond a backbone of probability and fundamental mathematical concepts in the sciences (social sciences included), what's challenging about them has to do with how you can wrap your mind around the specifics of a given field's set of questions and particular systems.


Then why do philosophers, economists and physicists smoke them on standardized tests like the GRE? If you wanted some independent test of academic aptitude, it would have to be something like that.


Want to cite that claim? Particularly since law students don't even take the GRE...

I think it's a pretty well-accepted fact in graduate school that the GRE is more or less a formality. Scores are clustered high near the top--the test is really pretty easy and a big chunk of testing cohort does extraordinarily well. Also, trying to correlate scholarly accomplishment to a standardized test, particularly one as general and straightforward as the GRE, is a tall order. Going to graduate school is about doing research--thinking and creating/discovering new knowledge. That has nothing to do with answering some sentence completions and middle school algebra problems.

[Rodimus Prime]

Man I miss that part about Philosophy being a harder major. That is such a load of BS. It is more one of those easy majors. Engineers general seem to do fairly well in those classes because it is very logical. It seems to be a major people use for law and other things like that.

It is one of the easiest majors out there.

Engineering on the other hand is one of the hardest. Unless you can explain why fewer than 40% of the people who start engineering finish it. It has one of the HIGHEST attention rates in colleges.

[jaw04005]

It all depends on the industry you plan on working in when you graduate. Many employers don't necessarily care what your undergraduate major is in. In fact, having an out of the ordinary degree may set you a part and/or help you strike up a conversation in your future job interviews.

For example, I have many friends who are education majors that work as sales and marketing representatives, and friends who where communication majors that are now teachers.

In some ways college prepares you for the real world, and in others it doesn't. Don't just assume that marketing/advertising majors all create ads for new products or that all communication majors work in PR, Journalism, etc—which is likely the main jobs you will hear talked about within those majors. There are a wide variety of jobs out there in each field.

Also, there's a big difference between the type of degree you receive and your undergraduate major. For example, most 4-year colleges have a limited number of degrees—Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Art, Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Business Administration, etc. Yet have endless amounts of majors.

You might have be a Communication Major and your friend a Biology Major, yet you may share the same college degree —*Bachelor of Science.

[itcheroni]

Then why do philosophers, economists and physicists smoke them on standardized tests like the GRE? If you wanted some independent test of academic aptitude, it would have to be something like that.

Can you cite to an article or study? I've never heard that before and have a hard time believing it.