Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What are examples of mainstream majors that offer plenty of jobs?
- Thread starter waloshin
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Engineering and computer science.
I attend a top school in Canada and am studying accounting/economics. Looking at job postings, Google is looking to hire 30+ comp sci students throughout the year while a top accounting firm will take 0-5 students and only during a specified recruiting "season".
My mom is an accountant at an engineering/consulting firm and she says they hire dozens of engineers every year compared to only a couple of "business" students.
I attend a top school in Canada and am studying accounting/economics. Looking at job postings, Google is looking to hire 30+ comp sci students throughout the year while a top accounting firm will take 0-5 students and only during a specified recruiting "season".
My mom is an accountant at an engineering/consulting firm and she says they hire dozens of engineers every year compared to only a couple of "business" students.
Honestly though, go for a career you would honestly like doing for the next 60 years of your life. One where getting out of bed isn't a struggle. Don't go for something because it has "good job security". Don't go for something because the average salary of a person in that field makes 85k.
Research, live a little, get out there and see what you want to do in life. It is perfectly acceptable to enter college undecided.
Research, live a little, get out there and see what you want to do in life. It is perfectly acceptable to enter college undecided.
Job security and the ability to make a decent living should be factors in choosing a major. College is an investment.
I would NOT go to college undecided. Such a waste of money. You would be paying a premium for something with no end purpose. Go in at least with a major declared and if you don't like it, switch. At least that way you were working towards something, especially with the rising costs of education. If you are unsure, sit out a bit, work and find what you want to do.
Remember a major should not prevent you from pursuing hobbies either.
College isn't trade school. It's more than just getting a certification, it's... well... an education. A broad understanding. If you just want to learn the steps of how to combine A and B to get C, being certified in something and going into the field might be enough. But if you want to dive further into the WHY of A and B becoming C, then the degree becomes more important.
Glad I'm not the only one who parrots this idea. I'm getting tired of feeling like the only one.
The problem is that the cost/benefit ratio in that way of thinking isn't worth it.
As an aspiring engineer, I value the education I'm receiving in areas other than my field. But at the same time you need to pick a major that you can actually obtain a job in.
You can value the education and make it a worthwhile investment at the same time.
Complex critical thinking and the advantages of a broad education are difficult to quantify for a simplistic cost/benefit analysis (getting the right answer on a test doesn't quite cut it). Not to mention not everyone is focused on maximizing their cash intake.
We've had this discussion before, and we disagree. C'est la vie.
if you want a "job", go to a trade/tech school... if you want a "vocation" go to college. How free is your mind?
Very few majors in college align with actual 'jobs'. Engineering & nursing (which is quite a bit different) are probably the only 2 but even then you aren't guaranteed a job in either field. College is for obtaining an education, not about training for a specific career.
Then get stuck with student debt and work at McDonalds with $50,000 (conservative estimate) in debt I guess.
Idk what else there is to say. Obviously there is a lot of value in an education, but it's not worth it if that education makes you a debt slave.
I agree
Education is great. And the premise stated that fields like engineering don't go beyond the how and into the why is frankly absurd imo as alot of the coursework and projects are exploring working theory and finding novel ways for solutions.
To me, there are many avenues to learning. They can be in the forms of individual, apprenticeships, hobbies, clubs, you name it.
However, when one is paying tens of thousands a year for school, not being a realist and looking at what exactly you get in return is naive imo. You have to treat college as an investment. The line of thinking proposed by some here that it shouldn't is what I would argue is a main reason for the student loan bubble. Too many kids are told to study what you are interested in and hope for the best. You can easily mitigate that concern by studying a field that is in demand in today's society.
The real world simply does not work that way. You will have to pay back those loans. Why not put yourself in a position to do so easily eludes me. No one is saying you can't be a musician and do engineering or another STEM field. I just think that these "hobbies" should be that, "hobbies" and if they grow into more, great, if not, you have a backdrop.
Perhaps this is why I am an engineer because I have to think in terms of realities. But to each his own.
All I know is all my friends who did engineering have no issue getting careers in their fields. Those who didn't aren't as lucky and many are working the same type of jobs they were when in hs but now saddled with loans. Sounds fun if you ask me.
----------
Well that's a sigh of relief from me.
Why is that a source of relief? He, whom you quoted, recently started college himself.
I would argue going undecided is a quite costly mistake to make
I'm an electrical engineer and have been employed as such since 1973. I also (part time) teach electrical engineering courses for over 20 years. Back when I was a student, almost all of my peers had backgrounds as electronics hobbyists or amateur radio operators ("hams"). We went into electrical engineering because it was something we loved, and not for the money, which while always good has never been a route to riches. A few people went into engineering programs for the rigor and discipline, and were headed for law, medical, or business schools, never intending to practice engineering. But that isn't the focus of this thread.
I see too many students who have no such background. No curiosity. Little creative skills. People who are after the money. On the job I've interviewed too many people who have the degree but couldn't design their way out of a paper bag. Sure you might get that first job, but can you stay in the field, or do you want to be in the field?
So, sure, if you want to be an engineer and design things, go for it. But if you you are just after a job and money, please, find another field of study!
I see too many students who have no such background. No curiosity. Little creative skills. People who are after the money. On the job I've interviewed too many people who have the degree but couldn't design their way out of a paper bag. Sure you might get that first job, but can you stay in the field, or do you want to be in the field?
So, sure, if you want to be an engineer and design things, go for it. But if you you are just after a job and money, please, find another field of study!
Well not everyone has to go to 4 year college/university and even if you do, it doesn't necessarily need to be for the reason of getting a job. Meaning some people may already have their career path but want to go to college 'just because'.
There are vocational 'degrees' taught at community colleges (I'm not sure if there are really any good private vocational schools anymore, for-profit schools have taken over).
I went to college for 5 years (tricky situation, switched majors, switched schools which ended up adding an extra year) and I left with $11k in debt. I went into college with an idea of going to med school but realized that I didn't want to spend 8-10 years in college so I changed majors to something I liked. Now granted, the something I liked happened to get me a foot in the door to my first job but it had very little to do with what I studied in college. My goal was to get an education though.
We shouldn't tell people lies that they'll be guaranteed a job after college and we shouldn't tell everyone that they should go to college. For many careers, you will need a college degree but for most of them, you don't need a specific college degree. For graduate school, you can usually have any undergraduate degree.
Anyway, I think college is great, I loved college, I just think people have the wrong expectations from it.
----------
I've known lots of people who went into electrical engineering and couldn't get a job as an electrical engineer. They were able to get jobs in other fields though.
And as I stated, college isn't for everyone but in general, the goal isn't to get a job. I also think that everyone should have an eye for the future in general and if they think college degree isn't part of that future for whatever reason, then there is no problem with that.
People who tell you to go in undecided either had their parents bank rolling them or went to school a decade or earlier ago. Don't go in undecided, most programs have a specific track that you will be behind in if you don't start quickly.
Don't go into something that doesn't interest you, you are dedicating at least 4 years to something and you will likely be dead in another 40-50 years.
If you aren't already interested in engineering then don't go into it.
Don't go into something that doesn't interest you, you are dedicating at least 4 years to something and you will likely be dead in another 40-50 years.
If you aren't already interested in engineering then don't go into it.
Indeed
The costs of school have risen dramatically
I have attached how much tuition has been at my school. It is nearing on 8k currently
Attachments
With 2500 dollar tuition I would have stayed in school at least 10 more years. Holy ****, talk about the good ol days.
CSU tuition has always been crazy inexpensive. I graduated from a UC but started at a private university. The tuition for my first 2 years was $19k/each and then last 3 were $9k/each.
Oh and the funny thing was that I actually paid less at the private university due to more loans/grants than at the UC.
Oh and the funny thing was that I actually paid less at the private university due to more loans/grants than at the UC.