What should I major in?

[ichliebekase]

Re: What should I major in?

Yes, but like I said, English/Spanish speakers are a dime a dozen. Translation is a very feast-or-famine business.

Oh yea, I'm not negating you on that. I said before that if he was to learn something like Japanese or Latin he'd get a job A LOT easier because they're harder to find. Yea, Latin isn't necessarily a great idea either because hardly anyone speaks it, but it'd be good for translating old books and such. Wouldn't be great for a lot though.


Btw, German is a romantic language, believe it or not. And I thought it was an incredibly fun class. It was the only reason why I went to school half the time XD

[Rubin0]

Re: What should I major in?

I can't argue with points people have made about different areas of study, but I feel like there is this unwarranted prejudice against Psychology. People are thinking about basic psychology. Yes, I can't do anything with a BA in psychology, but there are an unlimited array of psychology focuses that MOST people aren't even aware of.

There is child psychology, neuropsychology, industrial psychology, forensic psychology, psycholinguistics, ETC ETC. Consider any given field: business, entertainment, science, philosophy, language, ETC ETC and there IS psychology involved. So if you are interested in helping children, child psychology is becoming an increasingly lucrative career option, and it helps people.

General psychology? Interesting? Yes. Useful? Maybe not. But if you can figure out a focus, then you can literally do anything.

What do you think all those Law and Order, Criminal Minds, CSI show are based on? Yes, there is forensic science involved, but a big part of those shows involves psychology. In my case, I want to interview, diagnose, and help place criminals in relation to their mental state. If it weren't for psychology, people with mental retardation and autism would still be locked away in rooms to live in their own feces and starve to death. People with serious mental disorders would be locked in maximum security prisons instead of appropriate mental facilities.



Just some things to keep in mind.

[ichliebekase]

Re: What should I major in?

In my case, I want to interview, diagnose, and help place criminals in relation to their mental state. If it weren't for psychology, people with mental retardation would still be locked away in rooms to live in their own feces and starve to death. People with serious mental disorders would be locked in maximum security prisons instead of appropriate mental facilities.

I still think this would be an awesome field to go into if I was more into psychology (and if I wasn't so into music). Forensics in general is a field that people should go into more, it's exciting IMO.

To people in high school that have a forensic science class, I HIGHLY recommend taking it because it is probably the most interesting class in high school I ever took, and I took almost every class possible (except art classes, home economic classes, or social studies classes). But, this is just my opinion.

But back on topic, if you were to go into a field that was good for pay and satisfying, analyze what you enjoy doing. Teaching, traveling, helping, etc. then go from there and see what kinds of jobs with certain specifics have great pay.


I wish I could find the website that they made us look at in middle school, because you could take a quiz to see what kind of job would be suitable for your likes, then it'd tell you where you could go to school for it, how much schooling is needed, what the average pay for a person in that field is, etc. It was an excellent website.

[iironiic]

Re: What should I major in?

My advice: Major in something you want to learn isn't going to cut it. Make sure you have a passion for it as well.

Before I went to college, I wasn't sure what I want to major in. Some choices I have considered were Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, and Music. But I have come to the realization that my passion for the sciences is lacking. That removed Chemistry, Biology, and Physics from my list. Although I have a passion for music, I can't see myself enjoying it as a career. It was more of a hobby for me. So I got rid of Music in my list. Lastly, there are many statistical applications in economics, and because economics is very interesting, and contains a lot of mathematics in graduate school, I decided to minor in economics.

I could start listing majors and provide reasons to major in this, major in that, but considering how I am a math major, there is no way I have sufficient information to provide you and convince you that any other major is right for you.

Reincarnate (possibly Rubix) stated the general and expected cases of employment if you were to major in particularly something, but just because there is a low demand of psychology majors does not imply that there is no reason to major in something you love.

I am majoring in math simply because I love math, and I plan to go to graduate school to explore the world beyond mathematics. I love how visualizing so many complex formations can be applied to mathematics in a very interesting manner. I love how every time I am faced with a math problem, it is just another puzzle that I need to solve. I love how the thinking involved in mathematics is a very careful process, and how others think differently to prove a theorem. Mathematics to me is a neat subject to learn, and that's why I'm majoring in it.

Also, if my math graduate school plan fails, I plan to go to economics graduate school to use the theoretical math that I learn in undergraduate and apply this to economics. Applying mathematics to something practical is an ideal concept for me, so it is definitely an option.

Notice how money, jobs, etc, is not mentioned in my love for math. If anything, passion trumps money.

So my advice to you is to give yourself some time. I had to sacrifice my first year of grades just to figure out that I love math. If you don't want to do this, start researching on your interests and see if you have the passion for it or not.

My two cents.

[Reincarnate]

Re: What should I major in?

I think a lot of you guys will get a pretty hard dose of reality when you are entirely self-sufficient. Life is expensive. Major in what you love, but understand the pros and cons if you're majoring in something with few prospects.

[foilman8805]

Re: What should I major in?

I can't argue with points people have made about different areas of study, but I feel like there is this unwarranted prejudice against Psychology. People are thinking about basic psychology. Yes, I can't do anything with a BA in psychology, but there are an unlimited array of psychology focuses that MOST people aren't even aware of.

Agree. BA in Psychology is about as worthless as the feces I drop off in the toilet every morning. A BS is considerably better, but as you're aware, you're not going to get very far unless you consider graduate or even post-graduate education.

There is child psychology, neuropsychology, industrial psychology, forensic psychology, psycholinguistics, ETC ETC. Consider any given field: business, entertainment, science, philosophy, language, ETC ETC and there IS psychology involved. So if you are interested in helping children, child psychology is becoming an increasingly lucrative career option, and it helps people.

You're making a very bold conjecture saying "consider any given field and there is psychology involved". Well yeah Rubin0, consider any given field and ANYTHING is involved.

I've spoken with my best friend who is pursuing a doctorate in neuropsych (he currently works at the Human Memory Lab in northern CA) and from what I've gleaned, it's very math (statistics and calculus) and chemistry (general chem and o-chem) oriented, which vant has said he is "ok" at. Leads me to believe he really doesn't like chemistry a whole lot and there is a whole lot of that in neuropsych.

Additionally, you're not going to be much of a neuropsychologist if you've only had 4 years of school so you pretty much have to seek grad and post-grad education. That's a lot of ****ing school and a lot of money, and it may be that vant doesn't have this option. Basically what I'm saying is that these career paths you've mentioned are legitimate, but often entail a lot more than simply going to school for 4 years and then you're ready to be employed. A lot of the "soft sciences" (social sciences, psych, etc) don't make for good 4 year degrees and employment opportunities because most of those jobs are available to those only with grad and post-grad degrees and there's already a lot of those people too.

But if you can figure out a focus, then you can literally do anything.

I find this statement inherently contradictory.

In my case, I want to interview, diagnose, and help place criminals in relation to their mental state. If it weren't for psychology, people with mental retardation and autism would still be locked away in rooms to live in their own feces and starve to death. People with serious mental disorders would be locked in maximum security prisons instead of appropriate mental facilities.

You sure are saving the world. Look at you. I doubt that someone with MENTAL RETARDATION would slip by notice and somehow end up in a maximum security prison. I know you're trying to defend the quality of psychology as a course of study and a career field and I appreciate that, but seriously, your bias is getting a little out of control.

You make out psychology to have all kinds of potential and tons of possibilities, but that is the mistake in and of itself. Potential isn't something you can bet on and when you're like vant, who is seeking employment, it's a SKILL (hard science, engineering, math) that's more beneficial, especially in a job interview. A SKILL will lead you to employment.

[Rubin0]

Re: What should I major in?

You sure are saving the world. Look at you. I doubt that someone with MENTAL RETARDATION would slip by notice and somehow end up in a maximum security prison. I know you're trying to defend the quality of psychology as a course of study and a career field and I appreciate that, but seriously, your bias is getting a little out of control.

afjkasdfkjklf;sdkl;gfkjl;ffj FOIL. I'm not saying anyone now would slip through the cracks, I'm saying that's what used to happen.

Also, in a previous post, I pointed out that one of the biggest cons of being a psychology major is the amount of schooling. I already know that I have at least another 6 years of schooling ahead of me.

As far as being biased, I am. I can admit this, but I have had nothing but positive experiences from studying psychology. I've learned a ton about people and even more importantly about myself. If I were writing something more legitimate than a forum post, I might have to curtail some of my biases, but again, this is just a forum post.

[Reincarnate]

Re: What should I major in?

tldr don't bother with psych. Plenty of fields already delve into the relevant psychological aspects anyway.

[foilman8805]

Re: What should I major in?

afjkasdfkjklf;sdkl;gfkjl;ffj FOIL. I'm not saying anyone now would slip through the cracks, I'm saying that's what used to happen.

My bad for jumping to conclusions. You should've worded that sentence a bit more carefully.

Also, in a previous post, I pointed out that one of the biggest cons of being a psychology major is the amount of schooling. I already know that I have at least another 6 years of schooling ahead of me.

I don't know, maybe this is just me, but someone who is looking for employment isn't probably going to want to wait 10+ years to get it. I just think psychology is a bad suggestion for vant.

As far as being biased, I am. I can admit this, but I have had nothing but positive experiences from studying psychology. I've learned a ton about people and even more importantly about myself. If I were writing something more legitimate than a forum post, I might have to curtail some of my biases, but again, this is just a forum post.

Totally expected. I'm biased towards my own major as well. You're right, you are not obligated to curtail your biases in a forum post, but if you don't, you should expect rebuttal as a consequence.

[Rubin0]

Re: What should I major in?

foiled again.

[Cenright]

Re: What should I major in?

Teach English at a foreign country.

I know a few people who go to Japan, or even China and are set up as a Teacher of English there, and do really well at it. It is more of a Humanity-style job too, and also for those who are interested in learning another language also.

[Mulie]

Re: What should I major in?

Translating, as a long-term career, is not a plausible option unless Vantil developed a strong affinity for multiple languages at a very young age. I find it silly that it's been brought up so often throughout this discussion... Just wanted to get that out of the way.

[vantilburg]

Re: What should I major in?

Man if I don't get anything out of this it's at least fun to read

I feel I should clarify that literally no classes in high school were/are difficult for me (but then again it's high school lol); the problem is holding my attention, which is why I'm seeking career fields that I'm genuinely interested in. The problem with this is there are so many options I haven't had the opportunity to explore and in hindsight I'm asking for suggestions that are inherently going to be biased. Naturally, no one is going to be able to tell me what I'll end up loving. On that note, even if I major in one thing, I'm certainly going to be broadening other aspects on my own time. Mulie gave an excellent point about not going to college for things that I could easily learn through other means, which led to Rubix's suggestion of a technical field.

tl;dr from what I've garnered I should probably explore my college's technical options that aren't easily obtained outside of a university until I find a good fit

[Andrew Mitchell]

Re: What should I major in?

worthwhile jobs:

fitters
turners
wheelwrights
ploughmen
woodsmen
masons
glaziers
tailors
cobblers
riveters
welders
train driver
miner

i'm sure all these jobs are quite unfamiler to you studious types lol

[foilman8805]

Re: What should I major in?

Quite unfamiliar indeed because most of those job look like things I'd do in 1850. The ****.