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Old 12-3-2010, 12:21 PM   #21
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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Originally Posted by foilman8805 View Post
plus this country needs more scientists and engineers, not more pansies majoring in the ****ing language they already speak what the ****
QFT I would have also suggested trying the medical field but you didn't like Biology.

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Old 12-3-2010, 12:22 PM   #22
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Default Re: What should I major in?

join me in pharmacy
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Old 12-3-2010, 12:46 PM   #23
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Default Re: What should I major in?

Why waste all that money in College trying to figure out what you want to do? I didn't have any time between highschool and College but that's just because I've known what I've wanted to do for a while. If I were you I'd just get a job and save up some money and look for a job you'd rather do rather than something you'd rather major in. When you know what job you want, simply get the certifications/degree's/training you need to get that job.

Also look how realistic your dream job is at getting. For example because of so many people going into History (most just do it cause they don't know what to take, I know a few like that) are coming out with no job opportunities because one of the few jobs you can get is a History teacher, and that market is saturated as ****. My friend's brother works at WalMart with a degree like that. Unemployable.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:01 PM   #24
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Default Re: What should I major in?

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but you said that you didn't know if languages would get you anywhere (in a nut shell). Dude, working for the government as a translator, you could make 6 figures without even trying. My german teacher from high school said he had a student back in the day who went straight from his 5th year of german in high school to earning 6 figures in the government. Translators are not only needed, but they get excellent pay with amazing benefits, and (I think) you get to travel the world more often too.

If you were to learn more languages that aren't necessarily popular (i.e. Japanese or even Latin) you could land a job very easily.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:04 PM   #25
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Default Re: What should I major in?

If you are going to take advice from anyone in this thread, it's me.

Do not major in English. Completely useless unless you want to teach English itself. It's not employable and honestly it isn't as enlightening as other majors (if you're an avid reader/writer with an affinity for critical thinking, you're pretty much on par with most English grads anyway).

Do not major in languages. They're interesting but not worth diverting resources to, all else considered. Besides, natives will always have the upper hand. It's better to focus in a more relevant field and simply have language experience on the side. Minor in it, if you want. But don't major in it.

Don't major in psychology. It's interesting as hell, but your scopes are limited. Many Psych majors from my school basically just went on to grad school to study something more quantitative/employable.

It's almost always a good bet to major in something "technical" like engineering/science/finance/business/med/etc because it's very employable and enlightening. But you're going to suck at life if you genuinely don't like these subjects. The world may need more engineers, but the world does not need more BAD engineers.

Consider a business major or legal studies degree -- there are many facets to each that range from fluffy and liberal-artsy touchy-feely to hardcore quant and technical. They also give you a fair degree of employability and intellectual fodder to stew over.

But at the end of the day, anyone can grind out a living for money. We pay money to go to college and become more knowledgeable in subjects we love. The key is to find a great balance between the two if you can.


ichliebekase: Translators make very good money but you have to be really, really good. Most translators study at the graduate/postgraduate level, and most are self-employed. It's a pretty stagnant field. The OP is also interested in languages that won't make him high-demand (Asian languages are in high demand). Bilingual Spanish/English speakers are a dime a dozen. It's easier to focus in a field like Finance and have those languages as backup strengths (esp. if you're getting into international banking/business/legal work/accounting). Besides, working for the government can be lol.

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Old 12-3-2010, 01:08 PM   #26
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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Teach English at a foreign country.
This is also a very good idea.

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forensic psychology program
Interesting field, I like the sound of it. I like forensics (took it in high school) and add psychology to it. I know a lot of people who should consider this from high school.

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If you are going to take advice from anyone in this thread, it's me.

Do not major in English. Completely useless unless you want to teach English itself. It's not employable and honestly it isn't as enlightening as other majors (if you're an avid reader/writer with an affinity for critical thinking, you're pretty much on par with most English grads anyway).

Do not major in languages. They're interesting but not worth diverting resources to, all else considered. Besides, natives will always have the upper hand. It's better to focus in a more relevant field and simply have language experience on the side. Minor in it, if you want. But don't major in it.

Don't major in psychology. It's interesting as hell, but your scopes are limited. Many Psych majors from my school basically just went on to grad school to study something more quantitative/employable.

It's almost always a good bet to major in something "technical" like engineering/science/finance/business/med/etc because it's very employable and enlightening. But you're going to suck at life if you genuinely don't like these subjects. The world may need more engineers, but the world does not need more BAD engineers.

Consider a business major or legal studies degree -- there are many facets to each that range from fluffy and liberal-artsy touchy-feely to hardcore quant and technical. They also give you a fair degree of employability and intellectual fodder to stew over.

But at the end of the day, anyone can grind out a living for money. We pay money to go to college and become more knowledgeable in subjects we love. The key is to find a great balance between the two if you can.
You literally just told him to quit everything that he enjoys doing. That's not good advice at all >.>

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ichliebekase: Translators make very good money but you have to be really, really good. Most translators study at the graduate/postgraduate level, and most are self-employed. It's a pretty stagnant field. The OP is also interested in languages that won't make him high-demand (Asian languages are in high demand). It's easier to focus in a field like Finance and have those languages as backup strengths (esp. if you're getting into international banking/business/accounting).
Just saw this (sorry). Did you not see that he's taken each Spanish and French for 4+ years? And he's also willing to learn other languages.

I say that he needs to pick a field that he enjoys above anything else. My dad has a fairly low paying job as an HVAC guy but he loves it. So what if he needs to also teach on the side. I say if you enjoy what you're doing, then you're doing something right. That's what I was taught growing up.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:11 PM   #27
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Default Re: What should I major in?

I "literally" did not tell him to do that. He wanted to search for something employable based on his interests. I recommended options.

And considering my academic/job standings, I'd say I know what I'm talking about.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:13 PM   #28
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Default Re: What should I major in?

You said "do not major in X" when X = everything that he said that he enjoyed and was already learning.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:17 PM   #29
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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Just saw this (sorry). Did you not see that he's taken each Spanish and French for 4+ years? And he's also willing to learn other languages.

I say that he needs to pick a field that he enjoys above anything else. My dad has a fairly low paying job as an HVAC guy but he loves it. So what if he needs to also teach on the side. I say if you enjoy what you're doing, then you're doing something right. That's what I was taught growing up.
Yes, but like I said, English/Spanish speakers are a dime a dozen. Translation is a very feast-or-famine business.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:18 PM   #30
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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You said "do not major in X" when X = everything that he said that he enjoyed and was already learning.
Yeah but it's pretty much always a bad idea to recommend that someone major in English if they are asking "What will make me employable?"

I am all for the notion of doing what you love... but what he asked about was employment. English won't help him there.
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:19 PM   #31
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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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
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Old 12-3-2010, 01:24 PM   #32
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Default 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.

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Old 12-3-2010, 01:30 PM   #33
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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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.
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Old 12-3-2010, 02:04 PM   #34
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Default 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.
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Old 12-3-2010, 02:15 PM   #35
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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.
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Old 12-3-2010, 02:34 PM   #36
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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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.

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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.

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But if you can figure out a focus, then you can literally do anything.
I find this statement inherently contradictory.

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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.

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Old 12-3-2010, 02:50 PM   #37
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Default Re: What should I major in?

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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.
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Old 12-3-2010, 03:03 PM   #38
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Default Re: What should I major in?

tldr don't bother with psych. Plenty of fields already delve into the relevant psychological aspects anyway.
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Old 12-3-2010, 03:04 PM   #39
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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.

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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.

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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.

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Old 12-3-2010, 03:19 PM   #40
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Default Re: What should I major in?

foiled again.
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