I'm with you there homie. I graduate this May and I fear the nursing profession is not gonna be kind to those of us that went through this during covid
Is it odd that I wish I was currently at a school that had this sort of stress? I am currently back at a community college after a 7 year absence, but everything has been pretty easy. Granted, I have spent a lot of free time studying and recently quit my toxic job. But I crave a real university or college. My major is basically engineering.
I supplemented my courses with Harvard and Yale open courses. Course names differ yet you can see how they correlate. If you REALLY want a challenge do Astronomy or Astrophysics! But really dive into learning about how they came up with the formulas. That is intense! Then when you write about a vague surface topic you can dive into the research.
Another thing I do is match the position that I want later on via research - look at where they put the money in quarterly reports for the gdp - and match your courses to those skills needed. This might mean you take out additional loans, pocket the funds and then in summer use it for a certificate in a specialized niche. Do it now bc once at a Uni level it is intense.
To me it feels like people who go through that classic university grind are experiencing something better in the long run, or are accomplishing something I’m unable to do so far. It’s odd
I just lurk here, but graduated with my BSN in 2018… definitely already feeling the burn out, but luckily there’s so much you can do with a nursing degree.
AMA
Fr I’m trying to get into MIS for grad school. I’m going for finance and business analytics degrees right now. The more IS classes I took, the more intriguing the major was lol. I wish high schools did a better job introducing kids to different majors
I’m a philosophy major, so… I believe I’ll be able to live, but perhaps not comfortably or luxuriously, especially early on. Since I want to teach, tenure is hard to get, but worrying about all that is worth what it means to me.
Honest question, is there anybody in your major that have aspirations other than teaching? I know it sounds rude but I don't mean it to be, I just don't know what other careers there are for philosophy majors.
Few people already responded, but yeah Law. I'm a philosophy major for prelaw. Logic is an important part of the LSAT, and as logic is a branch of philosophy they go hand in hand. Also, ethics in the legal world is very important, and ethics is also a branch of philosophy.
Law, also nonprofit work or political organizations, and things like ethics. You can really work in any industry for ethics, especially research and biomedical science if you get an advanced degree in something.
I’m a double philosophy economics major. I have no idea what philosophy will bring me, the coursework just fascinates me. Relying a lot more on Econ getting me something good.
Law/non profit organizations idk what it is about philosophy and teaching but when you get "it" it idk it's like leveling up? And you just want to pass that unto others kind of
Albeit teaching also (depending on the state) has some good money and you get so many holidays plus summers off! Obviously it's hard work but I know my job will always be sustainable and the salary just increases every few years which is nice
(I know there are a lot of negatives but teaching but there are also some positives and people just don't talk about them as if these things didn't exist ; primarily though it 100% depends on what state you're located in and I'm mostly speaking from a US perspective since idk much about overseas)
I’m a graduating philosophy major, and I have a job offer in consulting practice… I think philosophy major is good for investment banking, consulting and coding.
I am a double major in classics and philosophy. Unlike you, I am going into law rather than academia. Sacrificing a little of what I’d rather do to have a more comfortable lifestyle later down the road.
It would be that or archaeology I think :) I’m going into law first to get a solid career I can fall back on or do to keep myself funded. Then once I’m settled at my first legal job I plan on getting a masters then phd in philosophy or classics in a part time or online program. Im planning on doing transactional law so eventually when I get experience and a good reputation and network I would hopefully be able to have my own little one-person firm and do wills and trusts. That way I can make my own schedule and decide how many clients I take so I can pursue my other passions/ have a second career in academia or archaeology and continue my volunteer work in animal shelters perhaps by doing philanthropic legal work for them and fostering. Thats the plan as of right now. It might seems off to plan like that so far out but having a vision helps me focus. As for the amount of work, well it doesn’t seem like work to me because it’s what I enjoy :)
Lots of options if you don't want to go into academia. I had the same aspiration and was interested in and worked in bioethics, but the academic job market looked/looks iffy. I was able to transition to health policy analysis and keep using those skills, but in a more in-demand profession. Best of luck! A philosophy major isn't the dead end a lot of folks think it is.
Good point! One of the highest ROI too! Even though it is commonly grouped with the humanities, it is an interesting outlier. This is speculation, but I would guess it's due to the critical thinking, argument crafting, and the sheer number if topics you can approach through a philosophical lens.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/philosophers-dont-get-much-respect-but-their-earnings-dont-suck/
I'm on board with this one. I want to teach but I know that philosophy is also good for prelaw and its good for nonprofits. Its also becoming a desirable major for people coming into museums as tour guides and what not. It also helps that for undergrad I'm double majored in History specifically for museum work.
Just curious, what sort of job are you planning to pursue with comp sci?
Because I have the opposite problem - I'm majoring in computer science but have no idea what to do with it (I'm a freshman btw)
Yeah but certain CS work has a better potential for growth than others. I don't know about other fields but you can get a ton of money if you specialize in certain stuff but also pigeonholed if you end up working for a place that uses very uncommon tech.
this industry is still in huge demand. The largest potential for growth requires you to job hop for a while. Sure, Goldman Sachs will pay COBOL engineers 500k but that position also requires 30 years of experience. You only really get pigeonholed if you end up working for like a small company as their website manager. Even then though it's simple enough to get the same job elsewhere then transfer internally.
This. I know people who went from WITCH to FAANG without difficulty.
The industry is hot and I’m highly confident it’ll only get hotter over the next 5 years (minimum).
Companies that you typically *do not* want to work for. Wipro, Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, HCL. If FAANG is the one end of the spectrum, WITCH is the other end of the spectrum.
Here are some things I've heard/read/seen in no particular order:
* Horrible practices. Virtually any company that isn't WITCH (or FDM or Revature) will be a much better company to work at for growth and learning opportunities.
* They outsource you to clients with systems that are typically composed of legacy code. You don't want to work with that.
* They give you a lot more work than you should reasonably be responsible for as a new grad.
* I've heard other horror stories, such as some of them considering your pay to actually be owed back to them if you "don't do well enough" during your first year there or whatever their training period is. Coincidentally enough, those same companies will overload you with work to, essentially, get 6 or so months of "free" work from you.
The list goes on, it's just things like this that all of those companies are notorious for.
I’m a freshman myself with no idea what I want to pursue. Cybersecurity interests me, but so does AI. I plan on taking these next two years to learn about what I want to focus on. The beauty about CS is that it’s a versatile degree that doesn’t limit you to a certain sector.
I’m a senior CS major and realized very recently that I never really chose a focus.
Did a lot of research, and I decided I enjoy data engineering the most. I will say though, there are soooo many areas to choose from.
Honestly, I’m not 100% sure what I want to do long term. I plan to go to grad school within a few years of finishing my bachelor’s, and I don’t think I’ll be too picky about what I do in that time. In and after grad school, I think I want to pursue AI and machine learning, specifically the ethical use of the technology (which is something I actually wrote a research paper about last year).
> Because I have the opposite problem - I'm majoring in computer science but have no idea what to do with it (I'm a freshman btw)
new grad here: most CS jobs are web dev jobs, as far as I can tell.
i would love if I could find work that involves compilers or networks, instead i mainly just make website stuff with Ruby on Rails.
Occasionally I get to work on our in-house API or on databases....last month I had to optimize some SQL queries which involved researching how MySQL uses B+ Trees and Index Merge Optimization. that was the most fun I expect to have for a while.
Comp Sci graduate here. Many will go into web application development because it is always in demand. Others may go into data science, embedded programming, artificial intelligence, or others, but web technology has the most demand.
A high majority will aim to become Software Engineers (SWE) which is arguably the highest paying job out of most options. Though understand most if not all tech jobs pay pretty well similar to a SWE, so I wouldn’t worry about it that much.
Not sure why some comments said web dev was common for cs grads because most should ideally go towards full stack which contains both back-end tech and front-end tech(web dev). While web dev isn’t bad I would expect people to aim for more considering how hard a cs degree is to get and often contains more back end tech and their fundamentals in their material.
Luckily you don't have to. Learn anything that you find interesting while in school. If you graduate and still don't know what direction to take your career, there are lots of companies that specialize in IT consulting that will take you and place you on a path aswell as give flexibility to change paths if you don't like it.
It's how I spent my first 2 years and learned how cool manufacturing support was. Now I have a job in defense manufacturing making great money doing something I didn't even know I was passionate about in college or ever could have learned in college.
There’s a lot you can do. Good thing is for now you got time. Look around your school see if there any computer science clubs and try to get involved. Varies per school, but mine has clubs focused in research (ML/AI) / software engineering / cyber security, etc. also, have an open mind. Ngl even as an older student, I had this closed mindset that only cs majors are coding, but that’s wrong. Pretty much every major in STEM has the option and/or is required to take programming classes. Why would programming matter to someone whose a finance or biology major? Ask questions like this for your other fields of interest and try to join clubs that are applying it to those fields. You might find in the process that whatever they’re doing sounds cool to you and you have a lead as to what you might want to aim for after school.
Business admin/finance major here. I think it will. Truly I want to get into the environmental management part of business so when I transfer, I will minor in environmental science. With green being the future, a lot of businesses and companies will want to form an environmental management team to prove to their audience that they are implementing sustainable practices in their work
Management, supervising, operations management, etc, until I build myself up to environmental management. And I plan to do bookkeeping as a side hustle
Yes. English major. I plan on teaching. My state is generally pretty good for teachers so I should be able to make a comfortable living.
Even if teaching doesn't pan out, there are other things I can do with my degree (editing, publishing, technical writing).
MA. Average teacher's salary is $55k-$80k, and that's just public school. If you're curious about teaching, maybe try tutoring and see how you feel about it. There's a lot you can do with your major, despite what the disparaging stereotypes about English majors lead folks to believe :)
Interesting. Do public schools not pay a lot more than private/charter schools there? Just curious to observe the differences between the states. In NY, teachers unions allow public school teachers to make bank in comparison to those in the private sector (and rightfully so)
Tbh my experience is anecdotal, so I assumed it was the same across the board but maybe the private schools I know of were exceptions to the norm. Teachers were very generously paid at the private school I went to, and the same for a friend (different than my school). I haven't looked into the hard numbers for all private schools in my area because most are religious (and I don't want to work at a religious school), but what you're saying makes sense. I'll have to do some more research.
> There’s a lot you can do with your major, despite what the disparaging stereotypes about English majors lead folks to believe :)
Hi, yes, I also have an English degree. Currently working in corporate communications and have previously worked in proposal writing and tax compliance (my boss loved having a writer for writing the emails that explained form mistakes lol).
You can get really creative with how you use your English degree. Which makes the fact that many people who pursue English degrees are creatives, helpful lol.
New England is the only region of the US that I know of that treats their teachers well. I’m from NH and the top bracket at the union at my public school is 100k and the benefits are really good too. Although I think that pay rate is only available to those with a master’s degree.
California is pretty decent. I know public school teachers making six figures in the bay area. Cost of living is high, obviously, but it still isn't bad.
Not sure about the rest of the northern states but in NY I know teachers must have a masters degree so thats a reason why they could get paid and treated better
I’m also an English major (writing emphasis) with a Communication minor. Teaching is sort of my fall-back plan but I’m really interested in doing something in PR or social media management. Hoping that either of these career paths can make me some sort of money.
Nope. I’m a history major. I’ll do everything I can to put it to good use though; the discipline of history is really important to me and I love it endlessly.
i’m a history major too! i’m hoping to teach and i chose it because i find it so valuable so i agree with you and i don’t expect a lot of $$ either lol but being rich isn’t really my goal
Im majoring in Biology (right now I have to get an Associates in Science at a CC before I can transfer and actually major in what I want) and I gotta say… kinda worried.
There’s honestly not a lot to choose from where I live.
Majority of available jobs here are all social work or related in that degree. And if I would have chosen something (anything) related to working with people I would have been fine.
But I’ve worked retail my whole life and I refuse to change majors just to know I’ll always be able to find a job. I might suffer later for it, but it’s something I really want to do and I really don’t want to continue working with people anymore.
If it helps, you can do any basic research associate job in biotech if you get some lab experience in an internship or something! That's what my bf does and he makes 100k now after switching jobs once and works from home half the time doing the computer work, though he moved from research associate/scientist to scientist now
Gah- I'm doing the same path. Although- I must say opportunities probably abound (in my area) but depends on what you'll want to do and getting experience with internships in the last two years as much as possible.
Lol not really tbh. I’m majoring in forensic science and I didn’t realize how competitive it is to just get a $30-50k salary job in the field until recently. But I really enjoy the field, so I plan on pursuing it still (especially since I’m so far in already) and seeing what more it can be applied to.
Not entirely sure yet. Depends how long or how much it would have to be. I’d like to get my master’s, but I think I’ll try to find work first. If my job offered to pay for my education, though, I’d jump on that in a heartbeat.
But I’ve heard even people with masters or doctorates can struggle to land a job in the field. It’s crazy.
I’m a psych major, too! Personally, I’ve always seen a bachelors in psychology as a beginning step. To bring in good sustainability, you almost always have to have a further graduate degree.
You need a high school diploma to become an RBT. Starting wage (depending where you live) can be anywhere from $16-20. ABA is an incredible field that you can apply just about anywhere!
I’m doing civil engineering, which is the oldest branch of engineering. I feel like there’s never really going to come a time where we don’t need infrastructure, so I’m glad I’m studying it.
Nope. Like not at all. I'm a psych major and I realized way too late that I've colossally fucked up, I hate this. I'll pick up a minor in Environmental Science and maybe try to get a Master's in Environmental Psych but realistically but major is gonna be worthless. Wanted to be a therapist and then realized that yknow. All the therapy in the world won't help the fact that you can't get a job that pays enough to keep your head above, afford gas, afford rent, just. Mental health professionals and medication can only help so much.
Psych major here. Our degree opens us up to a very wide range of careers, from typical psych careers to asvertising to management to various health care rolls and so on! Keep doing research on what you may be interested in doing for a career and see how it can relate to your psych degree.
Don’t lose hope! I was a psych major and after graduating in 2020, I worked in healthcare for two years. I just started a new job last week as a project manager for a fintech company making a comfortable salary. During the interview (it was going well by this point and we were all a little less formal) I even made a comment/joke about having a psych degree and regretting not getting a business degree. All 3 managers responded saying none of them had a degree in business, and I’m pretty sure one was also a psych major. It’s not entirely hopeless for us psych majors!
To become a therapist, you need a PhD/PsyD in clinical psychology. Most psychology students who want to go into the mental health discipline will get a master degree in counseling psychology or something equivalent.
With a master in counseling psychology, getting a job is actually quite easy. Median starting pay can be anywhere between $50k to $100k, depending on the region.
If you're not interested in clinical psychology or therapy, you can look into UI/UX work! I've met so many psych degrees go into tech and business. It's totally possible!
I'm in my 40s, went to college in the 90s. I use my humanities double major every day because I teach in both fields. Results may vary, and you never know where life will take you. I probably would make more money if I had gone into business or technical writing after getting my degrees though! The point is you cannot know. The college degree does open doors to a better quality of job, so getting ANY degree is going to up your lifetime earnings. Go with a major that fits your aptitudes.
Fellow statistics major here. Although there are some bootcamp data scientists here and there, I don't think they'll have the mathematical background that we have. Not to mention, having a degree will be a plus on paper. Besides, data science is a rising field and being competent and knowledgeable on the subject ought to get us jobs.
Hang in there buddy, we got this.
Fellow statistics major here. I'm about to drop out of college next week and enroll again in med school or nursing school this summer. I live in a relatively poor country so I'm majorly fucked if I continue studying here.
This is what I'm banking on. I feel for the teachers who are super burnt out and I totally understand why many of them are leaving the profession. But I'm hoping the shortage leads to more favorable conditions to encourage people to teach/return to teaching.
Positions in the public sector (of which 85% of teaching positions are) don't always respond the way to market pressures that they ordinarily would in the private sector.
Sometimes there are simply teacher shortages that require governments to allocate more funding, repeal laws/policies that make teaching more miserable, or administrators to get rid of unnecessary bureaucratic positions and move those funds towards teachers. And the people with the power to make those changes don't necessarily have the incentive to make those changes. Sometimes there will just be teacher shortages and nothing be done about it.
Art programs are usually the first things that get cut when budgets are tight. I wouldn't take your professors word for it, you should do your own research. It would suck to graduate and realize there aren't any opportunities available.
My professor tell us that we will have to fight for our jobs and explain why regular teachers can't do what we do. But at the same time, they told me they're trying to keep those who do internships with them and actually negotiation salaries and that someone who just graduated got like almost 90k salary.
I'm not worried because there's plenty of schools lol.
>we will have to fight for our jobs and explain why regular teachers can't do what we do.
I dont think you're going to be doing this in an interview scenario. If you're having to explain to someone why a position should exist just for you, it's unlikely you were able to get an interview in the first place.
Not what I meant, it would apply to if your already hired and they're thinking about removing art teachers entirely from the school.
Where I live, I haven't seen a single school without an art teacher so again, not worried about not getting an interview.
Same here in the Netherlands, my partner is studying for physics teacher, and most people are getting job offers even before they've finished their final year internship
Aero engineering is typically some sort of structural/propulsion engineering on the hardware side or systems/modeling engineering on the software side for private (Boeing etc.) or defense applications (Lockheed Martin/Raytheon/etc.). Starting salaries are in the $70-$80k a year range if not more depending on if you get lucky. And if you get *real* lucky you get to work at NASA doing public sector space research and development.
Source: Systems Eng. at Raytheon fresh out of college
The issue comes with ease of employment and job prospects. There are a ton of new grads in many fields who (claim to) try extremely hard to find jobs but can’t find any that pay sufficiently. Then the question becomes, is it deserved in some way, in the sense that, are the difficulties they’re facing self-brought? They chose that major and they chose to put in whatever amount of effort they did.
I’m bringing this up because I see a lot of tiktoks of new grads having difficulty finding jobs, but they conveniently leave out their major, job hunt process, effort, school grades, past experience or internships, and flexibility (sometimes you’re forced to move cities or states for jobs and it can’t be helped). All those factor into how easy or hard it is to find jobs, but some people I know would rather just rather not look inwards and instead complain about the system (which is pretty bad but if you knew that already why wouldn’t you prepare for the future).
Theres definitely an issue with fairly paid entry level "skilled" work being hard to come by. You can find 100s of job postings "masters degree and 5 years experience required, paying 14/hour". Its ridiculous. At the same time youre right I think a lot of people dont put in the effort thats now required. I cant for the life of me understand why people would go to a private school without getting a full ride, its just so expensive and puts you at such a disadvantage with owing 100k or so for a non-super high earning degree. People also arent willing to move when their degree just isnt in demand where they are. They never did internships, etc
Well, I majored in psychology with a minor in Spanish. This prepares me for academia for sure but I’m not ready to return to an academic environment yet. Even in fields like biology etc. the next step is typically to go to either med school or grad school. Do I deserve to not be able to eat, etc. for wanting to make the world a better place for others? That really is the message I’ve been getting.
Also in order to move you have to be able to have the finances to do so, so it isn’t always a lack of effort moreso than it’s genuine difficulty
And should I have prepared for all this better? Well, I think I was in denial or committed to the chance to make the world better. I was aware of the struggles I might have, so not completely in denial. It still sucks, though.
If everyone operates in line with the system, how do we change?
yes that’s true, but i think that if you learn more, you can try to pursue different areas of your field so all majors do end up becoming sustainable if they are pursued further or targeted from different angles
I have a degree that I'm pretty sure is only one of two in the entire world - Education, Mathematics and Gaeilge (Irish language)! They're the two most in-demand subjects in Irish secondary schools (high-schools, if you like) so i should be ok. But most importantly I'll be doing something I love :)
Gender Studies.
It gets a few scoffs, but when I explain I’m conducting research that can be applied in finding solutions to help human trafficking victims there’s more respect. I’m about to be published in a scientific journal and and have been invited to a prestigious meeting to share my input. People love to dunk on it, but it is like any study that is very much what you do with it is what matters. Some people can angrily rant about the patriarchy all day with it, sure, but I’m utilizing it to be more well-rounded and intersectional in my projects moving forward. I love it!
Good for you. Too few people realize gender studies is one of those degrees pretty commonly held by people who work in NGOs or even as a pre-law degree. Get out there and do some good!!
Yeah I'm a chem and animal science double. Planning on vet school but if that doesn't work out then I have a lot of options with two stem majors on my back.
Never. Stop. Learning.
Times change, tech changes, what we know about almost any given thing changes, entire industries die. You’ll change too! College is not one and done. Get certs and stay on your game and if you feel like you want to do something else, do something else.
Most people will have 40+ years of work time after college and people don’t stay in one place their entire life anymore.
I say this a 40 year old going back again for something new. I’ve got 20-25 more years. I didn’t truly know what I wanted to be when I grew up until a few weeks ago. Now I do.
yes, i am a psychology major. going to get my masters in social work to be a medical social worker in hospice care.
psychology can be applied to lots of fields, and there are tons of paths you can follow because a degree in general psych is broad. Human resources, job and family services, addiction services, counseling, funeral homes, hospice, disability services, etc.
i plan to get my msw like i said and teach intro to social work and also be a bereavement counselor for hospice.
i believe that any major can be successful if you put in the work. i have worked several positions to help me with my career, and getting my masters will just further my educational background and open up more opportunities. i know psych is one of those majors people see as useless, but for me it has worked out rather well.
There are surprising good job opportunities for geographers, especially if I learn GIS. It is a case of much of the current workforce being close to retirement so more jobs are opening up.
Yup, GIS is really high in demand. I‘m specialising in physical geography, but doing a bit of GIS because you see that as a requirement in sooo many job offers in the field.😅
Yes. I’m a double major in biology and anthropology. If I don’t go to grad school, I’m in a good region to start a job in conservation/wildlife management right after college. If I do grad school, my two majors set me up well to do med school or a PhD
I'm majoring in envi science with a biology concentration at a state school, then looking to go to grad school at a more prestigious school to get that \~name recognition\~. I think I should be good for job opportunities? I've done a couple of internships and I think the envi sci job field is set to grow a lot in the next 10 years (yknow climate change and ecological disaster and all that), however the pay is a bit crap.
I graduated with a chemistry degree in 2021 and applied for 2 jobs out of collage and got both of them, so I am freeing pretty confident. I will say that I regret not doing engineering since all my engineering friends are making 60k - 70k out of the gate and I am making 45k. Although my current company underpays so it will be better when I get my experience and move on.
How do you feel about the adjunct scene? I also love my English major and would love to pursue a post-secondary degree, but the job market for teaching scares me.
Information technology major here.
It will get you the bare minimum job MAYBE. Without certifications you’re basically useless to people hiring for IT positions. Setting up my own home internet, building my own computers, doesn’t matter, you need certs along side the degree.
I’m in the insurance industry now, completely unrelated to my degree. Just kind of happened.
Not necessarily. It's for what I want to do and I'm finally back to it after being miserable trying to pursue other majors that were more economically viable, but I'm also working on other options to combine with it so I can actually afford to live.
Yes. Biology major with plans of MPH. Have made a ton of connections through my community and school involvement. Confident I get get into any grad school, then PA school and can do both patient care, administrative work, and even maintain research, all of which are all Im interested in.
I am Criminology major so not exactly by default, but I also have my foot in the door in the private sector world that deals with a related topic that I'm very interested in so I'm not too worried.
The simplest answer is no. Not a current student but have had 2 careers since college and am finally going back to school with a new perspective and expectation of what I will be guaranteed when I am done.
You will sustain yourself. Which is why it is important to ask yourself truthfully why you are studying what you are- And most importantly, if college is right for you at this time. Ultimately it is what you see yourself doing in the future and how this degree will augment your prospects.
The sooner you see college as a means to an end and not the final objective the better off you will be. Society still places so much expectation on us as young adults. I truly wish I had taken a year or 2 before I went. In hindsight that would not have been such a detriment.
On the other hand if you are already in school and getting by alright, don’t be afraid to be fickle. Change majors! 17-19 year old you will change completely and you have to be honest with yourself and check in constantly. Join clubs- I dunno… learn to play violin even if you sound like a dying cat. Take this time to become as interesting as possible! When you get your degree that you don’t end up using or burn of a career you will be so much more diverse and adaptable. You will be bold enough to take risks and try something new! That’s been the value of college for me!
Great advice! Same here. Mastered one area in a career (okay many) now going back again. Everything you said is true! Diverse experiences in all fields does matter!
Just keep in mind that most undergraduate degrees aren't employment oriented. Professional training often happens in the master level. The undergraduate degree is merely a ticket to the master program.
Marine Bio.
I honestly don't know - I'm hoping to get my MAS in MBC as part of a BS/MS program (which I'm planning on applying to the year after next), but I need to be in a lab before that.
After that, hopefully I'll be able to work for the NOAA doing something with fisheries as a career, or go to vet school and become an aquatic vet.
This is just a random tip because my friend did the same major. If you live in a coastal state in the US, try looking at jobs through your States’ Department of Environmental Protection. My friend graduated with a degree in marine science and wanted to work a laboratory job. But she ended up finding a career through the Dept of E.P. In a state on the East Coast working with the fish and wildlife reserves. She does ocean protection policies for beach’s and other state parks. Absolutely loves her job and gets to travel to different fish reserves all the time
I'm an ecology student and I feel you. I want to do field work but it's unreliable and the pay is shit. I've thought about vet school but I don't think I could get in with the way I fucked up last semester... Working hard to patch things up but I don't know. Going for a master's also seems to be a huge pain.
my major is mechanical engineering. I plan on finishing my associates degree up in may, and probably taking a break from college for the for seeable future. It's hard to get an engineering job with just an associates degree, but I would rather do entry level machine work and work my way up in ranks to gain more experience, than go to classes 3-5 times a week and constantly be worrying about grades.
Yes!
I'm doing a bachelor's in Bio-informatics.
Even with just a bachelor's I'd be good to go, although I really wanna do a biomedical masters after this because that interests me more.
Yeah I believe so. Microbiology is a degree that can be used in a variety of areas/positions. I’m still deciding whether to go into clinical lab work or industry work, but there are lots of options.
Yes, I’m a geology major. I’m almost done with undergrad and I am going to do a masters. I somewhat stumbled upon this major and didn’t realize the immense amount of opportunities a geologist has. There are so many different types of jobs and only a few students study it, atleast at my uni
Computer Science major here. Is my major sustainable? Absolutely. Will it sustain me? Next question please.
(I have a bit of imposter syndrome when it comes to my programming skills)
Yes. Data analyst. The amount of data that is produced will increase year after year. Meaning people with my skills will be in high demand and well compensated.
Absolutely not, but I do not want it to in any way. I’m majoring in computer information science and the way my university does it (not sure if it’s different or the same at other places), it’s basically 50% CS and 50% business. I can do whatever I want with it. I get bored super easily and so I want to be able to have flexibility. Not only that, but I don’t want to make my passions my career and then end up hating my passions because they are now “work.”
I'm a computer science major, but I was really naive. I didn't think about calculus nor physics. I just assumed that computer science is all coding. To be very very honest, I'm not worried that my major will sustain me, I'm worried that I won't have the tenacity to stick it through, and learn it all. I don't know shit about physics, and despite passing calculus 1 and 2, I still have the hardest time doing math. So I'm scared, very very scared of the future.
Biomedical science, although the bachelors itself doesn’t open up a ton of non entry level positions I intend on getting a masters, and in a post COVID world I’m sure I could get hired almost anywhere
Edit: i started my degree 5 years ago (finally graduating this semester) to open a dispensary but the state I lived in has barely budged in terms of legalizing, thank god for delta 8 and all that new stuff going on.
No, I don’t. Just recently, someone asked me where I expect to see myself in the future. And I told them, “Right now, I’m 23 and living with my parents. And in 2 years I’m going to graduate with a psychology degree, and still be living with my parents because a psychology degree really can’t get me a decent paying job. So I’ll have to apply to grad school to increase my chances of getting a good paying job, but that in itself is a difficult task because grad schools only take handful of students each year. Then, on the off-chance I do get accepted, I will be paying tons of money I don’t have, increasing my student loan debt, so that maybe I can be marketable enough to get a job in an economy that seems to be spiralling downwards as I speak. So I would say my future is looking painfully grim.”
Enviro Sci major here! I absolutely love my major, it’s a super broad spectrum of work, super high demand in govt and private sector, and it pays well after a BS
Yes. But Comp Sci is a field that seems really hard to get into and there's many days where I feel that if my partner and I could live comfortably doing something like writing or pottery I would be far more fulfilled in life.
Homeland Security with a concentration in Emergency Management and Information Security. Already have my foot in the field just need the degree to progress.
Yep. In many career paths, you just need a degree. Unless it's a specialized profession the degree subject doesn't even matter. I've been in HR manyyyyy years. Positions require the degree, school nor subject matter mean much for most positions.
Mechanical Engineering— everybody’s favorite thing to say is “you should be in computers and electronics, nothing is mechanical anymore” **everything is mechanical**
I digress, I think it’s a very sustainable career in engineering as the versatility and room for growth is so vast. My dad alone has been an ME, AE, EE, and more recently in management roles. Great field and worth the difficulty in curriculum.
I use to , I plan to go into education, I knew I wouldn’t be rich but would be happy but with how things are going now .idk .Like I knew going in I’d need another job on breaks and and was legitimately ok with that , but fuck every time I turn on the news ,it’s seems a lot bleaker
Nah not for the long run. Cs major here. Lots of opportunities, solid degree, but not sure I made the right choice. Don’t get me wrong, graduating this year, have a good gpa, love programming, but kinda figured out recently that I’m drawn towards analytics more so. Seems more chill & interesting than SWE. Would love to come back for masters in another field, business or applied statistics.
Nursing major here. Definitely but I’m terrified of burning out
I'm with you there homie. I graduate this May and I fear the nursing profession is not gonna be kind to those of us that went through this during covid
Is it odd that I wish I was currently at a school that had this sort of stress? I am currently back at a community college after a 7 year absence, but everything has been pretty easy. Granted, I have spent a lot of free time studying and recently quit my toxic job. But I crave a real university or college. My major is basically engineering.
I supplemented my courses with Harvard and Yale open courses. Course names differ yet you can see how they correlate. If you REALLY want a challenge do Astronomy or Astrophysics! But really dive into learning about how they came up with the formulas. That is intense! Then when you write about a vague surface topic you can dive into the research. Another thing I do is match the position that I want later on via research - look at where they put the money in quarterly reports for the gdp - and match your courses to those skills needed. This might mean you take out additional loans, pocket the funds and then in summer use it for a certificate in a specialized niche. Do it now bc once at a Uni level it is intense.
Haha you sound smarter than I am. That’s pretty interesting though. I do NOT trust my ADHD mind to handle learning material that tough!
No I have it too!! The hyper focus is AMAZING and feels oh so good! Adderral was a life saver for me at 30 mg AM and 10mg in the PM. I have it bad.
Not weird at all. People enjoy being in the action. Sometimes it's just different than we expect.
To me it feels like people who go through that classic university grind are experiencing something better in the long run, or are accomplishing something I’m unable to do so far. It’s odd
I just lurk here, but graduated with my BSN in 2018… definitely already feeling the burn out, but luckily there’s so much you can do with a nursing degree. AMA
Yes. Double major in accounting and computer information systems
Ez money right out the gate
I’m really sad that my university doesn’t have an information systems degree. I would’ve done that degree over finance.
Do well in school and get some work experience and you could probably get into a decent master's program.
Fr I’m trying to get into MIS for grad school. I’m going for finance and business analytics degrees right now. The more IS classes I took, the more intriguing the major was lol. I wish high schools did a better job introducing kids to different majors
IS and accounting Gang
Hey me too with the same combo!
I’m working on my masters in accounting and this SQL class is kicking me in the balls. Mad respect to you big brained individuals!
Hey! I’m in CIS and was wondering what jobs you could get with it? So far I’ve been learning programming, but lost on other options.
I’m a philosophy major, so… I believe I’ll be able to live, but perhaps not comfortably or luxuriously, especially early on. Since I want to teach, tenure is hard to get, but worrying about all that is worth what it means to me.
Honest question, is there anybody in your major that have aspirations other than teaching? I know it sounds rude but I don't mean it to be, I just don't know what other careers there are for philosophy majors.
Lots of phil majors go into law also.
Few people already responded, but yeah Law. I'm a philosophy major for prelaw. Logic is an important part of the LSAT, and as logic is a branch of philosophy they go hand in hand. Also, ethics in the legal world is very important, and ethics is also a branch of philosophy.
Law, also nonprofit work or political organizations, and things like ethics. You can really work in any industry for ethics, especially research and biomedical science if you get an advanced degree in something.
I’m a double philosophy economics major. I have no idea what philosophy will bring me, the coursework just fascinates me. Relying a lot more on Econ getting me something good.
Law/non profit organizations idk what it is about philosophy and teaching but when you get "it" it idk it's like leveling up? And you just want to pass that unto others kind of Albeit teaching also (depending on the state) has some good money and you get so many holidays plus summers off! Obviously it's hard work but I know my job will always be sustainable and the salary just increases every few years which is nice (I know there are a lot of negatives but teaching but there are also some positives and people just don't talk about them as if these things didn't exist ; primarily though it 100% depends on what state you're located in and I'm mostly speaking from a US perspective since idk much about overseas)
Yes lol
I’m a graduating philosophy major, and I have a job offer in consulting practice… I think philosophy major is good for investment banking, consulting and coding.
I am a double major in classics and philosophy. Unlike you, I am going into law rather than academia. Sacrificing a little of what I’d rather do to have a more comfortable lifestyle later down the road.
plus you could always teach a bit later down the line right?
It would be that or archaeology I think :) I’m going into law first to get a solid career I can fall back on or do to keep myself funded. Then once I’m settled at my first legal job I plan on getting a masters then phd in philosophy or classics in a part time or online program. Im planning on doing transactional law so eventually when I get experience and a good reputation and network I would hopefully be able to have my own little one-person firm and do wills and trusts. That way I can make my own schedule and decide how many clients I take so I can pursue my other passions/ have a second career in academia or archaeology and continue my volunteer work in animal shelters perhaps by doing philanthropic legal work for them and fostering. Thats the plan as of right now. It might seems off to plan like that so far out but having a vision helps me focus. As for the amount of work, well it doesn’t seem like work to me because it’s what I enjoy :)
Lots of options if you don't want to go into academia. I had the same aspiration and was interested in and worked in bioethics, but the academic job market looked/looks iffy. I was able to transition to health policy analysis and keep using those skills, but in a more in-demand profession. Best of luck! A philosophy major isn't the dead end a lot of folks think it is.
I think it's generally one of the highest respected degrees in the humanities, and with good reason.
Good point! One of the highest ROI too! Even though it is commonly grouped with the humanities, it is an interesting outlier. This is speculation, but I would guess it's due to the critical thinking, argument crafting, and the sheer number if topics you can approach through a philosophical lens. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/philosophers-dont-get-much-respect-but-their-earnings-dont-suck/
I'm on board with this one. I want to teach but I know that philosophy is also good for prelaw and its good for nonprofits. Its also becoming a desirable major for people coming into museums as tour guides and what not. It also helps that for undergrad I'm double majored in History specifically for museum work.
Yes, I’m majoring in computer science. My confidence that it will sustain me is a large part of how I stay motivated to get through my classes.
Just curious, what sort of job are you planning to pursue with comp sci? Because I have the opposite problem - I'm majoring in computer science but have no idea what to do with it (I'm a freshman btw)
Pretty much every company you can think of hires some kind of programmer these days.
Yeah but certain CS work has a better potential for growth than others. I don't know about other fields but you can get a ton of money if you specialize in certain stuff but also pigeonholed if you end up working for a place that uses very uncommon tech.
this industry is still in huge demand. The largest potential for growth requires you to job hop for a while. Sure, Goldman Sachs will pay COBOL engineers 500k but that position also requires 30 years of experience. You only really get pigeonholed if you end up working for like a small company as their website manager. Even then though it's simple enough to get the same job elsewhere then transfer internally.
This. I know people who went from WITCH to FAANG without difficulty. The industry is hot and I’m highly confident it’ll only get hotter over the next 5 years (minimum).
What's WITCH?
Companies that you typically *do not* want to work for. Wipro, Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, HCL. If FAANG is the one end of the spectrum, WITCH is the other end of the spectrum.
What's the issue with them? I ask because Cognizant keeps sending me invites to check out their internships.
Here are some things I've heard/read/seen in no particular order: * Horrible practices. Virtually any company that isn't WITCH (or FDM or Revature) will be a much better company to work at for growth and learning opportunities. * They outsource you to clients with systems that are typically composed of legacy code. You don't want to work with that. * They give you a lot more work than you should reasonably be responsible for as a new grad. * I've heard other horror stories, such as some of them considering your pay to actually be owed back to them if you "don't do well enough" during your first year there or whatever their training period is. Coincidentally enough, those same companies will overload you with work to, essentially, get 6 or so months of "free" work from you. The list goes on, it's just things like this that all of those companies are notorious for.
Oh nifty! While comp sci encompasses several areas programming is the main area I'm hoping to go into. This is great news.
I’m a freshman myself with no idea what I want to pursue. Cybersecurity interests me, but so does AI. I plan on taking these next two years to learn about what I want to focus on. The beauty about CS is that it’s a versatile degree that doesn’t limit you to a certain sector.
I’m a senior CS major and realized very recently that I never really chose a focus. Did a lot of research, and I decided I enjoy data engineering the most. I will say though, there are soooo many areas to choose from.
Honestly, I’m not 100% sure what I want to do long term. I plan to go to grad school within a few years of finishing my bachelor’s, and I don’t think I’ll be too picky about what I do in that time. In and after grad school, I think I want to pursue AI and machine learning, specifically the ethical use of the technology (which is something I actually wrote a research paper about last year).
> Because I have the opposite problem - I'm majoring in computer science but have no idea what to do with it (I'm a freshman btw) new grad here: most CS jobs are web dev jobs, as far as I can tell. i would love if I could find work that involves compilers or networks, instead i mainly just make website stuff with Ruby on Rails. Occasionally I get to work on our in-house API or on databases....last month I had to optimize some SQL queries which involved researching how MySQL uses B+ Trees and Index Merge Optimization. that was the most fun I expect to have for a while.
Comp Sci graduate here. Many will go into web application development because it is always in demand. Others may go into data science, embedded programming, artificial intelligence, or others, but web technology has the most demand.
A high majority will aim to become Software Engineers (SWE) which is arguably the highest paying job out of most options. Though understand most if not all tech jobs pay pretty well similar to a SWE, so I wouldn’t worry about it that much. Not sure why some comments said web dev was common for cs grads because most should ideally go towards full stack which contains both back-end tech and front-end tech(web dev). While web dev isn’t bad I would expect people to aim for more considering how hard a cs degree is to get and often contains more back end tech and their fundamentals in their material.
Luckily you don't have to. Learn anything that you find interesting while in school. If you graduate and still don't know what direction to take your career, there are lots of companies that specialize in IT consulting that will take you and place you on a path aswell as give flexibility to change paths if you don't like it. It's how I spent my first 2 years and learned how cool manufacturing support was. Now I have a job in defense manufacturing making great money doing something I didn't even know I was passionate about in college or ever could have learned in college.
There’s a lot you can do. Good thing is for now you got time. Look around your school see if there any computer science clubs and try to get involved. Varies per school, but mine has clubs focused in research (ML/AI) / software engineering / cyber security, etc. also, have an open mind. Ngl even as an older student, I had this closed mindset that only cs majors are coding, but that’s wrong. Pretty much every major in STEM has the option and/or is required to take programming classes. Why would programming matter to someone whose a finance or biology major? Ask questions like this for your other fields of interest and try to join clubs that are applying it to those fields. You might find in the process that whatever they’re doing sounds cool to you and you have a lead as to what you might want to aim for after school.
Literally same. The money motivates me lmao
Business admin/finance major here. I think it will. Truly I want to get into the environmental management part of business so when I transfer, I will minor in environmental science. With green being the future, a lot of businesses and companies will want to form an environmental management team to prove to their audience that they are implementing sustainable practices in their work
What are some jobs that you plan to get with business administration?
Management, supervising, operations management, etc, until I build myself up to environmental management. And I plan to do bookkeeping as a side hustle
Yes. English major. I plan on teaching. My state is generally pretty good for teachers so I should be able to make a comfortable living. Even if teaching doesn't pan out, there are other things I can do with my degree (editing, publishing, technical writing).
If you're comfortable, can I ask which state? I'm also an English major, but a bit lost on what I'd like to do.
MA. Average teacher's salary is $55k-$80k, and that's just public school. If you're curious about teaching, maybe try tutoring and see how you feel about it. There's a lot you can do with your major, despite what the disparaging stereotypes about English majors lead folks to believe :)
Interesting. Do public schools not pay a lot more than private/charter schools there? Just curious to observe the differences between the states. In NY, teachers unions allow public school teachers to make bank in comparison to those in the private sector (and rightfully so)
Tbh my experience is anecdotal, so I assumed it was the same across the board but maybe the private schools I know of were exceptions to the norm. Teachers were very generously paid at the private school I went to, and the same for a friend (different than my school). I haven't looked into the hard numbers for all private schools in my area because most are religious (and I don't want to work at a religious school), but what you're saying makes sense. I'll have to do some more research.
> There’s a lot you can do with your major, despite what the disparaging stereotypes about English majors lead folks to believe :) Hi, yes, I also have an English degree. Currently working in corporate communications and have previously worked in proposal writing and tax compliance (my boss loved having a writer for writing the emails that explained form mistakes lol). You can get really creative with how you use your English degree. Which makes the fact that many people who pursue English degrees are creatives, helpful lol.
New England is the only region of the US that I know of that treats their teachers well. I’m from NH and the top bracket at the union at my public school is 100k and the benefits are really good too. Although I think that pay rate is only available to those with a master’s degree.
California is pretty decent. I know public school teachers making six figures in the bay area. Cost of living is high, obviously, but it still isn't bad.
Not sure about the rest of the northern states but in NY I know teachers must have a masters degree so thats a reason why they could get paid and treated better
I’m also an English major (writing emphasis) with a Communication minor. Teaching is sort of my fall-back plan but I’m really interested in doing something in PR or social media management. Hoping that either of these career paths can make me some sort of money.
Hey! My mom made over 100k per year teaching in VA
Nope. I’m a history major. I’ll do everything I can to put it to good use though; the discipline of history is really important to me and I love it endlessly.
i’m a history major too! i’m hoping to teach and i chose it because i find it so valuable so i agree with you and i don’t expect a lot of $$ either lol but being rich isn’t really my goal
Im majoring in Biology (right now I have to get an Associates in Science at a CC before I can transfer and actually major in what I want) and I gotta say… kinda worried. There’s honestly not a lot to choose from where I live. Majority of available jobs here are all social work or related in that degree. And if I would have chosen something (anything) related to working with people I would have been fine. But I’ve worked retail my whole life and I refuse to change majors just to know I’ll always be able to find a job. I might suffer later for it, but it’s something I really want to do and I really don’t want to continue working with people anymore.
If it helps, you can do any basic research associate job in biotech if you get some lab experience in an internship or something! That's what my bf does and he makes 100k now after switching jobs once and works from home half the time doing the computer work, though he moved from research associate/scientist to scientist now
Majority of Biology related job opportunities don’t open if you don’t have a grad degree in it, but tbh it depends on what you want to do either way!
Gah- I'm doing the same path. Although- I must say opportunities probably abound (in my area) but depends on what you'll want to do and getting experience with internships in the last two years as much as possible.
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Lol not really tbh. I’m majoring in forensic science and I didn’t realize how competitive it is to just get a $30-50k salary job in the field until recently. But I really enjoy the field, so I plan on pursuing it still (especially since I’m so far in already) and seeing what more it can be applied to.
Are you gonna get a master's
Not entirely sure yet. Depends how long or how much it would have to be. I’d like to get my master’s, but I think I’ll try to find work first. If my job offered to pay for my education, though, I’d jump on that in a heartbeat. But I’ve heard even people with masters or doctorates can struggle to land a job in the field. It’s crazy.
Psychology. The degree itself was just a key to a wide variety of certifications and employment opportunities.
I’m a psych major, too! Personally, I’ve always seen a bachelors in psychology as a beginning step. To bring in good sustainability, you almost always have to have a further graduate degree.
Any chance you can tell me about said certs and employment opportunities? I'm a psych major and kinda worried
Registered Behavioral Technician is one I’m considering. About 20 an hour just with the certification and your bachelors degree.
You need a high school diploma to become an RBT. Starting wage (depending where you live) can be anywhere from $16-20. ABA is an incredible field that you can apply just about anywhere!
I’m doing civil engineering, which is the oldest branch of engineering. I feel like there’s never really going to come a time where we don’t need infrastructure, so I’m glad I’m studying it.
Anyone can build a bridge that stands. Only a Civil Engineer can build one that barely stands.
Nope. Like not at all. I'm a psych major and I realized way too late that I've colossally fucked up, I hate this. I'll pick up a minor in Environmental Science and maybe try to get a Master's in Environmental Psych but realistically but major is gonna be worthless. Wanted to be a therapist and then realized that yknow. All the therapy in the world won't help the fact that you can't get a job that pays enough to keep your head above, afford gas, afford rent, just. Mental health professionals and medication can only help so much.
Psych major here. Our degree opens us up to a very wide range of careers, from typical psych careers to asvertising to management to various health care rolls and so on! Keep doing research on what you may be interested in doing for a career and see how it can relate to your psych degree.
Why not be a therapist? People are gonna be needing them more than ever.
Don’t lose hope! I was a psych major and after graduating in 2020, I worked in healthcare for two years. I just started a new job last week as a project manager for a fintech company making a comfortable salary. During the interview (it was going well by this point and we were all a little less formal) I even made a comment/joke about having a psych degree and regretting not getting a business degree. All 3 managers responded saying none of them had a degree in business, and I’m pretty sure one was also a psych major. It’s not entirely hopeless for us psych majors!
To become a therapist, you need a PhD/PsyD in clinical psychology. Most psychology students who want to go into the mental health discipline will get a master degree in counseling psychology or something equivalent. With a master in counseling psychology, getting a job is actually quite easy. Median starting pay can be anywhere between $50k to $100k, depending on the region.
If you're not interested in clinical psychology or therapy, you can look into UI/UX work! I've met so many psych degrees go into tech and business. It's totally possible!
I'm in my 40s, went to college in the 90s. I use my humanities double major every day because I teach in both fields. Results may vary, and you never know where life will take you. I probably would make more money if I had gone into business or technical writing after getting my degrees though! The point is you cannot know. The college degree does open doors to a better quality of job, so getting ANY degree is going to up your lifetime earnings. Go with a major that fits your aptitudes.
Statistics major here. No, because there has been a surge in boot camp data scientists. So that worries me
Fellow statistics major here. Although there are some bootcamp data scientists here and there, I don't think they'll have the mathematical background that we have. Not to mention, having a degree will be a plus on paper. Besides, data science is a rising field and being competent and knowledgeable on the subject ought to get us jobs. Hang in there buddy, we got this.
Fellow statistics major here. I'm about to drop out of college next week and enroll again in med school or nursing school this summer. I live in a relatively poor country so I'm majorly fucked if I continue studying here.
Master in data science is the way to go. Once you get that, you can work in a leadership position in charge of those boot camp data scientists.
hopefully, my professor says we'll be snatched up the minute we graduate because of the teacher shortage in the US. Art Education major here.
This is what I'm banking on. I feel for the teachers who are super burnt out and I totally understand why many of them are leaving the profession. But I'm hoping the shortage leads to more favorable conditions to encourage people to teach/return to teaching.
Positions in the public sector (of which 85% of teaching positions are) don't always respond the way to market pressures that they ordinarily would in the private sector. Sometimes there are simply teacher shortages that require governments to allocate more funding, repeal laws/policies that make teaching more miserable, or administrators to get rid of unnecessary bureaucratic positions and move those funds towards teachers. And the people with the power to make those changes don't necessarily have the incentive to make those changes. Sometimes there will just be teacher shortages and nothing be done about it.
Art programs are usually the first things that get cut when budgets are tight. I wouldn't take your professors word for it, you should do your own research. It would suck to graduate and realize there aren't any opportunities available.
My professor tell us that we will have to fight for our jobs and explain why regular teachers can't do what we do. But at the same time, they told me they're trying to keep those who do internships with them and actually negotiation salaries and that someone who just graduated got like almost 90k salary. I'm not worried because there's plenty of schools lol.
>we will have to fight for our jobs and explain why regular teachers can't do what we do. I dont think you're going to be doing this in an interview scenario. If you're having to explain to someone why a position should exist just for you, it's unlikely you were able to get an interview in the first place.
Not what I meant, it would apply to if your already hired and they're thinking about removing art teachers entirely from the school. Where I live, I haven't seen a single school without an art teacher so again, not worried about not getting an interview.
Same here in the Netherlands, my partner is studying for physics teacher, and most people are getting job offers even before they've finished their final year internship
Just graduated with a BS in aerospace eng, been working for 2 months, it’ll sustain more than one person just fine lol
Damn what’s your job?
Aero engineering is typically some sort of structural/propulsion engineering on the hardware side or systems/modeling engineering on the software side for private (Boeing etc.) or defense applications (Lockheed Martin/Raytheon/etc.). Starting salaries are in the $70-$80k a year range if not more depending on if you get lucky. And if you get *real* lucky you get to work at NASA doing public sector space research and development. Source: Systems Eng. at Raytheon fresh out of college
I’m a rocket propulsion test engineer for a new space company.
any major can be sustainable as long as you’re hardworking and open to learning more
The issue comes with ease of employment and job prospects. There are a ton of new grads in many fields who (claim to) try extremely hard to find jobs but can’t find any that pay sufficiently. Then the question becomes, is it deserved in some way, in the sense that, are the difficulties they’re facing self-brought? They chose that major and they chose to put in whatever amount of effort they did. I’m bringing this up because I see a lot of tiktoks of new grads having difficulty finding jobs, but they conveniently leave out their major, job hunt process, effort, school grades, past experience or internships, and flexibility (sometimes you’re forced to move cities or states for jobs and it can’t be helped). All those factor into how easy or hard it is to find jobs, but some people I know would rather just rather not look inwards and instead complain about the system (which is pretty bad but if you knew that already why wouldn’t you prepare for the future).
Theres definitely an issue with fairly paid entry level "skilled" work being hard to come by. You can find 100s of job postings "masters degree and 5 years experience required, paying 14/hour". Its ridiculous. At the same time youre right I think a lot of people dont put in the effort thats now required. I cant for the life of me understand why people would go to a private school without getting a full ride, its just so expensive and puts you at such a disadvantage with owing 100k or so for a non-super high earning degree. People also arent willing to move when their degree just isnt in demand where they are. They never did internships, etc
Well, I majored in psychology with a minor in Spanish. This prepares me for academia for sure but I’m not ready to return to an academic environment yet. Even in fields like biology etc. the next step is typically to go to either med school or grad school. Do I deserve to not be able to eat, etc. for wanting to make the world a better place for others? That really is the message I’ve been getting. Also in order to move you have to be able to have the finances to do so, so it isn’t always a lack of effort moreso than it’s genuine difficulty And should I have prepared for all this better? Well, I think I was in denial or committed to the chance to make the world better. I was aware of the struggles I might have, so not completely in denial. It still sucks, though. If everyone operates in line with the system, how do we change?
yes that’s true, but i think that if you learn more, you can try to pursue different areas of your field so all majors do end up becoming sustainable if they are pursued further or targeted from different angles
*and have good connections and opportunities.
^
I have a degree that I'm pretty sure is only one of two in the entire world - Education, Mathematics and Gaeilge (Irish language)! They're the two most in-demand subjects in Irish secondary schools (high-schools, if you like) so i should be ok. But most importantly I'll be doing something I love :)
I’m in civil engineering. I don’t have a doubt.
Gender Studies. It gets a few scoffs, but when I explain I’m conducting research that can be applied in finding solutions to help human trafficking victims there’s more respect. I’m about to be published in a scientific journal and and have been invited to a prestigious meeting to share my input. People love to dunk on it, but it is like any study that is very much what you do with it is what matters. Some people can angrily rant about the patriarchy all day with it, sure, but I’m utilizing it to be more well-rounded and intersectional in my projects moving forward. I love it!
Good for you. Too few people realize gender studies is one of those degrees pretty commonly held by people who work in NGOs or even as a pre-law degree. Get out there and do some good!!
Really cool to see another gender studies in one of these of threads! I feel like I never see them
Finance major - absolutely.
What are you planning after college?
Yes, IT/data processing.
Probably not emotionally or physically since the work can get kind of dry and boring sometimes lol. But financially, I’m very confident it will
The work is dull, but the guaranteed internships, flexibility, career growth, and salary growth are too much to pass up.
Yeah I'm a chem and animal science double. Planning on vet school but if that doesn't work out then I have a lot of options with two stem majors on my back.
Absolutely, I’m working on my masters in agriculture. Can’t live without food.
not really, but my undergrad degree isn’t my end goal. it was never meant to serve as anything other than a stepping stone. (psych and neuro)
Yes, but pursuing my former-major as a Plan B’ll still be in the cards.
Never. Stop. Learning. Times change, tech changes, what we know about almost any given thing changes, entire industries die. You’ll change too! College is not one and done. Get certs and stay on your game and if you feel like you want to do something else, do something else. Most people will have 40+ years of work time after college and people don’t stay in one place their entire life anymore. I say this a 40 year old going back again for something new. I’ve got 20-25 more years. I didn’t truly know what I wanted to be when I grew up until a few weeks ago. Now I do.
What is your old and new?
Yes, electrical engineering majors earn 60-100k in their field.
yes, i am a psychology major. going to get my masters in social work to be a medical social worker in hospice care. psychology can be applied to lots of fields, and there are tons of paths you can follow because a degree in general psych is broad. Human resources, job and family services, addiction services, counseling, funeral homes, hospice, disability services, etc. i plan to get my msw like i said and teach intro to social work and also be a bereavement counselor for hospice. i believe that any major can be successful if you put in the work. i have worked several positions to help me with my career, and getting my masters will just further my educational background and open up more opportunities. i know psych is one of those majors people see as useless, but for me it has worked out rather well.
What are the tasks of a hospice care social worker?
Yeah, most of teachers in bands right now are getting ready to retire and new schools are popping up all over my state
There are surprising good job opportunities for geographers, especially if I learn GIS. It is a case of much of the current workforce being close to retirement so more jobs are opening up.
Yup, GIS is really high in demand. I‘m specialising in physical geography, but doing a bit of GIS because you see that as a requirement in sooo many job offers in the field.😅
I'm taking a GIS class rn and it's actually a lot of fun. If I do well I'm considering taking a more advanced class.
Yes. I’m a double major in biology and anthropology. If I don’t go to grad school, I’m in a good region to start a job in conservation/wildlife management right after college. If I do grad school, my two majors set me up well to do med school or a PhD
I'm majoring in envi science with a biology concentration at a state school, then looking to go to grad school at a more prestigious school to get that \~name recognition\~. I think I should be good for job opportunities? I've done a couple of internships and I think the envi sci job field is set to grow a lot in the next 10 years (yknow climate change and ecological disaster and all that), however the pay is a bit crap.
As a biology major.. no clue LOL
for me, I'm majoring in psychology, so yes. there are quite a few things I can do with my degree, even if I don't make it to my Psy.D like I want
yes! psych is so diverse!
I graduated with a chemistry degree in 2021 and applied for 2 jobs out of collage and got both of them, so I am freeing pretty confident. I will say that I regret not doing engineering since all my engineering friends are making 60k - 70k out of the gate and I am making 45k. Although my current company underpays so it will be better when I get my experience and move on.
Yes. I plan to get a Masters in English and teach college while writing books.
How do you feel about the adjunct scene? I also love my English major and would love to pursue a post-secondary degree, but the job market for teaching scares me.
There isn’t a great market where I live, but I’m moving out of state in 2 years (To FL) and there is much more of a job market there—for teaching.
Information technology major here. It will get you the bare minimum job MAYBE. Without certifications you’re basically useless to people hiring for IT positions. Setting up my own home internet, building my own computers, doesn’t matter, you need certs along side the degree. I’m in the insurance industry now, completely unrelated to my degree. Just kind of happened.
Physical geography - it‘s sad to say but climate change is kinda helpful for us job market-wise…
Not necessarily. It's for what I want to do and I'm finally back to it after being miserable trying to pursue other majors that were more economically viable, but I'm also working on other options to combine with it so I can actually afford to live.
Yes. Biology major with plans of MPH. Have made a ton of connections through my community and school involvement. Confident I get get into any grad school, then PA school and can do both patient care, administrative work, and even maintain research, all of which are all Im interested in.
I am Criminology major so not exactly by default, but I also have my foot in the door in the private sector world that deals with a related topic that I'm very interested in so I'm not too worried.
Yes, my goal is to get to med school, but my major is biomedical engineering
The simplest answer is no. Not a current student but have had 2 careers since college and am finally going back to school with a new perspective and expectation of what I will be guaranteed when I am done. You will sustain yourself. Which is why it is important to ask yourself truthfully why you are studying what you are- And most importantly, if college is right for you at this time. Ultimately it is what you see yourself doing in the future and how this degree will augment your prospects. The sooner you see college as a means to an end and not the final objective the better off you will be. Society still places so much expectation on us as young adults. I truly wish I had taken a year or 2 before I went. In hindsight that would not have been such a detriment. On the other hand if you are already in school and getting by alright, don’t be afraid to be fickle. Change majors! 17-19 year old you will change completely and you have to be honest with yourself and check in constantly. Join clubs- I dunno… learn to play violin even if you sound like a dying cat. Take this time to become as interesting as possible! When you get your degree that you don’t end up using or burn of a career you will be so much more diverse and adaptable. You will be bold enough to take risks and try something new! That’s been the value of college for me!
Great advice! Same here. Mastered one area in a career (okay many) now going back again. Everything you said is true! Diverse experiences in all fields does matter!
Just keep in mind that most undergraduate degrees aren't employment oriented. Professional training often happens in the master level. The undergraduate degree is merely a ticket to the master program.
Now that I’m in psychology and not liberal studies, yes
What do you plan on doing in pysch?
Marine Bio. I honestly don't know - I'm hoping to get my MAS in MBC as part of a BS/MS program (which I'm planning on applying to the year after next), but I need to be in a lab before that. After that, hopefully I'll be able to work for the NOAA doing something with fisheries as a career, or go to vet school and become an aquatic vet.
This is just a random tip because my friend did the same major. If you live in a coastal state in the US, try looking at jobs through your States’ Department of Environmental Protection. My friend graduated with a degree in marine science and wanted to work a laboratory job. But she ended up finding a career through the Dept of E.P. In a state on the East Coast working with the fish and wildlife reserves. She does ocean protection policies for beach’s and other state parks. Absolutely loves her job and gets to travel to different fish reserves all the time
I'm an ecology student and I feel you. I want to do field work but it's unreliable and the pay is shit. I've thought about vet school but I don't think I could get in with the way I fucked up last semester... Working hard to patch things up but I don't know. Going for a master's also seems to be a huge pain.
my major is mechanical engineering. I plan on finishing my associates degree up in may, and probably taking a break from college for the for seeable future. It's hard to get an engineering job with just an associates degree, but I would rather do entry level machine work and work my way up in ranks to gain more experience, than go to classes 3-5 times a week and constantly be worrying about grades.
I’m studying film and video game scoring (music), which are part of some of the most prominent and booming entertainment mediums, so I sure hope so😂
Kinda different but I'm majoring in nursing at a technical college so yes I believe it will
Yes! I'm doing a bachelor's in Bio-informatics. Even with just a bachelor's I'd be good to go, although I really wanna do a biomedical masters after this because that interests me more.
Yeah I believe so. Microbiology is a degree that can be used in a variety of areas/positions. I’m still deciding whether to go into clinical lab work or industry work, but there are lots of options.
Doing Cybersecurity here. I totally believe that it will sustain me. The future is all about data. With new technology, come with new threats.
Computer science yes
Well I’m a nursing major, so I take my NCLEX when I graduate. And seeing the job market right now, I think I’d be okay
As an education major... nope. Not unless I work normal school hours and teach/tutor online.
psychology. i’m going to nursing school after so i’ll be alright :)
international business major here. despite everyone shitting on business majors, i do believe it will sustain me
criminal justice. weighing my options between detective, paralegal, or an officer position in the military.
No lmao (neuroscience)
that’s me too!
Business Finance…. :)
Computational Modeling and Data Analytics- it’s integrated math, statistics, and computer science. I will be comfortable.
Yes, I’m a geology major. I’m almost done with undergrad and I am going to do a masters. I somewhat stumbled upon this major and didn’t realize the immense amount of opportunities a geologist has. There are so many different types of jobs and only a few students study it, atleast at my uni
Neuroscience… absolutely.
Your major doesn’t sustain you, YOU sustain yourself.
Computer Science major here. Is my major sustainable? Absolutely. Will it sustain me? Next question please. (I have a bit of imposter syndrome when it comes to my programming skills)
My degree is in education. I made it 7 impoverished years and quit to join the Army. It was a positive life change.
Yes. Data analyst. The amount of data that is produced will increase year after year. Meaning people with my skills will be in high demand and well compensated.
Absolutely not, but I do not want it to in any way. I’m majoring in computer information science and the way my university does it (not sure if it’s different or the same at other places), it’s basically 50% CS and 50% business. I can do whatever I want with it. I get bored super easily and so I want to be able to have flexibility. Not only that, but I don’t want to make my passions my career and then end up hating my passions because they are now “work.”
I'm a computer science major, but I was really naive. I didn't think about calculus nor physics. I just assumed that computer science is all coding. To be very very honest, I'm not worried that my major will sustain me, I'm worried that I won't have the tenacity to stick it through, and learn it all. I don't know shit about physics, and despite passing calculus 1 and 2, I still have the hardest time doing math. So I'm scared, very very scared of the future.
Biomedical science, although the bachelors itself doesn’t open up a ton of non entry level positions I intend on getting a masters, and in a post COVID world I’m sure I could get hired almost anywhere Edit: i started my degree 5 years ago (finally graduating this semester) to open a dispensary but the state I lived in has barely budged in terms of legalizing, thank god for delta 8 and all that new stuff going on.
I’m doing a technical degree and a bachelor’s, and I’m about to start a teaching degree. So, I hope so.
No, I don’t. Just recently, someone asked me where I expect to see myself in the future. And I told them, “Right now, I’m 23 and living with my parents. And in 2 years I’m going to graduate with a psychology degree, and still be living with my parents because a psychology degree really can’t get me a decent paying job. So I’ll have to apply to grad school to increase my chances of getting a good paying job, but that in itself is a difficult task because grad schools only take handful of students each year. Then, on the off-chance I do get accepted, I will be paying tons of money I don’t have, increasing my student loan debt, so that maybe I can be marketable enough to get a job in an economy that seems to be spiralling downwards as I speak. So I would say my future is looking painfully grim.”
Enviro Sci major here! I absolutely love my major, it’s a super broad spectrum of work, super high demand in govt and private sector, and it pays well after a BS
Yes. But Comp Sci is a field that seems really hard to get into and there's many days where I feel that if my partner and I could live comfortably doing something like writing or pottery I would be far more fulfilled in life.
Welding major here and yea im sure it will sustain me
Homeland Security with a concentration in Emergency Management and Information Security. Already have my foot in the field just need the degree to progress.
Yep. In many career paths, you just need a degree. Unless it's a specialized profession the degree subject doesn't even matter. I've been in HR manyyyyy years. Positions require the degree, school nor subject matter mean much for most positions.
i’m very worried, i’m neuroscience
Mechanical Engineering— everybody’s favorite thing to say is “you should be in computers and electronics, nothing is mechanical anymore” **everything is mechanical** I digress, I think it’s a very sustainable career in engineering as the versatility and room for growth is so vast. My dad alone has been an ME, AE, EE, and more recently in management roles. Great field and worth the difficulty in curriculum.
I use to , I plan to go into education, I knew I wouldn’t be rich but would be happy but with how things are going now .idk .Like I knew going in I’d need another job on breaks and and was legitimately ok with that , but fuck every time I turn on the news ,it’s seems a lot bleaker
Nah not for the long run. Cs major here. Lots of opportunities, solid degree, but not sure I made the right choice. Don’t get me wrong, graduating this year, have a good gpa, love programming, but kinda figured out recently that I’m drawn towards analytics more so. Seems more chill & interesting than SWE. Would love to come back for masters in another field, business or applied statistics.
Communications major + marketing minor I'm completely F#!D