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College Majors

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RimJobber
Posts: 3313 - Karma: 10,058
Whats everyone going to college majoring in?
I'm in Mining Engineering with a minor in Metallurgy or Geology.
Dec 18 2012 12:05AM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
"useless" is a very subjective term, my friend. and please don't say "retarded."
Dec 24 2012 10:17AM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
You're trying to argue with basic economic theory... You can't really argue against that, and that is prob why you are coming off as a moron right now.
Dec 24 2012 10:38AM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
i'm saying some people are about things other than economic theory. if, for example, you love writing, then it would make sense to major in creative writing. you know from the get go that it isn't a career choice that will bring in a ton of money, but you still pursue it because it is what makes you happy. it might seem a useless skill to you, but probably doesn't seem to useless to them. you can get a job in whatever field you choose in some capacity as long as you are good at what you do.
Dec 24 2012 10:48AM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
You are assuming that okay everyone who majors in creative writing is going to be able to get a job in creative writing and make enough to make a living. That is completely false, I wish we lived in a world where that is the case, but unfortunately we don't. If college didn't cost upwards to 60k+, then okay you have an argument. But so many people are going to school nowadays getting a useless major and then are stuck in debt without having a job that paid any better then if they were to start working straight out of hs.


Dec 24 2012 10:56AM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
i'm not assuming that. of course not everyone who majors in creative writing goes on to write the next great american novel, but there are more than enough companies out there who need good writers for any number of things where creative writing majors can still apply their skills. the job market is just as bad for them as anyone else.

again, what do you mean by "useless?" what majors do you think are "useful?"
Dec 24 2012 11:16AM
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JTL
Posts: 2275 - Karma: 338
Mechanical Engineering
Dec 24 2012 11:17AM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
Useful majors? Idk the ones where you have a good chance of getting an actual paying job when you graduate.
Dec 24 2012 1:16PM
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Byron_tha_gr8
Posts: 4573 - Karma: 14,299
GEOLOGY- for the $, the rocks, and the gold. not many girls tho... :(
Dec 24 2012 2:28PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
so you think it's better for someone to major in something they hate so they can get a job they hate and do work they hate for the rest of their life to make a lot of money than major in something they love if they won't find success with it right away?
Dec 24 2012 2:31PM
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2_fadez
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 4,183
no, you should get a major that you think is alright but is still practical in the real world.
unless you want to be a teacher, getting an english or history or anthropology degree is essentially useless.
I'd love to be a history major, but I'm not willing to be a professor or high school teacher compared to the life I want to live.
So I went for petroleum engineering. Its a cool outdoors major that is high risk, high reward. Boss as fuck and you gotta be smarts as bawwwwwls
Dec 24 2012 2:52PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
haha being an english major is useless? well fuck me, right? guess i'd rather do something i love that is useless than wake up every morning feeling very "meh" about my job and going to work. i just couldn't do. but to each his own, of course
Dec 24 2012 2:59PM
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ChungBol
Posts: 1075 - Karma: 34
Majoring in Dildonics
Dec 24 2012 3:31PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
Life's tough, you gotta make compromises. I love nothing more than to go skiing, but guess what there is no chance I am going to be able to make a living from it so now I gotta try something else.

The key is to find something that pays enough, but at the same time you enjoy doing it as well. Am I saying you need to go school major in something that you will be miserable in? No not at all, stop putting words in my mouth. But honestly lets say you absolutely love creative writing, maybe you're better off minoring in it and then majoring in something that can get you a job. So that way when you graduate you aren't living at your parents with 60k in debt trying to find mediocre jobs with your worthless degree.

Also for the record I am not saying it is not possible to not get a job with the majority of liberal art major. But you're going to need a lot more than just a bachelors degree, and honestly the people who do make a living with those majors are so motivated that they won't even care about my opinion because they know without a doubt in their mind that they will satisfy the costs of their education with a future job. But simply those people are a minority, and for the sake of argument I am ignoring them.
Dec 24 2012 6:47PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
I mean you're assuming you are going to be able to get a job with that english degree... In reality you will wake up and say "hmm I am unemployed and in debt, my life sucks, but hey at least I went to school and learned something I love!".
Dec 24 2012 6:56PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
english major is a fucking joke. The highest paying jobs are all math and science based which is a fact. PLENTY of people can write well enough to get any job that an english major can get, just they have way more practical skills that can be applied else where. Realisticallya as the kid above posted, creative writing major is bullshit. The fact you pay a college tuitino to learn creative writing blows my mind. Go to school learn something useful like financ,e accounting, maybe pre med, business...then go and write in your yurt
Dec 24 2012 7:01PM
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BlackCupid
Posts: 1533 - Karma: 9
Do you even read my original post? My original post said: "lol. I hope that's a joke, but it's funny regardless."

Nothing about job opportunities. You guys have all read that into it on your own and sidetracked the conversation to be about job opportunities. Also, when did I say I hate Christianity? I never did; stop making shit up. I said it's humorous that he's taking a major in learning how to portray fiction as fact, which is exactly what Christian Education is.
Dec 24 2012 7:03PM
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volvotom
Posts: 2045 - Karma: 712
This viewpoint gets thrown around a lot.

Have you ever watched a movie, read a book, seen a TV show, looked at a print advertisement?

Who do you thinks writes, draws, and creates those things?

Furthermore, a lot of the skills taught in more "humanities" courses translate into marketable skills better than you would think. My anthropologist friend works social media marketing. My creative writing friend has already sold 2 screenplays. My English major friend works as a sports reporter.

Even the typical "art history" majors have career options. You know how many stupidly ridiculous rich people like to buy paintings? Christies and Sothebys continually have openings and have done well despite the global recession.

The idea that you need to major in something "useful" is idiotic.
Dec 24 2012 7:11PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
Those people are the minority, read my post from earlier. Don't bring up anecdotal evidence, pretty soon were going to have people citing Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg for reasons why you don't need college all together. I am talking in general those majors are worthless, of course there are exceptions though.
Dec 24 2012 7:27PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
.

There you go, I assume by getting money, you would need a job, hence "job opportunities.

You only dislike Christian Education because you don't believe in Christianity. That doesn't mean it can't be a valid field of study for someone else.
Dec 24 2012 7:27PM
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volvotom
Posts: 2045 - Karma: 712
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57325132/25-college-majors-with-the-highest-unemployment-rates/

Very Psych heavy. Also included: biochem, neuroscience, genetics, as well as international business.

Should no one study those things for more "useful" topics?

Law school also has notoriously high unemployment rates: http://www.businessinsider.com/shocking-law-grad-unemployment-way-worse-than-we-thought-book-slamming-law-schools-confirms-it-2012-6
should no one study that?

In the end the market will value the skills and traits that it deems necessary and adapt. Doesn't mean we should discourage people for pursuing study in the topics that they want.
Dec 24 2012 7:36PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
Did you even click on those links? Did you see the the difference in % between the top 5 and the bottom 5 which included the majors you provided. Like I have no idea what you are trying to prove with that link, if anything it strengthen my argument so thanks? And for the record I really don't think a lot of people should go to law school, unless you're getting into a top school you're better off studying something else because of that high unemployment rate.

You are right the market will value the skills and traits, and right now the market is telling me a shit load of college majors are worthless. Go ahead and major in liberal arts, I am not stopping you, just don't be surprised when you don't have a job.
Dec 24 2012 8:20PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
The first link practically has every single major offered by most colleges, so "The Top 25" is a very misleading term. Because it is implying that oh your major is on that list, you picked a bad major... No it is just a comprehensive list of college majors, and they need to remove the fucking "Top" part from the title.
Dec 24 2012 8:25PM
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panojibber.
Posts: 1041 - Karma: 683
ITT: people making unfounded assumptions about everyone else's majors. Come on, does anybody really think I major in English to learn to write paragraphs (aside from ogkush420)? Besides, I'll have you all notice that English isn't even on that list of most unemployed majors...
Dec 24 2012 8:48PM
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volvotom
Posts: 2045 - Karma: 712
25 of the top 197 majors. Did you read it?

Also, I already graduated with a major in public policy and a minor in biology. I was 3 classes short of the full double major but I hated bio. I already had a decent paying job with benefits but left that to go to grad school. Please be careful in prejudging someone.
Dec 24 2012 8:49PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
More like ITT: Engineering majors claim their dicks are bigger than those who major in business, social science, and fine arts.

Quit comparing dick sizes everyone, we're all winners if we're all satisfied with our choice in majors.
Dec 24 2012 9:01PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
Bomber: Clearly what you consider a "reasonable" or "useful" or "worthwhile" college degree does not agree with reality. If it did, well then jeez we'd have no newspapers or magazines or books or movies or photography or film or journalism or teachers or blah blah blah.

It's one thing to say, "I value science and technology more than arts;" that's your opinion, which you are entitled to. However, liberal arts majors get jobs too and society has a need for them. Don't devalue their efforts and say that their study is useless, because it's not. If you think that they are, let's see if your mind changes when you develop mental illness and need psych specialist to help you, or if you need an article written and need to go to a journalist who studied english in college, or it you want to air or make an advertisement and need to hire a graphic designer or artist.

Get off your fucking high horse, accept that people value different things than you do, and get on with your damn life.

And Merry fucking Christmas eve.
Dec 24 2012 10:20PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
I don't understand how that is supposed to be "25" of the top 197 majors lol. Look at the categories, they have subjects such as engineering, fine arts, just clumped together. Like those aren't majors, christ they have the entire engineering discipline clumped together...

Blondie, dude wtf are you talking about? Like every single example you just listed was from journalism, when the fuck did I ever say journalism was worthless? It has the lowest unemployment rate on that list. Like every single fucking occupation you just listed was a major that I would consider as useful, so please stop putting words in my mouth. And please don't compare a basic 4- year undergrad psychology degree to a psychiatrist who has an MD who actually would treat mental illnesses, jesus man seriously? My high horse? Yea sorry I want people to go to college and not be drowned in debt that they can't repay when they are done, I am such a douchebag for wanting that!

For the record there isn't a lot of majors that I consider worthless, most college majors are actual useful, so the list is quite small. However, the reason why it is such a big deal is because this small list of useless majors seems to have a high population of students enrolled in them which makes it an actual problem.


Dec 24 2012 10:50PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
Okay, fair, apologies. I may or may not be Christmas drunk. However my point holds: your opinion of what is worthwhile and important is different than other peoples' and you don't seem to accept that.

And I don't think I called you a douche.

So that I am not putting words in your mouth: what majors do you consider worthless?
Dec 24 2012 10:53PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
psychology, women & gender studies, english, history, foreign languages, quite a few business majors like "international business" whatever that fucking is, I can think of more if you really want me to.

Please note these are under the assumption of just a 4 year degree. Of course if you go to graduate school it changes things significantly and almost all these majors can become useful. Foreign languages can actually be a great major in combination with something else, so again take it with a grain of salt.
Dec 24 2012 11:00PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
On that note, what is the purpose of taking Outdoor Recreation? I mean, it seems like a fun major, but what can you actually do with that?
Dec 24 2012 11:02PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
haha luckily for me you clearly aren't one of those people who can write well enough to take jobs from English majors. and, luckily for me, i didn't go to college with the sole intention of doing something i don't enjoy just to make money. will i have debt from loans? probably, but so be it if i can eventually find a job that i love instead of settling for something that i can, at best, stomach most of the time. money shouldn't be the sole and, or main determiner of our happiness; don't let yourself become a slave to consumerist culture.

sorry for lashing out, but this post and the whole content of the thread is becoming kind of a joke. christ, there are plenty of schools specifically dedicated to giving students a liberal arts education. if everything every kid who goes to a liberal arts school learns was useless, why would they exist? the fact of the matter is that job markets for any specific thing are small; you can't count on getting a job in the exact field you major in, and liberal arts students are much more well-rounded overall than university students who go in specific schools and never, or hardy ever, venture outside of them in their four years of college.
Dec 25 2012 12:07AM
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000000000000
Posts: 843 - Karma: 1,552
physical therapy, help yall fools that blow knees
Dec 25 2012 12:13AM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
That last statement you made is critical to this argument. People think liberal arts is less applicable then engineering/science because engineering majors end up in the exact job that they studied. Liberal arts is not the same. I think that the majority of what an English/history major learns (in terms of actual curriculum, not analysis and other intangible skills) in college will never be applied in the real world but at the end of the day there are plenty of jobs for non technical majors.
Dec 25 2012 12:13AM
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Spinoza
Posts: 12763 - Karma: 3,846
Why are you kids still discussing this? It's Christmas. Go eat some gingerbread and be merry
Dec 25 2012 12:13AM
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little_boo
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 231
Double major: environmental geosciences and environmental studies.

Goals in environmental water law.
Win.
Dec 25 2012 12:13AM
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2_fadez
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 4,183
BUT JOBS AND LIFE AND EDUCATION AND MONEY
Dec 25 2012 12:13AM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
I actually went to Facebook and google last week and listened to presentations they gave specifically about what jobs they have available for non coders. Kind of useless for me since I'm a CS major but serves well enough to illustrate my point
Dec 25 2012 12:16AM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
this thread is full of people who don't know what other majors do.

English majors don't sit there for 4 years learning punctuation, words, books, and writing paragraphs.

History majors don't start with "first there was nothing" and end with "...and that brings us to this moment."

Psych majors don't study just the brain and whatever else you may think.


I'll use history as an example. With a history degree, you don't just learn dates, people, and random info. You learn to assess things. A good history student can look at anything at all, and wonder "why is this the way it is?" Then they can figure it out. History is a lot of assessment and is not nearly as clear cut as you would think. You want 50 pages about any random subject? Ask a history major. Research and understanding is their strong point.

An engineer might work things out using numbers and math. A history major would do so with references to time and events.
Dec 25 2012 12:32AM
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panojibber.
Posts: 1041 - Karma: 683
I ate sooo much gravy tonight, god damn.

Btw, merry Christmas everyone! I have midnight on NS time : )

And to all you non English majors, fuck you your degree is useless! Engineers are just glorified trades people! Business degrees are for greedy capitalist pigs! I learned to count in preschool so I don't need a math degree! Psych majors just want to give everyone ritalin!
Trololololol
(fujarome hit the nail on the head)
Dec 25 2012 1:04AM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
Okay, that's plenty, thank ya. I agree, I have no idea in the slightest what some business majors learn. My apologies for getting carried away before.

Anyways, if I'm not mistaken you've been arguing all along that people looking for a job with a four year degree in one of these subjects will struggle to get one and make money. I've been arguing that income potential is not the only measure of worth carried by any degree. In that regard, we're not even arguing the same topic.

Any graduate needs to prove that they can think creatively and solve problems in order to be successful. If some people learn to do that by studying and applying themselves to history and historical research, then that's their choice. Other people choose to do it by studying other stuff. I think fujarome said it well above; students in these programs aren't robots learning paragraphs and brain facts and dates; a good program will teach a good student how to do those things. If an english/psych/history/etc major can prove that they can research and apply knowledge to successfully solve problems, then they will likely find jobs.

I agree with you to the extent that an engineering degree opens more job opportunities, more "low hanging job fruit" if you will, than an english degree might. However, I don't think the english degree has none. A good english student will find work, as will a good history or psych student.
Dec 25 2012 12:35PM
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icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
"I've been arguing that income potential is not the only measure of worth carried by any degree. In that regard, we're not even arguing the same topic."

No I completely agree with you on the above statement. My only argument is that college costs so damn much that it seems some people go into college nearsighted and really don't think "how am I going to repay all this debt when I graduate". And that when they have difficulty finding a job when they graduate, and they also have this enormous amount of debt hanging over their head, it makes the other measures of worth carried by that degree somewhat meaningless given your current financial situation.

Trust me I never said you don't learn useful skills in other majors. I think engineering is an amazing degree not because of the math crap you have to master, but because the problem solving techniques that you need to master in order to do well.
Dec 25 2012 1:06PM
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miroz
Posts: 10333 - Karma: 3,945
So what I'm saying is that other degrees train you to solve problems as well. They are just different types of problems and those graduates use different skills to solve them.
Dec 25 2012 3:58PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
you called these majors "useless" on many, many occasions. if they are "useless," how can you learn any "useful" skills from them?
Dec 25 2012 4:03PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
believe it or not, pre med I just got acepted to Binghamton, going there next fall.

Click for larger image
Dec 25 2012 4:07PM
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Stickity
Posts: 7750 - Karma: 769
i'd never be able to be a physical therapist after hearing about all the horror stories my mom's told me
Dec 25 2012 4:15PM
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volvotom
Posts: 2045 - Karma: 712
This.

Employers are frequently bemoaning that college grads lack the skills they are looking for, particularly verbal and written communication skills:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/03/03/um-like-college-grads-lack-verbal-skills/

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/college-students-lack-critical-thinking-skills-but-whos-to-blame/

http://chronicle.com/blogs/next/2012/09/12/skills-gap-employers-and-colleges-point-fingers-at-each-other/

"So which college majors best arm students with those skills? That question has touched off heated discussions between those who advocate for the content of a practical major and others who think that the skills of a liberal-arts major are the best insurance in rapidly changing fields.

Employers are almost evenly split on the issue. In one survey, 45 percent of hiring managers said they preferred that students get an education that specifically prepares them for the workplace; 55 percent favored a broad-based education."

Not as cut and dry as many point it out to be. Best advice I ever got was to study something you will enjoy doing for the rest of your life.

Dec 26 2012 1:01PM
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Swagzilla
Posts: 195 - Karma: 85
Hey guys just looking for some of your personal input on environmental science. I'm a jr. In hs and I'm looking into environmental science, and im wondering what classes did you take in hs, what classes do you take in your major, what do you study, what do you plan on doing with your major and really anything about the major
Jan 12 2013 10:42PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,121
double major in geology and physics.

one plan is to go to grad school for physics. backup plan is to work as a geophysicist somewhere.
Jan 12 2013 11:40PM
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