College and majors to stay away from??

[Tatonka]

Damn, it's been really hard to just scroll by some of these threads and posts lately but like our Mom's taught us (well, most of us at least) if you don't have anything nice to say...don't say anything.

Dead End degrees? Yes, there are some IMHO. Time at a college? Valuable or wasted depending on what you do while you're there. Regardless of the degree I believe you will get out of your college experience what you put into it.

One of my twin DD's (C/3B) was a STEM student in High School, graduating this year with a BioMedical degree planning on getting her Masters of Science and becoming a PA. My other twin DD (P/OF) is graduating this year with a dual major in Studio Art and Economics. Both have earned Dean's list and Academic honors while playing and working on campus as student athletes at a High Academic university. Where do they go from here? I don't know but I hope they find fulfilment in whatever career they choose. Their Mom has always known she wanted to be a teacher (and she loves it), I am still trying to figure what I want to be when I grow up. More than 40 years ago I "fell" into my career as a Financial Advisor which is somewhat related to my degrees in Econ/Psych and while rewarding in some ways it's not even close to what I imagined as a kid.

There have been some great points made along the way in this thread by some...if you know what you want to do with your life (as a career after softball) don't let any Coach, friend or other seemingly, well intentioned influencer dissuade you. Keep you eye on the ball and grind away! As they say...If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there (but still keep your eyes/ears/mind and heart open to the possibilities).

 

[Vertigo]

and yet we are pushing so many kids away from arts and into stem majors which are some of the most soul sucking jobs in the world…my stem major got me a job filled with social injustice, crimes against children, beaurocracy, red tape, racism, sexism and just about every other ism and yet I do it because that one success every now and then fills my heart enough to make it to the next one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Totally get where you are coming from. I worked in the ER for years in an underserved community. Saw many, many, many bad things that I don’t like to think about. They haunt my dreams every so often. Yet, those patients who I know I made a difference for made that job completely worth my while - even though at the time the hours and the BS I dealt with took a toll on me.

 

[Vertigo]

….and regarding the “dead-end degree” part - my initial post about it stated that if one can afford that type degree and it won’t cause them a ton of debt, then by all means go for it.

 

[chinamigarden]

What are you considering is a dead end degree?

Early childhood studies.

 

[Tango]

DD has signed with a JUCO and is looking at getting into PT school later hopefully.

 

[benjey]

I’ll take a stab at a few:
Dance
Photogrsphy
Music
Drama/Theatre
Art

Unless you want to teach one of the above subjects, there is little a college will do to help you get into those areas after college. People hiring those professions care very little about the degree and only on the quality of work you can produce. It would be like majoring in softball. You better have a backup plan in case you aren’t as good as you think.

Things change. These types of degrees are highly valued now in the content creation social media economy. Creative types are having a renaissance. I say this as a guy with zero artistic talent whatsoever and a career in finance so not defending my abilities/career choices. Just think it is more important for kids to figure out how to be a great at something rather than trying to figure out what is the most potentially lucrative major to choose.

 

[torpedo #8]

Well to each their own in humor.
I asked you the question because I thought you might have had a good detailed response of dead end degrees. That's all, that's it, nothing more.

Was actually hoping you would have had more specific detail that you wanted to offer. (Sometimes you do)
I thought it would have been a good for the discussion. Even if it could be found Elsewhere on Google it would have been nice to been part of this discussion.

It was funny because of the way it dragged on like pulling a cart with square wheels just the silliness. And now I'm laughing more. Hope you can see the humor in that.

Enjoy your day!

What did you do

 

[Towny9]

Things change. These types of degrees are highly valued now in the content creation social media economy. Creative types are having a renaissance. I say this as a guy with zero artistic talent whatsoever and a career in finance so not defending my abilities/career choices. Just think it is more important for kids to figure out how to be a great at something rather than trying to figure out what is the most potentially lucrative major to choose.

I don’t think college is the place for cutting edge innovation in those fields, but I agree with creativity being valued.

 

[benjey]

I don’t think college is the place for cutting edge innovation in those fields, but I agree with creativity being valued.

Interesting article on the topic

Want a tech job in 2024? Master language and liberal arts

Workers who can teach chatbots to think and work creatively with the help of AI could have their pick of the labor market.

fortune.com

 

[Vertigo]

I think what happens with these types of discussions is that some assume that we are saying certain degrees lead to the big houses, fancy cars, etc., and they are the only way to go. That is absolutely not the case and what I, personally, did not strive for. What I strove for was a career where, as a female, I could support my family should my husband lose his job or something worse. A career that I knew would always have employment available. Yes, even as a college-age kid I thought about those things.

I guess that mindset came from being raised in a household where layoffs and going on strike were a fairly common thing. I remember my mom always worrying because she didn’t work at the time (she didn't work until I was a teen) and dad‘s job was so volatile. They always pushed me to find something that could provide stability and self-reliance.

I also think that during these discussions we talk about college debt as a real concern and that is why I always say if a student/family can support a degree that typically has a lower chance of employment with minimal to no loans, then by all means have at it - follow your passion! There are a lot of us who did not or do not have that luxury.

The discussion is not meant to be an insult about certain degrees. It’s just sharing perspectives and providing info that can be helpful to others. As the mother of a daughter - I want her to be able to support herself and her future family, just like I am.