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Choosing a College Major

Hello, I’m a 4-year college grad, also now enrolled in a tech college part-time. I’m 33 years old. I’d like to pass on some advice to younger college students to help them avoid my mistakes.

I got a 4-year liberal arts degree, and so did many of my friends. Degrees like Psychology, Art, Theatre, History, Sociology, English, etc. I’m sorry to say these are NOT good degrees to get you a good-paying job. I sure wish I & my friends had known this at the time, but we didn’t. Colleges love to tell you that a 4-year degree will turn on a $40000/year switch for you, because it keeps you paying your tuition. Don’t buy into this myth as a college student.

The people I know who have good-paying jobs now are the computer science people, the engineers, math people, accountants, or the people who went to one or two years of tech school and learned a USEFUL & IN DEMAND SKILL like welding, engine or diesel repair, nursing, pharmacy tech, xray tech, degrees/jobs that every size city/town will need so that wherever you decide to live, you can find a job. So the choice becomes should you go to something specific, like radiation therapist schools or choose a STEM major? NOBODY I know with a liberal arts major or minor has a good-paying job in that field, especially in this recession where it’s even harder to find a job. I highly advise staying away from liberal arts majors/minors at this time.

Choose a program/degree you KNOW will get you a job, and how much that job will pay, before your get the degree. While I was in 4-year school I didn’t consider the job part much, I just took classes I ‘liked’ & was ‘interested in’. Learn a USEFUL SKILL. I’m currently back in school in a 2-year accounting program, & I believe I’ll end up much better off job-wise when I’m finished. Save yourself the disappointment of attaining a 4-year degree only to end up in retail/customer service/plenty of other shi**y jobs that are out there.

Don’t be a floating undecided student for too long, there are plenty of good choices out there, so do your research and know exactly where you’re going in your career. This will ensure you make the most of your education & also the financial investment of going to college. I try to tell this to the younger people I run into, but they don’t always seem to get it, just like I didn’t get it back then. I hope this helps someone get a good education & a good job, & possibly help the economy too. Thanks for reading.

Author: By An Anonymous Visitor

{ 1 comment… add one }
  • Christina Soto January 24, 2015, 1:04 pm

    thank you for sharing your great advice. i too wandered into the trap of going to college and getting a degree after 4 years. my first 3 months i was like, “what in the world is this English class going to do to help me get a real job?” “i didn’t need any of those ridiculous classes they “chose” for me. i got out asap. i still ended up working in retail but i love my job. I chose a 2 year degree into drafting design and actually going for what I WANT not what THEY WANTED, i agree with everything you said. i wish these young people would head our advice more. it would save them years of wasted time!

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