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| College Major |
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Topic by: Battie
Posted: September 27, 2008 - 10:36 PM PDT
Last Reply: September 30, 2008 - 7:24 PM PDT
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topic: College Major |
Battie
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post #1
on September 27, 2008 - 10:36 PM PDT
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I'm finally, after many years of putting it off, applying for college. The thing is, I sort of have to decide what career I want so I can tailor my education to it. I'd like something that isn't just a bubble kind of career. But I'd also like something I'd enjoy to some extent. Money is also a plus!
I've considered becoming a commercial pilot (but that kind of job seems like it's becoming less common), working with computer hardware (then again, Asia seems to have that covered), politics (will it make me crazy?), the publishing industry, journalism (the written word is declining, however), law enforcement...
I was leaning towards politics. But I'm not likely to make any money in that, for one. And I've decided my eternal soul isn't worth the earthly torment of working under asshats. Any suggestions for a semi-autonomous career that won't leave me constantly broke? |
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IronS
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post #2
on September 27, 2008 - 10:46 PM PDT
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How about pharmacy? You can be a pharmacy technician without a whole lot more schooling (or go all the way to a PharmD).
Upside, non-regular hours. Downside, non-regular hours. |
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IronS
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post #3
on September 27, 2008 - 10:51 PM PDT
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| I did suggest to my cousins that they should take a few classes in chemistry so that they could always get temp jobs as lab techs for a backup plan (since they majored in English). They didn't but I still think this is reasonable advice. |
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doozer
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post #4
on September 27, 2008 - 11:39 PM PDT
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I don't know how it is now, but I temped at Pfizer when I was in college and it used to be that it took a bit more than a few classes to qualify as a lab tech. I'm pretty sure microbiology is still a requirement, and that alone has a couple prerequisites. Some physics is required if I remember correctly, biology of course, it is a science after all. If pharamceuticals is something you're interested then yea it's definitely a good way to go.
If you're wanting to major in something not science or medical, it will be a lot of extra work. Unless you want to temp testing safety showers or washing beakers, then you just have to smile big for the temp agency and show up on time ^_^
Again, it's been about 6 years since I've done that so a lot might have changed. |
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doozer
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post #5
on September 28, 2008 - 12:04 AM PDT
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Oh and hey, I'm not telling you to blow it off or anything but you don't have to put so much pressure on solidifying your major until your gen eds are close to out of the way. All majors are going to require the basics so you can start doing those and then make your elective courses things you are interested in, and tailor it as time goes on.
I think that's a pretty common way to do it. I knew what I wanted to do before I even got to high school and was actually put OFF by how little emphasis goes into your major the first couple years. |
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Vanamonde
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post #6
on September 28, 2008 - 2:46 AM PDT
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> On September 27, 2008 - 10:36 PM PDT Battie wrote:
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> journalism (the written word is declining, however)
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Amen to THAT! But it is also why the world of journalism needs you. But then, they probably don't know and what you sell your soul first and get a lobotomy and write copy for Reality TV spinoffs.
Where does one put his good to do the most? The eternal question.
If I had youth and energy and money, I probably would go to law school, and do what John Edwards did and helping victims of the multinationals and relieving them of large amounts of their money. Then try to take over, I mean, change the world. With large amounts of pro bono work for the ACLU and defending Planned Parenthood and marijuana prisoners. Walter Cronkite sent me a letter against the drug war today. Did you know that there are more people in prison for marijuana than all violent crimes added together? In the land of the "free", my ass
I wish you well on your life's path.
Just remember to keep it in your pants. Cameras and those sleaze buckets pretending to be journalists are EVERYWHERE! |
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hamano
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Battie
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troublemaker
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post #9
on September 29, 2008 - 10:51 PM PDT
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| Ever think you'd want to make a jump into a career as a lawyer? You'd make a decent amount of money and can center the direction of how and where you practice based on your political views. |
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hamano
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post #10
on September 30, 2008 - 5:51 AM PDT
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| You can go to Japan and become an aidoru. That whole "idol" thing was set off by a foreigner back in the '70s anyway. You don't need singing talent, and if you're foreign you don't even have to be particularly pretty. You just have to "act kawaii," so just start practicing being cute! |
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kaream
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post #11
on September 30, 2008 - 3:13 PM PDT
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> On September 30, 2008 - 5:51 AM PDT hamano wrote:
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> You can go to Japan and become an aidoru. That whole "idol" thing was set off by a foreigner back in the '70s anyway. You don't need singing talent, and if you're foreign you don't even have to be particularly pretty. You just have to "act kawaii," so just start practicing being cute!
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> On September 26, 2008 - 11:14 PM PDT Battie wrote:
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> I'm not showing my breasts!
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underdog
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post #12
on September 30, 2008 - 5:45 PM PDT
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| I feel like "Green" careers are really going to take off so that's an area that could be worth focusing on. It's pretty broad, from environmental science to green architecture and so on, and don't know if you have interest, but it's one place where one could both find a job and feel good about it. |
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doozer
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post #13
on September 30, 2008 - 6:11 PM PDT
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> On September 30, 2008 - 5:45 PM PDT underdog wrote:
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> I feel like "Green" careers are really going to take off so that's an area that could be worth focusing on. It's pretty broad, from environmental science to green architecture and so on, and don't know if you have interest, but it's one place where one could both find a job and feel good about it.
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Especially as opposed to being a CEO of any certain bank right now >_> |
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IronS
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post #14
on September 30, 2008 - 6:40 PM PDT
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> On September 30, 2008 - 6:11 PM PDT doozer wrote:
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> Especially as opposed to being a CEO of any certain bank right now >_>
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But they all have multi-million-dollar severence packages.
"Green" or health-related (thanks to the aging baby boomers) are good ideas. Plus, either field would have enough chem lab credits for you to get a temp job in a lab (seriously, you should have seen the resumes of the temps I interviewed for lab tech jobs. As long as it was some sort of science degree that entailed some lab experience, it was good enough for an interview). Of course, this may be true only in regions with lots of biotech firms. |
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IronS
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post #15
on September 30, 2008 - 6:51 PM PDT
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By the way, if you are interested in science and don't mind regulations, you can be a tech writer. Years (and a couple of jobs) ago, my department hired a consultant to write our SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). It may not be all that imaginative (because the work will have to pass muster with the FDA), it's still writing.
Once upon a time, I thought about becoming a patent attorney, but I realized that reading patents was a great antidote for insomnia for me (almost better than my thermodynamics textbook!). |
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doozer
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post #16
on September 30, 2008 - 7:24 PM PDT
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> On September 30, 2008 - 6:40 PM PDT IronS wrote:
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> But they all have multi-million-dollar severence packages.
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Here's hoping they deposit those checks into Fifth Third so they're only FDIC insured for 100k of it when they fail next! |
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