What would you advised a teen who is looking for a college major with good earning potential?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

This is more telling. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/10/privilege-helps-men-not-women-get-lucrative-jobs/504497/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

How was your experience going from working class to HYP? Which one did you go to? What did you study and what do you do now? In retrospect, would you have chosen to go elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

How was your experience going from working class to HYP? Which one did you go to? What did you study and what do you do now? In retrospect, would you have chosen to go elsewhere?

Hah too identifying. But like many working class I studied something practical (engineering) which meant I could get a job without further schooling or debt. But i gravitated to safety of big company jobs (bc early on a month or two without pay meant I was back in the sticks with my parents -- no savings or means to pay rent. I work at IT for DOD contractor, honestly a job I likely would have even if I had gone to state flagship school. So I think outcome was about the same, I didn't leverage the Ivy degree very well at all and too outside those circles while in college to make career connections that matter.

If I was a cute woman, I suspect the outcome would have been different -- just how the work works, but I see any examples of folks marrying up. Honestly my DW is much smarter and from a higher class than I was (which had some complications when bringing family together), and coming from Ivy I think gave me some cache while dating.

I am happy with my experience (liked it a lot while I was there) but I do wish I had made better use of it. Might have been happier overall going to state, getting a job 4 hours from home in nearest small city, and never venturing out. Would have been financially far more comfortable -- ignorance is bliss sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

How was your experience going from working class to HYP? Which one did you go to? What did you study and what do you do now? In retrospect, would you have chosen to go elsewhere?

Hah too identifying. But like many working class I studied something practical (engineering) which meant I could get a job without further schooling or debt. But i gravitated to safety of big company jobs (bc early on a month or two without pay meant I was back in the sticks with my parents -- no savings or means to pay rent. I work at IT for DOD contractor, honestly a job I likely would have even if I had gone to state flagship school. So I think outcome was about the same, I didn't leverage the Ivy degree very well at all and too outside those circles while in college to make career connections that matter.

If I was a cute woman, I suspect the outcome would have been different -- just how the work works, but I see any examples of folks marrying up. Honestly my DW is much smarter and from a higher class than I was (which had some complications when bringing family together), and coming from Ivy I think gave me some cache while dating.

I am happy with my experience (liked it a lot while I was there) but I do wish I had made better use of it. Might have been happier overall going to state, getting a job 4 hours from home in nearest small city, and never venturing out. Would have been financially far more comfortable -- ignorance is bliss sort of thing.

Too identifying indeed.. Jim, is that you? .

Thanks for sharing. How did your friends/classmates that did not do the practical thing fare after school? Any examples? Did anyone come from the "working class"? I guess what I'm trying to find out is does it make sense at all for a working class person to even go to these schools if they have the opportunity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

How was your experience going from working class to HYP? Which one did you go to? What did you study and what do you do now? In retrospect, would you have chosen to go elsewhere?

Hah too identifying. But like many working class I studied something practical (engineering) which meant I could get a job without further schooling or debt. But i gravitated to safety of big company jobs (bc early on a month or two without pay meant I was back in the sticks with my parents -- no savings or means to pay rent. I work at IT for DOD contractor, honestly a job I likely would have even if I had gone to state flagship school. So I think outcome was about the same, I didn't leverage the Ivy degree very well at all and too outside those circles while in college to make career connections that matter.

If I was a cute woman, I suspect the outcome would have been different -- just how the work works, but I see any examples of folks marrying up. Honestly my DW is much smarter and from a higher class than I was (which had some complications when bringing family together), and coming from Ivy I think gave me some cache while dating.

I am happy with my experience (liked it a lot while I was there) but I do wish I had made better use of it. Might have been happier overall going to state, getting a job 4 hours from home in nearest small city, and never venturing out. Would have been financially far more comfortable -- ignorance is bliss sort of thing.

Too identifying indeed.. Jim, is that you? .

Thanks for sharing. How did your friends/classmates that did not do the practical thing fare after school? Any examples? Did anyone come from the "working class"? I guess what I'm trying to find out is does it make sense at all for a working class person to even go to these schools if they have the opportunity?

It does, especially since the financial aid is so generous now -- they will likely leave with no debt. But they shouldn't take for granted they can major in French lit and stroll in Goldman Sachs like some their peers do, and not be discouraged if it isn't the huge stepping stone they might imagine.

Personally, I am banking on my kids -- they are legacy now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:accounting and info systems together seems to be quite lucrative ....and then you can't knock the necessity for HVAC, plumbers, etc....Consulting takes all business degrees and if you present and communicate well you can pretty much write your ticket advising clients in the federal and commercial spaces.

I have to remind myself when reading DCUM the limited view this demographic represents. I read so often how the plumber can make such a good wage, "just open your own shop" with no regard to the cost of licensing, insurance, a host of other required payments. DCUM universe, licensed plumbers (whether at a small or larger corporate firm) make $25-$32/ hour on average, and the higher scale is for those with 20+ years experience. For those who can't do the math, we're talking $50 -$65k. Not a bad income, but certainly not the panacea DCUM seems to think it is. Quite throwing this out as if tradesmen make "so much." They don't. Decent wage, yes. Rolling in it? Hardly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business or IT. You don't necessarily need an master's for IT. Tell him to keep off the drugs and stay clean and get a clearance.

I have a friend with no college degree who got started in IT out of the Navy. He has a clearance and has never been employed longer than three days. He makes good money, and if he doesn't like a job, he just finds a new one.

How do I get started with IT if I have no degree in it? I have an undergrad in Economics but when it comes to computers I'm a quick learner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what the upper middle class does? They get into the best, most elite college they can. Because your college matters a heck of a lot more than your major. If you are a graduate of HYP or AWS, you don't need to major in "finance" (in fact, these elite schools don't offer pre-professional degrees at all), but you can major philosophy and simply sign up for an on campus interview your senior year for companies like Goldman or McKinsey. I graduated from AWS, and I remember signing up to interview at a number of these top firms at the career counseling office. Once you get admitted into these tippy top tier schools, these companies come looking for you--not the other way around.

What's HYP and AWS?

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore--these are reliably elite undergraduate institutions (at universities and liberal arts colleges) that have cache in higher socio-economic brackets. If you are from the west coast, I would also throw in Stanford and Pomona.

And less than 1% of the population will ever graduate from these schools. So, not really relevant to, well, the vast majority of people.

And only happens if your parents are already wealthy. They filter for social class clues to make sure you are a fit for their wealthy clients. Being smart has little to do with it. I went to HYP from working class, and the paths for my friends from UMC very different from those of us on aid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/09/23/why-are-working-class-kids-less-likely-to-get-elite-jobs-they-study-too-hard-at-college/?utm_term=.64d98efb1a92

How was your experience going from working class to HYP? Which one did you go to? What did you study and what do you do now? In retrospect, would you have chosen to go elsewhere?

Hah too identifying. But like many working class I studied something practical (engineering) which meant I could get a job without further schooling or debt. But i gravitated to safety of big company jobs (bc early on a month or two without pay meant I was back in the sticks with my parents -- no savings or means to pay rent. I work at IT for DOD contractor, honestly a job I likely would have even if I had gone to state flagship school. So I think outcome was about the same, I didn't leverage the Ivy degree very well at all and too outside those circles while in college to make career connections that matter.

If I was a cute woman, I suspect the outcome would have been different -- just how the work works, but I see any examples of folks marrying up. Honestly my DW is much smarter and from a higher class than I was (which had some complications when bringing family together), and coming from Ivy I think gave me some cache while dating.

I am happy with my experience (liked it a lot while I was there) but I do wish I had made better use of it. Might have been happier overall going to state, getting a job 4 hours from home in nearest small city, and never venturing out. Would have been financially far more comfortable -- ignorance is bliss sort of thing.

How do you imagine it would have been different as a cute female?

I am a very good looking female engineer.

I wonder how you thought that would change your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business or IT. You don't necessarily need an master's for IT. Tell him to keep off the drugs and stay clean and get a clearance.

I have a friend with no college degree who got started in IT out of the Navy. He has a clearance and has never been employed longer than three days. He makes good money, and if he doesn't like a job, he just finds a new one.

How do I get started with IT if I have no degree in it? I have an undergrad in Economics but when it comes to computers I'm a quick learner.

The quickest and cheapest way is to get your A+ certification and apply for a computer help desk position. You won't make much but it will pay the bills.

Then decide if you want to go into servers, networks, databases, software development or security and get those certifications. If you like the business side better get you PMP certification.