My son asked me with help regarding a major

[Anonymous]

I will be honest in order to get the best help possible. My son is going to college. Here is his profile: he received C and B's in school, received a below average SAT test score, does not have much drive, just does what he is told, knows he wants to make money, Math is his subject weakness, Science is his strong suit. He has no clue what he wants to major in. I know, he is still young, and we signed him up for general classes. However, I am very scared and nervous. He asked for help with a major and embarrassed that he is undecided as others are connecting regarding their major. I think highly of my son but I am not in denial. He is average... we discussed trade school, community college and the military. He ultimately decided on in state college. Great, I support that too. However, what is next for him? I want to give him a list of majors to explore on his own, but I can not come up with anything for him. Can anyone assist with major or job titles that I can let him explore to see if they peak his interest while fitting into his profile?

[Anonymous]

Exactly what science classes? What subjects interested him in school the most? Did he have a favorite teacher or class and if so, what did it cover?

[Anonymous]

There are so little information in your post. No one can help you with what you’ve posted here.

[Anonymous]

Which state school?

Communications
Graphic Design
Information Technology (very different than computer science)
English - become a technical writer
Hospitality

[Anonymous]

OP here. I am willing to give more information, I just do not know what to give. To answer the questions that I see so far, he enjoyed Astronomy and learning about space. He was interested in computer science but the Math part of it scared him off. He has handy with fixing things when it comes to computers. Is that what Information technology would be?

[Anonymous]

It is sad that we as parents are so worried because our kids are worried because they dont know what they want to be when they grow up. Our system is wrong. Sure. While 20% or less of kids know exactly what they want to do at 17, this is not normal. It perfectly ok to not know what you want to do. Specially with boys. Their interests and drive will change as they mature. Typically several yrs after girls the same age.

Don’t pressure your kid. Incentivize him to learn about different industries, jobs, etc. He likes science? Tell him to go to YouTube and search for jobs related to science. But dont be to specific. He will find himself.

College is changing too fast with the way AI is moving forward. Getting your to kid to understand that Learning how to learn is the best suggestion I can give you for college. Regardless of major.

[Anonymous]

Is ROTC at all an option at his state college? Possibly Air Force ROTC? If he isn't internally motivated, it wouldn't be a good fit, but it would give him structure, a built-in cohort, and a destination for after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am willing to give more information, I just do not know what to give. To answer the questions that I see so far, he enjoyed Astronomy and learning about space. He was interested in computer science but the Math part of it scared him off. He has handy with fixing things when it comes to computers. Is that what Information technology would be?

not really.

If he's handy, maybe go into trade: electrician, mechanic, construction.

FWIW, my DC likes science, but not really a math person. They also like murder mysteries, so they are thinking of going into Forensics Science. I told DC there's a lot of bio and chem they would have to study. They seemed ok with that. But, who knows.. they my find those classes to difficult. I know I would. For some reason, I can ace every subject except Bio.

[Anonymous]

So look up the major’s requirements to see whether Calc is required. Is he in a University where he can declare any major or does he need to be admitted to a specific school?

Look for business majors that don’t require higher level math.

Easiest majors are education, sociology, psychology, communications etc.

[Anonymous]

Op, you are NOT going to figure out what your kid should major from DCUM posts. Can you support him for 5 years? If so, I'd ask him to try different subjects and see which ones he likes. Keep in mind most kids change major in college so even though they think they know what they want to study, many don't end up following thru. Don't get stressed. Go in with undecided and give him time to try different things and figure things out. Keep in mind though, since he is below avg performer, you and your kid should keep an open-minded that college may not be the best path forward for him and that's okay. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I am a single mother. He is my only. We do not have a lot of resources. I know DCUM should not be a resource but it is for me. Because we are financially in need, the school he is going to is covered and we pay nothing out of pocket. We are beyond blessed for that and do not want to play around or mess anything up. I suppose that is why we are both stressing out. We do not want him to take extremely hard classes or pick a difficult degree and not thrive in it. It would crush him. I myself was thinking business administration for him. Would that be an option for a child like mine? I do think that trade school is 100 percent the best option for him but I can not force him to do that. I do think he would thrive in that though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am a single mother. He is my only. We do not have a lot of resources. I know DCUM should not be a resource but it is for me. Because we are financially in need, the school he is going to is covered and we pay nothing out of pocket. We are beyond blessed for that and do not want to play around or mess anything up. I suppose that is why we are both stressing out. We do not want him to take extremely hard classes or pick a difficult degree and not thrive in it. It would crush him. I myself was thinking business administration for him. Would that be an option for a child like mine? I do think that trade school is 100 percent the best option for him but I can not force him to do that. I do think he would thrive in that though.

I'm happy to help.
Can you tell us the name of the school he is enrolling in next month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So look up the major’s requirements to see whether Calc is required. Is he in a University where he can declare any major or does he need to be admitted to a specific school?

Look for business majors that don’t require higher level math.

Easiest majors are education, sociology, psychology, communications etc.

Even business majors require calculus. It's just easier calculus.

[Anonymous]

It is totally fine to not know what he wants to major in! His school has resources to help. Really and truly, they do. He will have all his freshman year to see what classes he likes and does well in, and then he can take some higher level/related ones 1st semester sophomore year. That should give him enough information to make a choice.

And you know what? Often major doesn’t even matter. Many many jobs out there ask for a BA/BS but really don’t care about major. They are screening for the drive and smarts to get a degree, not major-specific skills.

[Anonymous]

This is what gen eds are for.

A lot of people obsess over skipping them, but they are designed to give the student a look at lots of different areas. Something might catch his interest.