My son asked me with help regarding a major

[Anonymous]

What are his hobbies, OP? The things he enjoys outside of school?
Does he enjoy music or play an instrument? Maybe recording science or sound engineering Does he like sports? Sports analytics is a growing field
Is he empathetic or spiritual? Maybe ministry or nursing

The happiest people I know are ones who turned a hobby into a career vs trying to make the most money.

Look at what he enjoys doing and go from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Help Desk is "information Technology" and yes that would a job of fixing things.

also, a network engineer... they install stuff, that is along the lines of fixing things, they could do Information Technology and a CISCO certification
a datacenter engineer would install the physical servers and run computer lines and electrical.

Those are also NOT computer science, and they could be information technology... so is project management if he is good with planning.

They don't really fix hardware, which is what I think OP was talking about. Helpdesk is usually software related.

Depends. You could add memory or fix a video card or replace the hard drive.

[Anonymous]

GIS was recommended above and I had no idea what it was but now I know a few friends of my kids majoring in it. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

+1

We can help suggest specific majors if you share the name of his college or university.

[Anonymous]

OP, you are amazing! I’m positive your son will do good with you by his side.

Many kids in their school same boat. Sites I have heard about that might help are onetonline.org and youscience. I think there’s a $49 fee for you science.

Another option is to find a career counselor. Many do pro-bono work and your son might be the client they’d take on for free.

[Anonymous]

Disagree with those saying do community college instead. He has a no cost option and many paths forward. Community college is so much harder to make friends, build a community, deal with applying and transfer credits, you can loose momentum easily.

Unconventional suggestion, but I’d look around Reddit or ask ChatGPT what the easiest major at the school is. If it’s somewhat interesting to him, that would be a good place to start. Give him some condense and we all know it’s the internships that matter anyway. Tons of people work in fields unrelated to their major. Just get the degree. Any degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disagree with those saying do community college instead. He has a no cost option and many paths forward. Community college is so much harder to make friends, build a community, deal with applying and transfer credits, you can loose momentum easily.

Unconventional suggestion, but I’d look around Reddit or ask ChatGPT what the easiest major at the school is. If it’s somewhat interesting to him, that would be a good place to start. Give him some condense and we all know it’s the internships that matter anyway. Tons of people work in fields unrelated to their major. Just get the degree. Any degree.

Terrible post.

[Anonymous]

Your kid is the exact type that should not be going to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is the exact type that should not be going to college.

But he wants to. And it's the American dream to be free to do what you want.

18 is young and America's untracked college system allows people to grow and change and better themselves after middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is the exact type that should not be going to college.

Even though I am concerned about OP's kid attending a huge state U where students need to seek out help when needed, your statement is unnecessary harsh.

[Anonymous]

OP, there is no handholding in public Unis. You need to make sure he doesn't get lost in the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is the exact type that should not be going to college.

They discussed a variety of options, this is the one he wants to try, and his tuition is covered. Why the heck not?

[Anonymous]

I would suggest balancing coursework with jobs that combine some professional experience with academics.

My kid is volunteering for an environmental non-profit. He is wading into rivers to do water sampling and drain renovation. If this were a paying job, it might help someone assess if they wanted to be an environmental technician and provide pocket money. There are paying jobs like this. Doing a job like this that doesn't require a college education can still help someone decide on a curriculum.

There are also lab technician jobs at hospitals and other places, doing sampling. They don't pay a lot but that is okay while you are a student.

I would recommend that your son try to self-diagnose his problems in math and rebuild fundamentals. If he committed diligently to the process he could do some of it on his own. I recommend using IXL.com to diagnose skill deficits. It costs about $15 a month. If he does a lot of 11th and 12th grade math on there, he will get a parent report on what he doesn't know/doesn't remember. Then he can use Khan Academy for free to study the parts he doesn't know by matching the lesson names. Doing this at his own pace might work better before starting a college class.

[Anonymous]

NP here.

I did an online search for college majors that are best for c/b student who likes space/science but not math. And this is what I got:

Earth Science / Geology: These majors focus on understanding the Earth's processes, history, and materials. While some math is involved, it tends to be less intensive than in physics or engineering. Geology coursework often includes hands-on fieldwork and conceptual understanding.
Environmental Science: This interdisciplinary field combines biology, chemistry, geology, and ecology to study environmental issues and human interaction with the environment. While there might be some math, the emphasis is often on understanding concepts and problem-solving, according to CollegeVine.
Space Studies (BA): Some universities offer a Bachelor of Arts in Space Studies, which takes a more interdisciplinary approach to space exploration compared to a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Astrophysics. This might involve less focus on the complex mathematical and scientific aspects and more on historical, cultural, or policy aspects of space exploration.
Science Communication/Journalism: If the student enjoys learning and writing about space and science without needing to conduct research themselves, a career in science communication or journalism focused on space could be a good fit. This involves understanding scientific concepts and communicating them effectively to a wider audience, which requires strong communication skills rather than advanced math.
Biology: While biology still involves some math, especially in areas like genetics or ecology, it's generally considered less math-intensive than fields like physics or engineering.

It's important to remember
Most college degrees will involve some level of math, even if it's general education requirements like algebra.
Some colleges may offer specific tracks within majors that are less math-heavy.
Exploring interests through introductory courses in different fields can help clarify which specific aspects of science and space are most appealing and how much math is involved in those areas.

[Anonymous]

PP. Also ask your son to come up with a plan for being accountable and staying on track. His grades suggest that school was boring and he didn't stay on top of the work. If he wants to go to college and do better, he can't procrastinate as much. It will end up in flunking out. Some people on here hire executive functioning coaches for their neurodivergent kids. People here might call it helicoptering but perhaps you can be your kid's coach just by agreeing on a set time each week where he discusses his upcoming workload, the steps he's taken, reveals any difficulties so you can brainstorm solutions (involving the college's resources), and he reports bad and good news. From what I've seen, even good students sometimes fail freshman year because they don't get started studying until six weeks into the semester, then they are too far behind to catch up. They hide this from their parents until it's too late. Then lying breaks the trust between parent and child. If you can be a coach that will help. Or if he can do it with willpower and regular check-ins with the university tutoring office, that's okay too. The point is to develop good habits and be consistent.