What major would you recommend if a child is open to suggestion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that have an immediate practical use.
All business degrees
Economics
Speech language and hearing science
Kinesiology
Landscape architecture
Foreign languages
Education

I would add Physician Assistant to this list. The demand remains high and the salary is excellent. Most PAs have a master's degree but it is an excellent academic investment. My cousin is a PA/Surgery and makes a mint not only in his present job but picking up additional work when he has the time.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/physician-assistant-rankings

Also add Medical Informatics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things that have an immediate practical use.
All business degrees
Economics
Speech language and hearing science
Kinesiology
Landscape architecture
Foreign languages
Education

I'm an econ grad - the weight of an UG econ degree in the labor market is very dependent on where you go (no not as dependent as art history, english, or history) but institutional prestige matters. That is something to keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

I have a BS in Chemical Engineering. I have never worked as an engineer after my Co-ops and internships. I am an executive at an IT services company and I love my job.

If I had to go back to school and get employed, I would major in accounting and business and get my CPA. But I would go to a school like Penn/Wharton that is known for having a quality undergrad business school. Where I went to school, business majors were people who flunked out of engineering or pre-med.

If I could go back to school for passion and learning, I would choose Economics. My company used to only hire engineering/comp Sci/Information Sciences type majors and lately we hire a good number of Econ majors or tech majors with an Econ minor. I like the Econ new hires and I like how they think.

[Anonymous]

OP, one thing to consider doing for your kids is to get them some aptitude testing. This may lead to them identifying a major that plays to their strengths and has a good chance of employment after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, one thing to consider doing for your kids is to get them some aptitude testing. This may lead to them identifying a major that plays to their strengths and has a good chance of employment after graduation.

OP here -- I don't put a lot of faith in aptitude testing. I remember taking such a test in HS.... it said I should be a foreing language teacher or a funeral home director! Now you know why I ended up with a useless degree... very little help from my HS (and i was a top 10 student!)

[Anonymous]

While I absolutely think it's important to think about career implications of one's choice of major, I also think it's important to think about one's interests and strengths. Engineering and Speech Pathologist have both been mentioned here, and they're both great choices but for very different people.

OP, if your child is really saying that they're open to anything, I'd suggest that they aren't ready to make a choice. I'd think about a gap year, perhaps divided amongst a few different options, to explore strengths and weaknesses and find out what he/she likes. Then once you've narrowed it down to "I'm looking for a job that involves working closely with people." or something then he/she can select something specific.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Computer science
Nursing
Chinese
Arabic

Computer science is really for those that really love the field. I don't think it's a good "work to live" career.

[Anonymous]

physical therapy
pharmacy
education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wrong attitude. Not everyone is going to be famous (make a name for himself). Most people are average and will spend their careers as worker bees. Plenty of people in my company have science / engineering degrees from no-name universities, and they have perfectly satisfying, well-paying jobs even though they never rose into top management.

I disagree. You don't need to be famous, but a lot of "worker bee" jobs are not high paying nor are they particularly intellectually satisfying or secure. Also getting a degree from a no-name university doesn't necessarily say much about how smart or talented they are, but often it has to do more with what opportunities were available to them at the time they were applying to college. When I was in a top graduate program in the sciences, there were plenty of people who got their degrees at various state schools for financial reasons who did very well. A lot of people who go into CS or engineering who are not really that good at what they do are the ones who freak out about their jobs getting outsourced.

Very true. The kind of people who went into these fields to just to have a decent job are usually very expendable.

[Anonymous]

Accounting
Nursing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Computer science
Nursing
Chinese
Arabic

My relative graduated in 2013 with a double major in a liberal arts field and Chinese from a well-known university with a great reputation. He spent a total of 18 months in China so he's quite fluent in Mandarin. He has been looking for a job in the government or in consulting, the fields he was told would be "very easy" to get a job in as a Chinese speaker - and he's only been able to get short-term work as an interpreter or a substitute teacher (think day jobs). He's very intelligent, presentable, well-spoken, can hold a conversation with anyone - so, no obvious social problems that might turn off an employer. Being able to speak Chinese really well hasn't been, in an of itself, an entree to a career so far. I'd recommend pairing the language major with another set of skills in order to make yourself more marketable.

Chinese speaking immigrants have overwhelmed the market. You picked a major that is affected by the huge increase in visas.

The United States enrolled the highest number of international students in its history during the 2012-2013 school year, welcoming 819,644 undergraduate and graduate students to colleges and universities throughout the country, according to a report released today. There are currently 1,015,178 F & M students studying in the United States in 2014. Huge increases. The "2013 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange," an annual survey of study abroad trends for U.S. and international students, found the number of international students studying in the U.S. has increased for seven consecutive years. There are now 40 percent more international students studying in the U.S. than 10 years ago, according to the report by the Institute of International Education.

Much of the increase in international students stems from China. The number of Chinese students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities increased by 21 percent in total to almost 235,000 students, according to the report. That number jumped to 26 percent at the undergraduate level.

Some would call it capitalism. Others call it basic economics, supply and demand, manipulated by universities and large multi national corporations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Computer science
Nursing
Chinese
Arabic

My relative graduated in 2013 with a double major in a liberal arts field and Chinese from a well-known university with a great reputation. He spent a total of 18 months in China so he's quite fluent in Mandarin. He has been looking for a job in the government or in consulting, the fields he was told would be "very easy" to get a job in as a Chinese speaker - and he's only been able to get short-term work as an interpreter or a substitute teacher (think day jobs). He's very intelligent, presentable, well-spoken, can hold a conversation with anyone - so, no obvious social problems that might turn off an employer. Being able to speak Chinese really well hasn't been, in an of itself, an entree to a career so far. I'd recommend pairing the language major with another set of skills in order to make yourself more marketable.

Chinese speaking immigrants have overwhelmed the market. You picked a major that is affected by the huge increase in visas.

The United States enrolled the highest number of international students in its history during the 2012-2013 school year, welcoming 819,644 undergraduate and graduate students to colleges and universities throughout the country, according to a report released today. There are currently 1,015,178 F & M students studying in the United States in 2014. Huge increases. The "2013 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange," an annual survey of study abroad trends for U.S. and international students, found the number of international students studying in the U.S. has increased for seven consecutive years. There are now 40 percent more international students studying in the U.S. than 10 years ago, according to the report by the Institute of International Education.

Much of the increase in international students stems from China. The number of Chinese students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities increased by 21 percent in total to almost 235,000 students, according to the report. That number jumped to 26 percent at the undergraduate level.

Some would call it capitalism. Others call it basic economics, supply and demand, manipulated by universities and large multi national corporations.

chinese speaking immigrants have a tougher time getting jobs in the natsec area due to clearance issues. 1. they have to be us citizens.

2. even if they were born here or were naturalized, if their parents are still prc citizens (and not us citizens) and they have lots of ties in china, there are clearance issues.

A white-bread allamerican dude or girl that can speak fluent chinese should not have issues getting a job.

granted it isn't 2006 or even 2010 and hiring in the natsec area has slowed down but food for thought.

[Anonymous]

Pharmacy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wrong attitude. Not everyone is going to be famous (make a name for himself). Most people are average and will spend their careers as worker bees. Plenty of people in my company have science / engineering degrees from no-name universities, and they have perfectly satisfying, well-paying jobs even though they never rose into top management.

I disagree. You don't need to be famous, but a lot of "worker bee" jobs are not high paying nor are they particularly intellectually satisfying or secure. Also getting a degree from a no-name university doesn't necessarily say much about how smart or talented they are, but often it has to do more with what opportunities were available to them at the time they were applying to college. When I was in a top graduate program in the sciences, there were plenty of people who got their degrees at various state schools for financial reasons who did very well. A lot of people who go into CS or engineering who are not really that good at what they do are the ones who freak out about their jobs getting outsourced.

When you have friends fired after 20 years of outstanding work and replaced with a kid from India, you may feel differently.

IBM layoffs

http://www.endicottalliance.org/jobcutsreports.php

IBM and H1B

Ibm Corporation has filed 16288 labor condition applications for H1B visa and 500 labor certifications for green card from fiscal year 2011 to 2013. Ibm was ranked 5 among all visa sponsors. Please note that 1274 LCA for H1B Visa and 87 LC for green card have been denied or withdrawn during the same period.

IBM and H1B Fraud

IBM reached a settlement with Department of Justice over allegations it discriminated against U.S. software and apps developers by favoring job applicants who held H-1B visas or foreign student visas, according to a statement by the Department of Justice on Friday. The Justice Department hit IBM for allegedly violating the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act, when it posted online job openings for software and apps developers. In the job postings, IBM allegedly stated a preference for F-1 and H-1B visa holders. F-1 visas are issued to foreign students and H-1B visas to foreign nationals with technical experience in a specialized field. “Although IBM’s job postings were for positions that would ultimately require the successful candidate to relocate overseas, the anti-discrimination provision of the INA does not permit employers to express or imply a preference for temporary visa holders over U.S. workers, such as U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, for any employment opportunity in the United States,” the Justice Department stated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pharmacy

you haven't read the articles from the past year regarding 'too many pharm grads' have you?

not to mention pharm is going to be one of the first high-education/high-skill jobs to be crushed by automation.

Look up the long term trends as pharm is a HUGE time and monetary commitment so you need to be cognizant of the coming labor landscape