My son asked me with help regarding a major

[Anonymous]

PP again. It's okay to be undecided. Lots of good students are undecided. And lots change their majors.

Have your son craft some responses he can say without embarrassment. Maybe add a request for advice at times.

"I'm not declaring a major just yet, but I'm thinking about environmental science. Do you have any recommendations about...good classes, good professors, internships, etc. at our school?"

[Anonymous]

For OP, please understand that college can lead to positive and negative changes in kids, to varying degrees. Not every super smart kid is going to complete college, and not every B kid is going to be a B college student. Some will take a little longer to “hit their stride”, and some will surprise their parents and maybe even themselves. Support your kid as if they might just surprise you.

For majors, I like the idea of neuroscience as a point of departure for teaching, physical or occupational therapy, and physician assistant studies.

If the kid likes science generally, you might consider forensic science.

[Anonymous]

Have him explore IT, cyber security and accounting. Accounting has some math but it is pretty straightforward. Or he could do forensic science and look into going into the police department

[Anonymous]

Maybe cybersecurity. If he takes that path, minimize the cryptography classes, as those will involve math. A single required crypto class will be fine as they will be doing a survey, not a deep dive into the math. Maximize the hands-on class options. Lots of jobs (and no AI will not get rid of those jobs).

Calculus is not required for this degree at many colleges - but check each college before applying.

[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.

Psychology major requires numerous empirical research methods and stats courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have him explore IT, cyber security and accounting. Accounting has some math but it is pretty straightforward. Or he could do forensic science and look into going into the police department

My college daughter is completing her required accounting courses (financial & managerial; Int 1 & 2; Federal Taxation; Auditing) in order to apply for her Master’s in Accounting and although the math is not difficult for her, she has shared that there are loads of formulas to memorize and deciphering when to apply same…Not to mention the ever changing tax laws and that the CPA exam is quite challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Because there’s more to college than just the financial cost. He will spend four years doing things he hates with people he doesn’t connect with and who don’t really get him, instead of spending those years getting a good start in a job field that he actually does enjoy. He could end up feeling confident rather than like a loser. Not everyone is a professional.

[Anonymous]

LOL at the people suggesting cybersecurity. This is a kid with no motivation, no interest, and no math skills. So no way.

Maybe try business. No smart people in that bunch, but they all want to make money. He’ll fit right in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL at the people suggesting cybersecurity. This is a kid with no motivation, no interest, and no math skills. So no way.

Maybe try business. No smart people in that bunch, but they all want to make money. He’ll fit right in.

Funny you say that since most CEOs have a degree in business and to succeed in that field you need motivation, ambition, people skills, and a ton of emotional intelligence. A lot more difficult to succeed in business than in Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity professionals by the way don't need to perform complex math calculations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yes. This. U til your son in handspring of sophomore year and needing declare tell him to take a bunch of different classes. If he is reassured to declare try something general. Not everyone has a paraprofesssi path.

[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?

look at IT, Management Information Systems, and cyber security. None use much math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have him explore IT, cyber security and accounting. Accounting has some math but it is pretty straightforward. Or he could do forensic science and look into going into the police department

My college daughter is completing her required accounting courses (financial & managerial; Int 1 & 2; Federal Taxation; Auditing) in order to apply for her Master’s in Accounting and although the math is not difficult for her, she has shared that there are loads of formulas to memorize and deciphering when to apply same…Not to mention the ever changing tax laws and that the CPA exam is quite challenging.

I read that some states, including VA, are no longer requiring the 150 hours/Masters in Accounting to get your CPA and are accepting work experience instead.

[Anonymous]

Digital Forensics sounds like it might be a good fit. Look into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL at the people suggesting cybersecurity. This is a kid with no motivation, no interest, and no math skills. So no way.

Maybe try business. No smart people in that bunch, but they all want to make money. He’ll fit right in.

Funny you say that since most CEOs have a degree in business and to succeed in that field you need motivation, ambition, people skills, and a ton of emotional intelligence. A lot more difficult to succeed in business than in Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity professionals by the way don't need to perform complex math calculations.

OP said her kid can’t do math and gets lower than average standardized test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Psychology major requires numerous empirical research methods and stats courses.

Psychology is also now one of the most popular, competitive majors. It does not sit alongside education, sociology or comms.