My husband's gazillionaire financier friend told our kids to study engineering

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claims he hires people in spite of business degrees, doesn't target them. Engineers learn real skills and content, business is learned by doing it.

Just thought I'd share for those weighing college plans.

The problem is, the majority of kids who could hack a business degree couldn't hack an engineering degree. He's hiring much smarter kids by targeting engineering grads.

I hate this stereotype that many kids can't "hack" an engineering degree. This notion is patently wrong. Yes, not everyone can, but who is concerned that their kid can't "hack" a degree in journalism, or history? It might take work, but it's useful. And engineering programs are no longer so focused on "weeding out" but on getting kids to all learn the material. It can be done, but adults tell people they can't do engineering is not going to help.

Probably something to do with the dropout rate of engineering programs vs. History or Journalism. Sorry, it takes a lot more brains to be an engineer than it does a historian or journalist.

PP here again. This is exactly my point. It takes brains, and hard work, to do anything well. I teach engineering at a top ten school and I can tell you from a lot of experience teaching both those students and many less privileged, less gifted students, that hard work is 90% of what it takes to succeed in engineering. telling yourself that you don't have the brains for it is just a form a laziness. Not everyone will be the next Bill Gates or Nikola Tesla, but if you buckle down you can do it. I see it every day.

Past a certain threshold of intelligence sure, hard work can compensate for lesser gifts. I'd like to see someone from the left hand side of the bell curve get a degree in engineering at a top program.

[Anonymous]

Most undergraduate business schools require the students to take a wide range of core courses. They will take classes in social sciences, natural sciences, humanities in addition to the core business classes like accounting, economics, finance, and marketing. They will then declare a major in the business school. Most quality programs also allow the student to double major and they can choose anything from outside the business school such as history, music, English, etc. Business students are well rounded. The idea that a business degree has no value is ridiculous. If a student wants to major in engineering because that is where they feel they will do well that is great. We need good engineers to solve world problems. We do not need all our engineers working on Wall Street.

[Anonymous]

Econ @ top 10 college > engineering > "business" (which is actually just "marketing") at some third rate school

[Anonymous]

Everyone knows the average lazy American teen pursues a "business" degree because they're easy. Engineering is hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows the average lazy American teen pursues a "business" degree because they're easy. Engineering is hard.

This is so stupid. Everyone now must be an engineer or else you are worthless. The same mindset that thinks if you don't work on Wall Street or for big law, live in NY, DC, or SF then you are worthless. There is no one way to a decent productive life. There are billions of algorithms for how life will work out.

[Anonymous]

Don't take advice from somebody whose #1 description is "gazillionaire".

They lack happiness, mindfulness, morals and friends.

[Anonymous]

Engr @ top 10 > econ @ top 10 college > "business" (which is actually just "marketing") at some third rate school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most undergraduate business schools require the students to take a wide range of core courses. They will take classes in social sciences, natural sciences, humanities in addition to the core business classes like accounting, economics, finance, and marketing. They will then declare a major in the business school. Most quality programs also allow the student to double major and they can choose anything from outside the business school such as history, music, English, etc. Business students are well rounded. The idea that a business degree has no value is ridiculous. If a student wants to major in engineering because that is where they feel they will do well that is great. We need good engineers to solve world problems. We do not need all our engineers working on Wall Street.

It's typically a double major because alone it's pretty worthless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows the average lazy American teen pursues a "business" degree because they're easy. Engineering is hard.

This is so stupid. Everyone now must be an engineer or else you are worthless. The same mindset that thinks if you don't work on Wall Street or for big law, live in NY, DC, or SF then you are worthless. There is no one way to a decent productive life. There are billions of algorithms for how life will work out.

Psychology, sociology, communications, marketing are watered down worthless degrees. Of course everyone has anecdotes to share, but overall, these are joke concentrations.

[Anonymous]

Past a certain threshold of intelligence sure, hard work can compensate for lesser gifts. I'd like to see someone from the left hand side of the bell curve get a degree in engineering at a top program.

Yeah, I know someone whose father was one of those "gazillionaires" and he majored in engineering at a top program. He had about a 2.2 GPA upon graduation. He was compensating for lesser gifts from the left hand side of the bell curve for sure. He ended up in sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows the average lazy American teen pursues a "business" degree because they're easy. Engineering is hard.

This is so stupid. Everyone now must be an engineer or else you are worthless. The same mindset that thinks if you don't work on Wall Street or for big law, live in NY, DC, or SF then you are worthless. There is no one way to a decent productive life. There are billions of algorithms for how life will work out.

Psychology, sociology, communications, marketing are watered down worthless degrees. Of course everyone has anecdotes to share, but overall, these are joke concentrations.

And then there is "Education" major below the majors listed above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most undergraduate business schools require the students to take a wide range of core courses. They will take classes in social sciences, natural sciences, humanities in addition to the core business classes like accounting, economics, finance, and marketing. They will then declare a major in the business school. Most quality programs also allow the student to double major and they can choose anything from outside the business school such as history, music, English, etc. Business students are well rounded. The idea that a business degree has no value is ridiculous. If a student wants to major in engineering because that is where they feel they will do well that is great. We need good engineers to solve world problems. We do not need all our engineers working on Wall Street.

It's typically a double major because alone it's pretty worthless.

Says who? A tiger mom who will only let her kid study engineering or medicine? My father has and undergraduate degree in engineering and an MBA and his life is just as normal as someone with an English degree or communications degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've read a couple articles in the past year about how employers say that recent college grads, who for some time have been encouraged to major in "hard" science, engineering, math fields, are missing "soft" skills (communication, PR, etc.) and that it's a problem. So there's that to consider as well.

You're right. My DH is a senior manager in an IT firm and bemoans the fact that there are plenty of applicants (and employees) who have computer science, math, engineering degrees etc. but who are terrible, or at best mediocre, at interacting with their clients, writing e-mail that's clear and understandable, writing reports that are useful, etc. He feels that many colleges must be cranking out grads without any training in how to communicate their STEM work product so users, clients, budget officers etc. can use and understand it. The people who will really climb in their careers, and get out of the engineering or programming trenches, are the relative few who pair STEM knowledge with ability to function well as communicators. He says he is seeing that combination much less in recent years than he once did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read a couple articles in the past year about how employers say that recent college grads, who for some time have been encouraged to major in "hard" science, engineering, math fields, are missing "soft" skills (communication, PR, etc.) and that it's a problem. So there's that to consider as well.

You're right. My DH is a senior manager in an IT firm and bemoans the fact that there are plenty of applicants (and employees) who have computer science, math, engineering degrees etc. but who are terrible, or at best mediocre, at interacting with their clients, writing e-mail that's clear and understandable, writing reports that are useful, etc. He feels that many colleges must be cranking out grads without any training in how to communicate their STEM work product so users, clients, budget officers etc. can use and understand it. The people who will really climb in their careers, and get out of the engineering or programming trenches, are the relative few who pair STEM knowledge with ability to function well as communicators. He says he is seeing that combination much less in recent years than he once did.

Actually, opposite is happening in about the last 10 years. For example, the Harvard Business School applicant pool for 2+2 program consists of about 60-65% STEM graduates as opposed to 10-20% STEM graduates 10-15 years ago. Top law schools are also drawing more STEM graduates as well in the last 7-10 years or so. Science, math and technology are becoming more and more significant part of our society. Even top IBs and Consulting firms prefer STEM graduates and not business majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Past a certain threshold of intelligence sure, hard work can compensate for lesser gifts. I'd like to see someone from the left hand side of the bell curve get a degree in engineering at a top program.

Yeah, I know someone whose father was one of those "gazillionaires" and he majored in engineering at a top program. He had about a 2.2 GPA upon graduation. He was compensating for lesser gifts from the left hand side of the bell curve for sure. He ended up in sales.

So your friends dad got into a top engineering program with a double digit IQ? How did he manage that?