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

[Anonymous]

My nephew just came out of Michigan State with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. $60,000 starting salary at age 22. Not bad. His classes were tough. Really tough. Gotta be into that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I have a Marketing Degree. I thought it was pretty useless. Got a graduate degree in something else and have been working in that field for a very long time. Marketing Degrees don't prepare you for much. I would not do it again or reommend it.

[Anonymous]

OR ... you could let the "child" pick their own major without your influence. What "child" is in college anyway?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents really encouraged me to major in science. I tried. I'm just really, really average in science. No way was I ever going to make a name for myself doing something I was so mediocre at. I'm glad I didn't listen.

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.

It was the right attitude for me. I wasn't interested in a stable job that I wasn't very good at. I wanted to be really good at something. For me, that was never going to be science.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage them to at least minor in business. I wish I had business knowledge for two reasons.

I would love to run my own business but I have no clue how to actually do that.

I know many people who took a job as an administrative assistant, which eventually led to a higher paying job within that company or agency. And there always seems to be a lot of administrative jobs out there. I wish I had those skills to get me in the door.

So, I would have them major in something that they are interested in, but minor in business. I wish I had done this. I was (and still am) interested in environmental science, so that was my major. I was advised to minor in Physical Science, so I did. that minor has been worthless to me. I am now trying to re-enter the workforce after raising my kids. Most of the jobs I see in my field require several years of experience or administrative skills. I have neither.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a real in-depth aptitude test, rather than that one we took in high school that took 60 minutes, would be very useful. I am talking about the ones that take 6 hours over a couple of days and give you pages of feedback in different areas but no specific careers. But they do cost a good deal of money.

What exam is this and where would you take it?