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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.
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Hasn't this always been the case?  I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago..  I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..[/quote]

English & Psychology are the back up degrees for kids that couldn't hack more demanding programs.  The kids that fall back on those programs are generally lower performers and lower curve for those degrees. [/quote]

Not really.  They are degrees people get if they are not focused on STEM (which many are not).  However, I always think someone with a non-stem degree should take some stem courses/get a "stemy" minor as that is what will likely help a psychology major get a job.  They may end up in a training position or sales job for a company that is IT/Healthsciences/Tech focused at some point.  So the psych degree or philosophy or English degree is what they are interested in, they learn and develop critical thinking skills at the college level and then must use those skills to get a job.  If one has some tech skills/knowledge to go along with the liberal arts degree, it often times makes them much more desireable/marketable in the business world.  An English major can work at a tech company writing training programs/mauals/etc or actually be a trainer---there are many options, but the new college grad has to work to market themselves and find the right position.   But the process will be easier for them if they had some math/basic CS course/etc.  Or an English/psych/history major that has a business minor will have an easier time determining what to do for a career and locating that first job.

I know plenty of really smart people with non-stem and non-business majors who have gone far with careers at tech based companies.  It just takes a bit more creativity to determine your path.  Not as many jobs that say "English major required/preferred" as say CS or Engineering or business degree needed[/quote]

I wasn't clear enough, I'm talking about the people that didn't intend to be psychology or english majors.  It became their backup when they flunked out of finance or another more strenuous major.  English & Psy major classes are more stand alone, not mastering the prereq material freshman/sophomore year doesn't have as much affect on major classes taken junior/senior .[/quote]

My rising college sophomore entered college intending to be a computer science major. He took the two required intro programming courses (one in the fall, one in spring) and the required class in discrete structures. Earned an A or A- in all three. But he really didn't enjoy them and no longer wants to major in CS. He's now considering philosophy or psychology instead.[/quote]

Sorry, at least minor in CS.

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I agree.  Switch majors, but he is obviously capable of "doing CS" so take the remaining 3-4 courses and get the minor.  He might appreciate that when job searching.  
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Everyone capable of coding should know how to code a little, and should also know a little bit about computer science, which is not really the same thing as coding, because coding and CS are now part of a broad liberal arts education. They’re part of what people need to know to survive.

And people who love coding or CS should certainly aim to go into those fields, because their passion will serve them well.

But the idea that all kids should major in CS, whether they have a real aptitude for that or not, means that coding is in a bubble, and that the kids aiming for a coding career are mostly doomed.

If most of the kids going into coding are disengaged serfs who learn exactly what will be on the test and no more, that means that, at best, they’ll make good money for a few years after they leave college and then will become angry, obsolete relics. At worst, they may be replaced by AI systems and more enthusiastic coders in other countries before they graduate.

Maybe they can move into management, but, if they can’t write and can’t think in a creative way, they may be weak managers. [/quote]

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