Reply to Arguing with DS over major

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Arguing with DS over major"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I think you are completely misinformed.  I work for a college of arts and sciences at a top US university.  On my advisory board are several alumni who graduated with "useless" degrees who are now executives at Fortune 500 companies, VP's at investment firms, successful entreprenuers, attorneys and doctors.  Many of them did not major as undergraduates in what they eventually went on to do.

I suggest you read research from the American Association of Colleges and Universities that demonstrates what employers really want - http://www.aacu.org/leap/presidentstrust/compact/2013SurveySummary.cfm.

Here's a summary of the skills they want to see MORE of:  "More than 75% of employers say they want more emphasis on 5 key areas including: critical thinking, complex problem-solving, written and oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings."

At a good school, if you work hard and apply yourself, you can gain those SKILLS (vs. specific knowledge) through any major and by participating in research opportunities, internships, and experiential (hands-on) learning opportunities.  Students who focus on a very narrow subject, and who take a minimal number of liberal arts courses, may be trained to do something very specific but lacking in the exact skills employers say they want.

Bottom line - you are looking at this the wrong way.  [b]If you try to force your (now legally adult) child down a path YOU want, versus supporting them in what they are passionate about, they will not do well in school.[/b]  Period.  I have seen it time and time again.  Your child will be more successful if you allow them to pursue their passions academically while encouraging them, throughout their college experience, to take advantage of opportunities that allow them to apply what they've learned in practical, real-world settings.

Do it your way and you will not only damage your relationship with your child, but you will stymy their learning (and future earning) potential.  Think on it.   
[/quote]

BS. my mother forced my brother to study engineering (his passion was physics) and he was the top student in a very competitive school. he has always been very thankful for it.[/quote]

That is ONE anecdote.  I have worked at 3 different universities.  Trust me, I've seen more cases that refute your story than I have seen success cases.  [/quote]

maybe, but you are not objective, nor are you exposed to random cases. or you think you know how each students has decided their major?

i disagree with the rest of your post as well. employers don't necessarily know what they want ie. they know it when they see it, but don't have a proper theory of it.
[/quote]

Gold Chip employers know exactly what they want. You don't think the top consulting firms, top banks, hedge funds, PE funds, Microsoft, Google, FB, top law firms like W&C/Cravath don't know who they want?

They have recruiting down to almost a science. [/quote]

OP's son is not going to work for any of those companies. and their recruting is BS, btw.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics