I think figuring out how to tweet is a pretty intuitive skill for most people who are under 30. Obviously some people have more of a knack for using it productively than others, but I'm not sure what is to be gained by taking a class on it.

Anonymous wrote:My kid isn't college-age yet, but what I'm going to tell her is that she needs to learn a skill that people will pay her to do. This doesn't preclude also majoring in something that's her passion, nor does it necessarily mean a professional degree. It could be data analysis, programming, accounting, maintaining a popular/amusing Twitter feed, speaking an in-demand foreign language, designing websites.... etc. Whatever direction she decides she wants to take her career in, having a BA in [Passion] + Marketable Skill will put her in a much much better position than just a BA in [Passion].

I'm a numbers person so I'm admittedly oblivious to the types of careers that utilize strong writers, but it seems like something in marketing/advertising/social media might be a good fit for your kid?

Oh and please don't listen to the humanities cheerleaders who believe "employers just want evidence you can think and write". Even if that were true, your standard English Lit/Psychology/History degree has been so watered down that as far as employers are concerned, it simply does not provide this evidence. (Contrast that with a math-heavy major, which at least proves you can crunch numbers and solve problems.) Not to mention that college costs as much as a mortgage these days and sadly, the reality is you need something else from your investment besides "evidence you can think and write". Just my opinion.

Are you in the DC area? Many of the jobs here require this skill. I work in consulting and thinking and writing is what we get paid to do. There are many opportunities here for folks with strong minds and solid communication skills.

^^ that should be "decides to go to college"

Anonymous wrote:I understand that tweeting is a skill but I'd still rather my kid learn how to think and write at college than learn how to maintain a popular twitter feed. The half-life of software engineer's knowledge is 2-3 years. The economy will be a lot different in 20 years and I don't think it really makes sense to treat college as vocational school. Bottom line is any job you could learn how to do in college it's probably not a job that is going to pay well.

The point is that if your kid decides to college and major in English Lit, she's better off doing that *and* knowing how to maintain a Twitter feed. No she probably won't be doing Twitter in 20 years, but it will put her in a better position to get a job right out of school than she would have been as an English Lit major with no other marketable skills.

I think it's way too early to worry about stuff like this except in the most general sense. Also you may find that having a school with a great dept of "X" isn't actually an advantage unless your kid is 100% committed to X at the level of the school-- often for kids who are just getting exposed to something a smaller dept. is better.

Writing/thinking is very valuable but I'd encourage my child to consider a major that balances that with some mathematical/analytic skills. Business/Marketing may allow for that, depending on the program, if he focuses on classes that involved marketing analytics/research. Some social sciences could also provide that.

As someone who was also considered an excellent writer in high school, I don't think of writing as a passion really, unless someone has a knack for writing fiction. I think of writing as a skill, and one that is at least as marketable as number crunching skills. I manage research projects that involve large data sets and number crunching, so I've got quantitative chops. But it's my ability to write that has made me stand out from many colleagues, and that ability has been the linchpin of my career.

My kid is also a good writer, and I will encourage him to major in anything he wants. He can pursue his interests, and his writing skills will enhance his chances of success wherever he goes. (Given his interests, I imagine he will major in poly sci or economics, but I am happy to leave the choice to him.)

I consider a college degree fairly vital and so IMO it is part of my job as a parent to get him to college. But it's his job to figure out what he wants to do with his life.

I understand that tweeting is a skill but I'd still rather my kid learn how to think and write at college than learn how to maintain a popular twitter feed. The half-life of software engineer's knowledge is 2-3 years. The economy will be a lot different in 20 years and I don't think it really makes sense to treat college as vocational school. Bottom line is any job you could learn how to do in college it's probably not a job that is going to pay well.

^^What she said.

My kid isn't college-age yet, but what I'm going to tell her is that she needs to learn a skill that people will pay her to do. This doesn't preclude also majoring in something that's her passion, nor does it necessarily mean a professional degree. It could be data analysis, programming, accounting, maintaining a popular/amusing Twitter feed, speaking an in-demand foreign language, designing websites.... etc. Whatever direction she decides she wants to take her career in, having a BA in [Passion] + Marketable Skill will put her in a much much better position than just a BA in [Passion].

I'm a numbers person so I'm admittedly oblivious to the types of careers that utilize strong writers, but it seems like something in marketing/advertising/social media might be a good fit for your kid?

Oh and please don't listen to the humanities cheerleaders who believe "employers just want evidence you can think and write". Even if that were true, your standard English Lit/Psychology/History degree has been so watered down that as far as employers are concerned, it simply does not provide this evidence. (Contrast that with a math-heavy major, which at least proves you can crunch numbers and solve problems.) Not to mention that college costs as much as a mortgage these days and sadly, the reality is you need something else from your investment besides "evidence you can think and write". Just my opinion.

Communication major is garbage

Anonymous wrote:Is there any reason why you don't just leave this decision to your DC? After all, its his life. Many students don't decide their major until sophomore year after they've been exposed to more disciplines. The fact that you are looking at narrow professional-type majors -- communications, marketing -- tells me it would be better to just step back and let him be. It sounds like he has an affinity for humanities. There's a big world of options for HIM to explore.

+1 Back off, OP. Your focus on majors is weird.

Is there any reason why you don't just leave this decision to your DC? After all, its his life. Many students don't decide their major until sophomore year after they've been exposed to more disciplines. The fact that you are looking at narrow professional-type majors -- communications, marketing -- tells me it would be better to just step back and let him be. It sounds like he has an affinity for humanities. There's a big world of options for HIM to explore.

Depending on the school, he could just go ahead and major in English Lit. It seems on the surface to be less marketable than Communications, but it would be seen as more seriously academic, especially if he does a senior thesis.

A lot of employers don't believe that you learn anything as an undergraduate that they need you to know. They just want evidence that you can think and write. The more selective the college, the less the major matters.

My DC absolutely loves to write. He's an excellent writer...5 on AP Lang test, teachers have often told us they are incredibly impressed by his skills...and so on. He has also excelled in his social sciences and history classes, and to a lesser extent, math classes (but he hates math). AP Chem was kind of a disaster.

On paper, the communications major is absolutely perfect for his interests...but of course, there is the issue of getting a job with said major and from what I gather, it's considered a joke among pretty much everyone in academia and many employers.

So, any ideas? I was kind of thinking a business degree-marketing would allow him to combine his skill areas but be more of a marketable degree compared to communications. We are kind of ...behind, so to speak, on the college search process and have only been visiting schools that interest him due to location, size, vibe, etc. (with little regard to strength in certain areas).