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Hello mates,
So I am having issues figuring out my life here. I want to live in a mountainous area (preferably Colorado) and I can't figure out what college degree to obtain. I am going to get a degree because I am paying very little to go to college but I don't know what would be useful. Just wondering if anyone would have any ideas.
Thanks
why get a college degree when you can freeride off of everyone else and their success from a degree and then turn around and say you don't need one in a condescending way to everybody currently in the midst of obtaining higher education? lifes much easier that way.
on a real note, im a 2nd year student so you can or can choose not to listen to me cuz I surely wouldn't, but ive always been told its really about the right place with the right program for a decent price, though it never hurts to overinvest on education as long as you don't fuck off and actually pay your bills (which makes it a lot easier for the rest of us to obtain financial aid from the man in the long-run.)
I guess start looking at places in mountainous regions, and figure out which ones have the best programs that interest you. many would argue that its dumb to balance skiing and school/attend a school solely based on skiing, and they're right to an extent, but how many times in life are you able to have little to no responsibility while being anywhere in between 18-24? im not saying go to school purely based on the skiing but don't be living in libraries and study halls your whole damn time, that's no fun either.
Don't listen to the people who preach engineering and decry a liberal arts education though. School is what you make of it and the world needs analytical & critical thinkers as much as it needs math and science savvy individuals to keep the wheels of society spinning. Go to a therapist and go to a college advisor, Newschoolers will not offer the insight that you need for finding the degree and career that you want. It's a process that takes soul searching and a lot of honest questioning about what you actually do want in life and what you need to do to make that actually happen.
WeathermanPetroI want to live in a mountainous area (preferably Colorado) and I can't figure out what college degree to obtain.
My friend is studying environmental geosciences and I'm gonna be honest I have no idea what you can do with that. But he talks about it all the time and wants to live out west working in that field. I can't really give much advice but if you're into environmental stuff maybe that would be something to look into!
MinggMy friend is studying environmental geosciences and I'm gonna be honest I have no idea what you can do with that. But he talks about it all the time and wants to live out west working in that field. I can't really give much advice but if you're into environmental stuff maybe that would be something to look into!
In this economy you'll need minimum a masters to find a decent job. Or your dad could be the CEO. Source: I'm in the industry.
Pick a school you want to attend once you decide on a degree (I know you should pick somewhat based on the schools ranking for your major, but you must have some idea where you are leaning towards). Next, call the school and talk about which community colleges they accept Gen-Ed credits from. Go to one of those and get your gen-eds out of the way for real cheap, then transfer to the school you picked and get your degree. If you figure out during CC that college isn't for you, then awesome, because you figured it out with minimal money spent.
First ask yourself what the purpose of higher education is. Is it a way to grow as an intellectual? Is it purely a way to achieve a higher income? A bit of both? If you can't answer this, you'll end up wasting everyone's time and money (especially yours).
The vast majority of employers don't give a shit what you majored in. What they want to see is some sort of evidence that:
A) you can honor a years-long commitment
B) you can learn difficult concepts
C) you're able to be in a room full of people for a sustained period of time without shitting your pants or going postal
What should you major in? Something you love, or something economically viable? Here's how I see it:
STEM degrees are more pragmatic in that they tend to do a better job communicating to employers that you can learn difficult concepts. If your want to make a career out of those fields, then they are usually mandatory to some degree. But if your primary goal is to simply be a degree-holding member of society and have no intense desire to devote your life to a STEM field, then it probably won't be worth your time in the long run. Why?
Here's what happens when you're freshly graduated. You have no professional working history to back you up as a prospective asset to a firm. It is in a firm's best interests to minimize the risk of hiring a dud, so they look at other factors. The main one is internship experience (realistically, internship experience will get your further than whatever the fuck your degree says on it). In the absence of any other indicators, they'll ask about your grades, but beyond your first job interview nobody gives a fuck about your grades either. The other main indicator is your major. Employers will perceive a higher probability of an applicant being able to learn job skills if their major involves learning difficult concepts. It makes sense then, that a STEM degree will be inherently more valuable in getting hired, right?
Once you enter the working world, as it turns out, studies have shown that the people with liberal arts backgrounds (specifically, have exceptional communication skills) are the ones who get promoted (look at all the fortune 500 CEOs with history degrees). Generally speaking, a STEM degree will make it easier to get your first job, but once you're hired you'll be less equipped to move up the company ladder. Who do you think will get a promotion: the socially inept genius who can't communicate his thoughts worth a damn, or the person everyone likes working with who can learn and then teach any task that's assigned to her?
The problem with a liberal arts degree is that any idiot can drool on a piece of paper and at least get a passing grade. They are much more sensitive to the initiative of the individual, and mixed with the large population of kids with liberal arts degrees, it's no wonder that sampling bias has created the perception of liberal arts degrees being for dipshits. If you're smart, skeptical, sociable, and above all work your ass off, then a liberal arts degree will serve you well. If all you want to do is do what's required of you and get a piece of paper, then don't bother - it is literally useless. Liberal arts degrees are valuable insofar as your ability to make use of the peripheral analytical and communication skills you learn, because if no employer cares about a physics degree, then they sure as shit won't care about a history degree.
Personally, I recommend balance. Come junior year, pick a major that is "impressive" but that doesn't make you want to blow your brains out (i.e. a subject that is challenging yet tolerable). For the first two years, brush up on being a quality human: read philosophy, make art, practice ever-loving fuck out of the English language, because in the long run these skills will put you ahead of all the alienating robots who neglected them. This way you'll be marketable to a wider range of jobs, and within each applicant pool you'll stand out from the competition.
Above all, don't get a business degree :)
Guys thanks so much for all the helpful post on here. You have all been great. After meeting with many people today and many different departments I think I have found a home in the Geology and Environmental science departments. They are offering a lot of travel out west in the mountains for studies and the travel is great. I think this is the route I am taking and I'm stoked.
WeathermanPetroGuys thanks so much for all the helpful post on here. You have all been great. After meeting with many people today and many different departments I think I have found a home in the Geology and Environmental science departments. They are offering a lot of travel out west in the mountains for studies and the travel is great. I think this is the route I am taking and I'm stoked.
I know you said you hate math but there is a thing called environmental engineering
Trace.Don't listen to the people who preach engineering and decry a liberal arts education though. School is what you make of it and the world needs analytical & critical thinkers as much as it needs math and science savvy individuals to keep the wheels of society spinning. Go to a therapist and go to a college advisor, Newschoolers will not offer the insight that you need for finding the degree and career that you want. It's a process that takes soul searching and a lot of honest questioning about what you actually do want in life and what you need to do to make that actually happen.
Implying an engineer isn't an analytical & critical thinker.. Do us all a favor and ditch the worthless degree.
WeathermanPetroThat for sure could be a route I take if I am led that way with my studies.
Environmental engineering ain't all it's cracked up to be. It's designing sewers and shit. If you want an engineering outdoors job do petroleum. Niobrara is bumpin right now. Got several friends who just graduated living in Colorado, Wyoming making 100k out of school
lIllIOnce you enter the working world, as it turns out, studies have shown that the people with liberal arts backgrounds (specifically, have exceptional communication skills) are the ones who get promoted (look at all the fortune 500 CEOs with history degrees). Generally speaking, a STEM degree will make it easier to get your first job, but once you're hired you'll be less equipped to move up the company ladder. Who do you think will get a promotion: the socially inept genius who can't communicate his thoughts worth a damn, or the person everyone likes working with who can learn and then teach any task that's assigned to her?
Your mixing up cause and effect. People who have slightly worse communication or social skills are over represented in engineering and as a result there are less engineers in high positions. A person's personality is not likely to change very drastically based on a chosen major.
bighomieflockcommunication skills which will not change based on your college major.
Sorry, but this simply isn't true. Your major might not affect your personality type, but professional communication is absolutely a skill that needs to be learned, harnessed, and applied. Some people are objectively better at it than others. Chalking it up to "personality" is a self-defeating cop-out.
Go with a STEM degree. If you don't have a particular career route in mind that requires a special field aka geology, you cannot go wrong with STEM.
High paying jobs, always in demand, useful skills that apply to almost ANY career or job you choose to pursue.
Finance
Accounting
Engineering
Math
Business
You will work for a business when you graduate. Why not major in something relevant employers want. I get that you aren't paying for college and thats awesome, but dont waste this opportunity to take full advantage of it. Especially being debt free. Any STEM degree is going to get you a high paying job out of school if you play your cards right.
I chose finance. I love it. Was making 6 figures 2 years out of college. But I am tethered to the Nyc area just because of my line of work. I get its not all about the money in life, but trust me, having money helps a lot. You don't want to be a 50 year old dude making 75 grand a year.
lIllIWhen did these become STEM degrees?And I thought you took a job in Utah?
Renegged offer. Got a position in NYC with a much more elite firm that has a much higher career trajectory regret not taking the UTah job just because of my love of skiing and the work/life balance. But the job offer was 40% higher pay...hard to turn that down. I get the cost of living is much higher in nyc but I live fairly conservativly and this will give me a very very nice life down the road.
I would consider finance / business STEM. If done right. If your going to take a lot of valuatoin/finance/accounting classes. If you cruise by with a marketing degree ( not that their is anything wrong with that at all) that wouldnt be a STEM.
KravtZRenegged offer. Got a position in NYC with a much more elite firm that has a much higher career trajectory regret not taking the UTah job just because of my love of skiing and the work/life balance. But the job offer was 40% higher pay...hard to turn that down. I get the cost of living is much higher in nyc but I live fairly conservativly and this will give me a very very nice life down the road.I would consider finance / business STEM. If done right. If your going to take a lot of valuatoin/finance/accounting classes. If you cruise by with a marketing degree ( not that their is anything wrong with that at all) that wouldnt be a STEM.
Good call. I just turned down a full-time offer at the bank I was interning at. The salary just wasn't that good, even after adjusting for the cost of living in Utah. They offered to place me in NYC, where the starting salary for the exact same position was close to six figures. Like you, I hate NYC, but unlike you I am not a very career-driven person so it wasn't worth it to me. I think the "cost of living" excuse should only fly when your salary is adjusted upwards, not downwards, because imported goods still cost the same in cheap places, so you come out behind in the end (unless I were to buy a house in Utah, which I sure as fuck will never do).
Weird about the STEM thing. Finance/accounting are, by all identical criteria, no different from the gold star STEM majors - hell, more employable than a lot of them. Yet I've been told they don't count. Maybe the lack of math involved in accounting doesn't satisfy all the STEM neckbeards? I don't know...
lIllIWeird about the STEM thing. Finance/accounting are, by all identical criteria, no different from the gold star STEM majors - hell, more employable than a lot of them. Yet I've been told they don't count. Maybe the lack of math involved in accounting doesn't satisfy all the STEM neckbeards? I don't know...
STEM doesn't correlates with mere employability.. HIGH DEMAND = STEM
lIllISo...plumbers and electricians?
Its as simple as asking your HR. All costs aside, who would they hire, an E or an EE?
lIllIGood call. I just turned down a full-time offer at the bank I was interning at. The salary just wasn't that good, even after adjusting for the cost of living in Utah. They offered to place me in NYC, where the starting salary for the exact same position was close to six figures. Like you, I hate NYC, but unlike you I am not a very career-driven person so it wasn't worth it to me. I think the "cost of living" excuse should only fly when your salary is adjusted upwards, not downwards, because imported goods still cost the same in cheap places, so you come out behind in the end (unless I were to buy a house in Utah, which I sure as fuck will never do).Weird about the STEM thing. Finance/accounting are, by all identical criteria, no different from the gold star STEM majors - hell, more employable than a lot of them. Yet I've been told they don't count. Maybe the lack of math involved in accounting doesn't satisfy all the STEM neckbeards? I don't know...
Good luck with the job man. Not sure what type of role you interned...but just getting a job offer is awesome. You could probably re locate within your bank if they really like you. I know a bunch of people who have done that from internships to full time jobs
KravtZGood luck with the job man. Not sure what type of role you interned...but just getting a job offer is awesome. You could probably re locate within your bank if they really like you. I know a bunch of people who have done that from internships to full time jobs
I know it was a possibility, but the only available locations were NYC, SLC, and Irving, Texas. Frankly, I don't know if any salary could convince me to live in any of those places.
Still, I'm glad I have that on my resume. And now to live in a van by Hood River skatepark...
lIllIWeird about the STEM thing. Finance/accounting are, by all identical criteria, no different from the gold star STEM majors - hell, more employable than a lot of them. Yet I've been told they don't count. Maybe the lack of math involved in accounting doesn't satisfy all the STEM neckbeards? I don't know...
all the accountants i knew out of college worked absolute shit hours from Jan-April because that was tax season. 60+ a week, working saturdays, because that's what the position demanded. other than that, the benefits seemed great- plenty of vacation, good pay, but from an outside (skier) perspective it sucked because those were the months you wanted to hit the slopes
lIllISo...plumbers and electricians?
honestly trade school is not a bad option for people right now, i feel it doesn't get pushed enough. to the point about too much competition for STEM majors i think the trades are really needing a younger generation to step up and grow into leadership roles. trades can actually pull in a decent salary. however, for someone dead set on a college education i would probably not suggest this route. if OP were trying to decide whether to go to college or not that would be a different story
cornholioall the accountants i knew out of college worked absolute shit hours from Jan-April because that was tax season. 60+ a week, working saturdays, because that's what the position demanded. other than that, the benefits seemed great- plenty of vacation, good pay, but from an outside (skier) perspective it sucked because those were the months you wanted to hit the slopes
As an intern I was working 60+ hour weeks. Weekends were spent doing errands that I couldn't do during the week because the entire city was closed before and after work. I literally didn't have time to spend more than a couple hours a week doing my hobby, which frankly, seemed like a worthless existence over a sustained period of time. That was my main motivation for declining the offer. Money is meaningless if you can't enjoy it.
cornholiohonestly trade school is not a bad option for people right now, i feel it doesn't get pushed enough. to the point about too much competition for STEM majors i think the trades are really needing a younger generation to step up and grow into leadership roles. trades can actually pull in a decent salary.
All my friends who didn't go to college are making more than I likely ever will with my accounting degree. I'm just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs as STEM fields get oversaturated, market forces drive the salaries down, and ditch diggers come out on top.
If you are math smart: Computer science, civil engineering, IT mgmt
If you are creative: marketing & graphic design double major
If you are average and have the gift of gab: Business
If you just plan on working in the service industry anyways: HBM, or comm
If you are a smart guy your major wont define your career. you can always get another major when you are 27 except this time around itll only take 2 years cause you have all the prereqs taken care of. If you are a smart dude, who can talk a little bit, and have good social awareness and skills, you can find a good job anywhere. You'd be surprised at how many dumb, lazy people with shitty social skills are out there in the workforce.
lIllIAs an intern I was working 60+ hour weeks. Weekends were spent doing errands that I couldn't do during the week because the entire city was closed before and after work. I literally didn't have time to spend more than a couple hours a week doing my hobby, which frankly, seemed like a worthless existence over a sustained period of time. That was my main motivation for declining the offer. Money is meaningless if you can't enjoy it.All my friends who didn't go to college are making more than I likely ever will with my accounting degree. I'm just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs as STEM fields get oversaturated, market forces drive the salaries down, and ditch diggers come out on top.
Everyone that i know who works in a trade over the age of 35 has health problems from it- arthritis, bad back, knees etc. not to mention i can still go into my cubicle job when i break my leg doing my dangerous hobbies, while most trade workers are forced to be parasites of the system and collect unemployment when their dangerous hobbies injure them.
cobra_commanderDoes that involve ignoring the realities of math and pretending environmental bullshit ideas like wind and solar power are actually economically feasible?
they are economically feasible right now if you value the health of the planet enough.
californiagrownIf you are math smart: Computer science, civil engineering, IT mgmtIf you are creative: marketing & graphic design double major
If you are average and have the gift of gab: Business
If you just plan on working in the service industry anyways: HBM, or comm
I think it's interesting that business majors so often get lumped together when the vast majority them are complete horse shit, while a couple niche areas are incredibly lucrative. A business admin degree is on level footing with a psychology degrees as far as I'm concerned.
californiagrownIf you are a smart dude, who can talk a little bit, and have good social awareness and skills, you can find a good job anywhere. You'd be surprised at how many dumb, lazy people with shitty social skills are out there in the workforce.
After working at a big boy company, this sort of surprised me. I mean, I've always been pretty cynical of people in general, and make no mistake - my self-esteem is pathetically low, but I've lost count of how many times I've worked with people (with backgrounds that are by all measures much more impressive than mine) and just been dumbfounded by their ability to consistently fuck up the most basic tasks. Like, to the point where I can't take seriously any person who so militantly engages in pissing contests over the employability of various bachelor's degrees (looking at you, engineers).
californiagrownEveryone that i know who works in a trade over the age of 35 has health problems from it- arthritis, bad back, knees etc. not to mention i can still go into my cubicle job when i break my leg doing my dangerous hobbies, while most trade workers are forced to be parasites of the system and collect unemployment when their dangerous hobbies injure them.
Very true. Although while trade workers get injured on the job, office workers sort of deteriorate slowly over the course of their lives. Not to claim the grass is greener or anything - my hands are so silky soft that I'm destined to work desk jobs for the rest of my life.
lIllIGood call. I just turned down a full-time offer at the bank I was interning at. The salary just wasn't that good, even after adjusting for the cost of living in Utah. They offered to place me in NYC, where the starting salary for the exact same position was close to six figures. Like you, I hate NYC, but unlike you I am not a very career-driven person so it wasn't worth it to me. I think the "cost of living" excuse should only fly when your salary is adjusted upwards, not downwards, because imported goods still cost the same in cheap places, so you come out behind in the end (unless I were to buy a house in Utah, which I sure as fuck will never do).Weird about the STEM thing. Finance/accounting are, by all identical criteria, no different from the gold star STEM majors - hell, more employable than a lot of them. Yet I've been told they don't count. Maybe the lack of math involved in accounting doesn't satisfy all the STEM neckbeards? I don't know...
Wait, are you actually asking why Finance/Accounting don't count as stem? You do realize stem is an acronym right?
Science
Technology
Engineering
Math
Finance/Accounting don't fit into any of those. I'm not saying that finance/accounting aren't good to major in, but they certainly aren't stem fields despite their attractiveness? I would say STEM + accounting or finance would be good.