Career Prospects for Incoming College Students

> Finished HS
> went away to school and stopped going to class and partied (failed)
> transferred to community college (got lazy/partied and failed)
> joined the navy as an Electronics Technician on Subs
> got out and used GI bill and majored in Telecomm
> got my A.A.S. in Telecommunications (Electrical Engineering) and interned for Frontier Communications
> Got hired by Frontier as a Network Engineer

BA in Economics: The versatility of this degree depends on what classes you take within the major and what you pair it with. If you want to become an economist you need your pHD. There is almost no career in economics without it. Grad programs are plenty, but the top ones will open many more doors. Pairing it with a political science degree or business degree can be super useful.

Recommendations:If you can get your BS in Economics, do it. BA's allow you to take more economic thought and history courses compared to theory and actual economic modeling. Where I attended (UVM) at the time did not offer a BS in Economics, only a BA. As a result, much more attention was given to the areas outside of quantitative work. That being said, I was able to take a bunch of courses in the business school which allowed for me to develop some skills that will be applicable out in the business world.

I've been out of college for 4 months and landed my first job a few weeks out of college. Due to unforeseen circumstances I will only begin work tomorrow. I will know more about my degree and its applicability in the upcoming months.

I'm still in high school, but does anyone have advice on getting a mechanical engineering degree?

.CJ.I'm still in high school, but does anyone have advice on getting a mechanical engineering degree?

Get the best grades you can in math and take any advanced math courses you can. In terms of picking a school I cannot help there.

louie.miragsGet the best grades you can in math and take any advanced math courses you can. In terms of picking a school I cannot help there.

I already have the minimum amount of credits for math as a junior and I plan on taking calculus senior year.

.CJ.I'm still in high school, but does anyone have advice on getting a mechanical engineering degree?

I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I worked in industry for 3 years as an Applications Engineer doing energy audits and compressed air system design. I'm currently working on my MS in Materials Science and Engineering, and next year will most likely be working on my PhD in either Mat. Sci or Mech E.

A mechanical engineering degree is arguably the most versatile BS degree in existence. You can take any number of different courses to make yourself stand out in different fields, but just having a Mech E. degree in general opens up a massive amount of job opportunities. The reasoning behind this is that more than anything, it shows that you have the aptitude to master a wide range of subjects.

My best advice for getting your degree is to learn how to study. Most students I've seen (including myself) have a natural aptitude for math and science and therefore did not have to work very hard in high school, leading to below average study skills. Learning how to budget your time and study will allow to succeed in difficult classes and generally help keep you sane.

My second best advice is to master Matlab and some sort of 3D CAD. Depending on your school, one or the other (or both) may not be emphasized, but these two skills will make you more marketable and if you choose to pursue a grad degree, will make your life much easier.

Accounting major > work at large investment bank > lifesucks.jpg > live in van and work construction

I have a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and an M.S. in Biology where my research focused on ecosystem dynamics and climate change.

Straight out of my masters I interned at a small environmental consulting firm that specialized in more niche projects of mostly government entities that wanted something environmentally friendly, beautiful, and educational for the public. Did collaborations with the local aquarium, and studied more innovative paths to helping the environment.

Pros of this company: It was very rewarding working for a company in the environmental industry that stuck to its principles and wouldn't accept jobs that compromised those principles. They are doing work truly on brink of newer and innovative technology.

Cons: It's consulting, which means billable hours are everything. It was a smaller company, and with sticking to its principles of wanting to be 100% as beneficial to the environment as possible and always looking for new, innovative things, it makes it difficult to have a steady stream of clients. And it's difficult to find clients that want the most innovative route taken, as that route is often more expensive. With these difficulties there were people there with tons of work, and people there with 7 billable hours a week (which is not good and puts your job in jeopardy).

After my internship I worked for a mid-sized, multinational environmental consulting firm. The firm I worked for was committed to putting out the most quality product possible, and as a result is more expensive. However, they are doing better business than most other firms out there. They were the #1 engineering firm in the city in which I worked.

Pros: I got to travel, a lot. I got to see a lot of different places. I also was afforded the opportunity to learn as many new skills as possible. This firm had a very collegiate atmosphere and was always willing to do whatever it took for you to advance personally in your discipline and professionally.

Cons: I got to travel, a lot. The travel eventually wore on me and started taking its toll. Again, its a consulting firm, and billable hours are everything. You're expected to be a salesman, whether you're an ecologist, engineer, chemist, it doesn't matter, you're expected to sell. You're expected to help improve the firms' numbers as well as your own billable hours.

After a little over a year in environmental consulting I decided to get out due to the high stresses involved. Environmental consulting is a field that has very high turn over because people burn out fast. The people that stay in it for the long haul are often those willing to take larger sacrifices in their family lives. Also, as an ecologist in the field, it's more difficult to obtain work. Engineers in the field are always busy; they always have work and lots of it. With non-engineers work is hit or miss. There were weeks that I was working 14 hour days, and those that I struggled to scrounge up any work -- worrying about my utilization (billable hours). It's feast or famine -- and both are very stressful for their own reasons.

For those that want to get into environmental consulting -- if you're an environmental/civil engineer -- you'll get a job. If you're an ecologist/environmental scientist -- get a master's degree, period. Learn GIS really well. My extensive GIS knowledge is what kept work on my plate in those droughts. Larger consulting firms need people that know more than just how to display pretty maps. Learn the different calculations and more complex things you can do on GIS. It's really an extremely robust software, and good to know.

I'm now teaching Earth and Science at a local college and working on getting my teaching cert. to teach high school biology. I like teaching a ton more than I did in the business world in consulting. But to each their own; there are people that love the consulting lifestyle. It just wasn't for me.

.CJ.I already have the minimum amount of credits for math as a junior and I plan on taking calculus senior year.

UW madison is fucking amazing for engineering.

Bachelor of Commerce, double major in Accounting and Finance > Masters in applied Finance and Economics > Got job with investment bank, started CFA > move office to Sydney > Moved office to London, finished CFA > Moved into private equity.

Eazy-E.UW madison is fucking amazing for engineering.

Pretty good business school too

FunkadelicI have a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and an M.S. in Biology where my research focused on ecosystem dynamics and climate change.

Straight out of my masters I interned at a small environmental consulting firm that specialized in more niche projects of mostly government entities that wanted something environmentally friendly, beautiful, and educational for the public. Did collaborations with the local aquarium, and studied more innovative paths to helping the environment.

Pros of this company: It was very rewarding working for a company in the environmental industry that stuck to its principles and wouldn't accept jobs that compromised those principles. They are doing work truly on brink of newer and innovative technology.

Cons: It's consulting, which means billable hours are everything. It was a smaller company, and with sticking to its principles of wanting to be 100% as beneficial to the environment as possible and always looking for new, innovative things, it makes it difficult to have a steady stream of clients. And it's difficult to find clients that want the most innovative route taken, as that route is often more expensive. With these difficulties there were people there with tons of work, and people there with 7 billable hours a week (which is not good and puts your job in jeopardy).

After my internship I worked for a mid-sized, multinational environmental consulting firm. The firm I worked for was committed to putting out the most quality product possible, and as a result is more expensive. However, they are doing better business than most other firms out there. They were the #1 engineering firm in the city in which I worked.

Pros: I got to travel, a lot. I got to see a lot of different places. I also was afforded the opportunity to learn as many new skills as possible. This firm had a very collegiate atmosphere and was always willing to do whatever it took for you to advance personally in your discipline and professionally.

Cons: I got to travel, a lot. The travel eventually wore on me and started taking its toll. Again, its a consulting firm, and billable hours are everything. You're expected to be a salesman, whether you're an ecologist, engineer, chemist, it doesn't matter, you're expected to sell. You're expected to help improve the firms' numbers as well as your own billable hours.

After a little over a year in environmental consulting I decided to get out due to the high stresses involved. Environmental consulting is a field that has very high turn over because people burn out fast. The people that stay in it for the long haul are often those willing to take larger sacrifices in their family lives. Also, as an ecologist in the field, it's more difficult to obtain work. Engineers in the field are always busy; they always have work and lots of it. With non-engineers work is hit or miss. There were weeks that I was working 14 hour days, and those that I struggled to scrounge up any work -- worrying about my utilization (billable hours). It's feast or famine -- and both are very stressful for their own reasons.

For those that want to get into environmental consulting -- if you're an environmental/civil engineer -- you'll get a job. If you're an ecologist/environmental scientist -- get a master's degree, period. Learn GIS really well. My extensive GIS knowledge is what kept work on my plate in those droughts. Larger consulting firms need people that know more than just how to display pretty maps. Learn the different calculations and more complex things you can do on GIS. It's really an extremely robust software, and good to know.

I'm now teaching Earth and Science at a local college and working on getting my teaching cert. to teach high school biology. I like teaching a ton more than I did in the business world in consulting. But to each their own; there are people that love the consulting lifestyle. It just wasn't for me.

Interesting man, I've been considering consulting but feel like I'd burn out so quickly.

Graduated with a degree in human biology in 2014 with the intent of going into healthcare. You can basically pigeonhole this degree into the category of biology or any life sciences in general.

Unless you're going for a career in healthcare or research, absolutely do not pursue this route. And even if you are considering a career in healthcare as a freshman/sophomore, I would advise you to pursue a degree in something other than biology. Maybe go for a degree in chemistry, comp sci, engineering, etc, so you can have backup career options. I was pretty intent on going into healthcare so I stuck with this just for the sake of knocking out all the required undergrad coursework while working toward a degree at the same time. But doing a minor in biology you'd still be able to knockout all your prerequisite coursework for any pre-health track.

I knew I wanted to take a couple years off school after college, so outside of some clinical tech/nurse assistant type jobs and research technician jobs, my prospects were pretty abysmal. I was looking at jobs paying anywhere from 25k-35k a year (40k was the highest, as a research tech in NYC). I ended up taking an offer at a nearby school as a research tech in a neurobiology lab. I love the work and the environment and it definitely is a great resume booster, but the pay is horrendous.

Still, what initially was just a resume booster turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience so far. I feel like Im getting an informal education but Im getting paid for it. Biomedical type research is super cool and one of the best parts about it is that you can kinda make your own schedule since its mostly based on the motivation of the individual. Definitely a great career option for the nerdy type who dont mind relatively low pay for potentially weird but flexible work hours. But ultimately for me its just a nice job to have til Im back in school next year.