My 2 cents on Choosing a College Major
I. Purpose:
Everyone has his/her own criteria for choosing a college major. This article can get you a headstart If you don’t already have one.
II. Introduction:
Many times, I came across parents, with the best interests of their kids and their future, struggling to decide a college major when their kids are in the final years of High School.
Before I present my 2 cents on “How to choose a college Major”, there are few things I would like to bring to the attention of the current parents with the old mindset.
a) Only few degrees are valuable:
With the job opportunities for every field out there, all degrees are valuable. (During my time, only Medical and Engineering degrees were valued).
In fact, elite organizations like Apple, Google, IBM, E&Y etc. stopped caring about college degrees anymore. They started focusing on the talent of the individuals rather than the degrees they possess.
b) My kid should study ONLY in MIT/Harvard/Yale/Stanford:
I know a lot of parents that want their kids to study ONLY in elite colleges like MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford etc. I understand the benefits of Connections/Internship Opportunities/great people you hang out with in those colleges.
If the kid gets admission there, it’s great. If not, don’t sweat too much on this issue.
As parents, we focus more on where our kids study Vs how they study there. At the end of the day, it’s not the college but what we learn in that college is what truly matters in life. (In my opinion, attachment to knowledge makes sense but attachment to the colleges/institutions/people is always limiting in many ways).
Earlier, where we studied made more sense as good colleges ONLY had good faculty, good labs, good facilities, and of course campus recruitment in the final year of college. Today, virtual colleges are taking away the significance of studying in great colleges. What was earlier available only to the students of the great colleges is now available online for everyone (Google/Youtube/Udemy etc). We can learn from a Harvard/MIT professor from anywhere in the world.
Why am I bringing this point up? I have seen lot of parents/students in a dilemma of which college to join when they get admission into multiple colleges. Lot of times, the students go by this old mind set of “Better college” and end up in huge debt of hundreds of thousands of dollars even before they start their career. My simple advice – Pick the one that costs us the least for the course and study well there.
c) The role played by the college in Student’s career:
Remember that only the first job considers the college we studied. From the 2nd job on wards, Organizations focus only on the experience of the candidate and his/her exposure in the relevant fields they care about. Now, back to the actual topic.
III. How to Choose a college major:
Here is how I guided my kids on what Major they should take for their "Undergrad". In my opinion, there are two scenarios here. Only one is applicable to your kids.
Scenario-I: The kid is passionate about something
If the kid is passionate about some major, simply go for it. This is like our calling, and this shouldn't be approached materialistically as the happiness we derive from doing what we love is invaluable.
Money is an overrated thing. More money never means more happiness. In fact, more money takes away the true happiness, meaningful relationships and eventually life from us. I believe in the saying "Anything in excess is a poison to body and mind".
By passionate, I mean that the kid did study a lot about it and truly knew what they were going for (How it suits their personality) - an Informed decision, not an impulsive decision.
The kid has done his/her homework and knows all the options out there, knows the Pros and Cons of each of those options. They have complete clarity of mind and have their strong reasons for choosing a specific major and should be able to explain them.
Scenario-II: The kid doesn't have a preference and doesn't know what to pick.
We are looking at the College degrees only as a means to get a job, not for gaining knowledge (I am just stating the fact here). If you have other reasons for it, probably the below points might not be applicable to you and you can quit reading this article here.
Here we just have to look at all the options materialistically and see which one offers better benefits compared to the rest.
In this scenario, here is the criteria I suggested to my kids. Have the responses in a tabular format and give points to each of the below criteria based on how much it matters to you, as in individual. We can use the elimination process to reach out to a conclusion fast.
1. What would the job market be after 4-5 years for this major?
With the fast-changing job market, this is critical for our kids. (Ex: With the technological advancement such as self-driving cars, machine learning, automation, they say jobs in many areas such as Auto Industry, Insurance, even Legal might disappear soon)
The only two domains I see a bright future in are "1. Health Care" (as we are actively screwing our health everyday) and "2. Supply Chain" (as the hoarding mentality of people is raising). I am not sure about anything else. :)
2. How are the annual salaries for this major?
With some majors we might get $40K annual salary and for some, we might get $80K.
3. What are the type of people I would deal with, with this major?
If we don't want to deal with Criminals, we can't study criminal law. By studying Civil Engineering, we could be dealing with non-white collar people such as Masons, carpenters, plumbers. By studying medicine, we would probably be dealing with patients with ailments. You get my point. Right? 😊
4. How would the work environment be?
For a civil engineer, he might have to work in a temporary camp office without facilities as this is the guy that builds things for other people and organizations. For an automobile engineer, he/she would have to work with Oil and Grease. A doctor might be dealing with blood, wounds, and diseases.
5. Is "Remote" working an option with this major?
This might not be a big deal when you are a bachelor but when you get married, this gives a lot of flexibility and a lot of options for you and your spouse.
It also helps a lot when you have kids and during their holidays. I know people going to places (relatives/friends' places or tourist places) for their kids' summer vacation while they are still working.
It's also a safety issue if we live in bad weather places.
6. Is this Major recognized world-wide?
This also takes away the restriction of sticking just to one place/state/country for the rest of our life. This was an option for the parents’ generation but for the current kids, it's mandatory.
Now, the whole world has become a global village and the kids have options to settle in the best place of their choice. With the best transportation facilities and best communication choices, this decision also has become easier.
There is another reason why we need to consider this criterion. We never know what will happen tomorrow. Ukrainians were happy in their country till 2021. Jews were happy in Germany until 1939. One person can decide the fate of an entire nation or a specific community of people. On the top of this, we can have Covid kind of issues.
Ex: If we study Medicine, CPA, or Any law, It's only valid within a state or country.
7. The possibility of working in multiple domains (there by having more job opportunities)
Very few majors give this option. For example, with an IT or Computer Science Major, we can go into any industry such as Insurance, Banking, Accounting, Aviation, Pharma, or Supply Chain industries. We can also change it if our preference changes with age.
This can also be beneficial if one industry goes down tomorrow due to technological advancement, and we would not become obsolete.
My opinions:
Any college education should be for learning/Knowledge
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If your answer is yes, then check the competency-based online university.
Closing Statement:
Experience is like a comb we get when we become bald. It might not be useful to us anymore but it would be very useful for the younger generation that still has full head of hair (I meant the need/use for this experience). My two kids are now working. That’s why I am sharing this for the younger parents out there. :)
As always, constructive criticism/comments are welcome.