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I recently went to New York City and had an incredible time! I always love it there there! I love the city life and I think NY would be a perfect fit for me. I would like to move after I either graduate from college or 1 or 2 years after I graduate. I'm currently a 17 yr-old female, a junior in high school and I live in SoCal. No, not the nice part, the Inland Empire.
I'm living a dream I have now but I want to turn it into a reality! I'm looking at colleges now and narrowing my choices down. I don't particularly want to go to school in New York, but I assume if I did it would it be easier finding jobs after I graduate and internships in the city. I'm not too sure what I want to major in now, but I do have a few ideas. I'd say my best subject is English because I am creative person. I'm also good at history. I'm pretty good at science (besdies chemistry!) and alright at math. What are some possible majors that I should consider? I know the job market in NYC is super competitive now, so I'm open to all majors and ideas. If I do move to NYC, I know I want to be prepared and make sure I'll be able to find a good job there within a few months.
So any tips on achieving my dream? Do you think I'm on the right path? Thanks =)
Get the best, most prestigious education and highest grades you can. There's really the best advice we can give before you even go to college. You'll be able to get a solid job in NYC after graduation if your grades are strong at a well-regarded college.
Choose an especially in-demand area of study. Anything in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) is in high demand. That includes some very technical areas, like quantitative economics and biomedical engineering, but it also includes "softer" areas like clinical psychology--though the jobs are less plentiful the less technical the field is. The NYC job market has historically been heavy on finance, but the fastest growing sector these days is technology (especially IT and software development), though it remains just a small fraction of overall employment in the city. English and History, and similar liberal arts degrees, are very hard to make proper use of in the modern job market, in NYC or elsewhere, and are not in demand. Fields that do like liberal arts degrees, such as journalism and law, are struggling with an oversupply of interested graduates (and law at least requires additional school after college).
Summer jobs in NYC are achievable from anywhere in the country provided you're doing well in school at a good college. The advantages of connections in NYC are probably not worth the additional cost of living in NYC for college itself, though that dynamic shifts if your family is capable of paying your way through college rather than taking on debt. There are a few fields, like fashion, where the best schools and connections really are in NYC, but those are very niche (and difficult to enter) fields that, if you're not already targeting them at 17, are not fields to pivot to now.
Get the best, most prestigious education and highest grades you can. There's really the best advice we can give before you even go to college. You'll be able to get a solid job in NYC after graduation if your grades are strong at a well-regarded college.
Choose an especially in-demand area of study. Anything in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) is in high demand. That includes some very technical areas, like quantitative economics and biomedical engineering, but it also includes "softer" areas like clinical psychology--though the jobs are less plentiful the less technical the field is. The NYC job market has historically been heavy on finance, but the fastest growing sector these days is technology (especially IT and software development), though it remains just a small fraction of overall employment in the city. English and History, and similar liberal arts degrees, are very hard to make proper use of in the modern job market, in NYC or elsewhere, and are not in demand. Fields that do like liberal arts degrees, such as journalism and law, are struggling with an oversupply of interested graduates (and law at least requires additional school after college).
Summer jobs in NYC are achievable from anywhere in the country provided you're doing well in school at a good college. The advantages of connections in NYC are probably not worth the additional cost of living in NYC for college itself, though that dynamic shifts if your family is capable of paying your way through college rather than taking on debt. There are a few fields, like fashion, where the best schools and connections really are in NYC, but those are very niche (and difficult to enter) fields that, if you're not already targeting them at 17, are not fields to pivot to now.
Having gone to college in manhattan, i notice some really miss out the "campus" experience. Everything is really fragmented and people tend to scatter. Flip side is your resume has a lot of potential to really build to something impressive at a earlier age than other college students.
BrownstoneNY's reply is excellent. I'm not so sure that schooling in NYC gives you any advantages in terms of internships or jobs. The real key to an internship is having enough money so that you can accept even if they pay you little or nothing. But a brand-name college is naturally better.
Of course, you don't have to choose a field now and, indeed, college is when you should take advantages of the opportunity to explore different subjects. Keep in mind, though, that math/science majors are probably a lot rarer than English majors, so math/science might give you an advantage right there. Especially - let's face it - for girls!
BrownstoneNY's reply is excellent. I'm not so sure that schooling in NYC gives you any advantages in terms of internships or jobs. The real key to an internship is having enough money so that you can accept even if they pay you little or nothing. But a brand-name college is naturally better.
Of course, you don't have to choose a field now and, indeed, college is when you should take advantages of the opportunity to explore different subjects. Keep in mind, though, that math/science majors are probably a lot rarer than English majors, so math/science might give you an advantage right there. Especially - let's face it - for girls!
I just graduated last year, and from a metro detroit area school. Where automotive companies are everywhere. Where they need engineers like crazy.
At commencement, every school (Arts, Nursing, Business, etc) other than computer science and ENGINEERING, had at least 3 rows of students filling them. The science and engineering students... didn't even fill 1 row!! 3 of these were girls...
But back to the OP, Depending on your finances, I would really recommend going to a community college to more so figure out what you want to do. If you kicked but in HS and got a full ride or something like that, go to a university and figure it out there, but if you're paying your way, CC helps a lot.
Also, just because you are good at something, doesn't mean you will like it. I'm good with computers and programming. I graduated with a computer science degree and can't stand it. Now I'm trying to switch fields and am going back to school in the fall for an advanced degree in something I enjoy.
But back to the OP, Depending on your finances, I would really recommend going to a community college to more so figure out what you want to do. If you kicked but in HS and got a full ride or something like that, go to a university and figure it out there, but if you're paying your way, CC helps a lot.
I'd just like to add that the above advice is not sound, IF you have the grades to get into a good school.
If you don't have the grades, then CC can be a good idea, but you need to graduate CC near the top of your class to get into a *good* school.
If you are serious about NYC, then you must be serious about the field you choose and the grades you get. The sooner you choose your major, the sooner you can get to advanced classes! Taking advanced classes not only furthers your education, but, importantly, they allow you to get close to professors who can help to further your career, by reccommending you to their friends, colleagues, and former students, who run the companies you want to obtain Internships and eventually work for.
The better your grades, the more advanced your classes, the easier it is to get the best Internships.
If you do really well at a good school, you won't have to worry about *finding* a job. You will be RECRUITED! If you are recruited into a NYC firm, you will be set!
If you're dreaming then dream. Put everything else in your life aside and focus, focus, focus, focus. Realize there are kids out there who already know what they want, have the grades, and they are sophmores!
You NEED to ace the SATs. 1100 is a minimum! Higher is better. Study, take classes, get a tutor, whatever it takes.
Life is a competition, by choosing NYC, you choose to compete, and to succeed! Start now.
College is uber expensive these days. Do not fall for the "go to the best, most ZOMG PRESTIGIOUS school you can, no matter the price", babyboomer flame.
Go to your local state flagship. If you can't get in, go to your local CC and do the best you can and then transfer to your state flagship university. Try to take out as few student loans as you can.
Graduate with a 3.5+ in a decent field that is in demand.
After that look for a job in NYC. Come here and do your 3 - 5 years in the city. Take it all in and then MOVE THE HELL OUT. Within 5 years you'll no longer be stary-eyed with the city. The bums and stink will get to you. Move someplace nice and raise a family.
I just graduated last year, and from a metro detroit area school. Where automotive companies are everywhere. Where they need engineers like crazy.
At commencement, every school (Arts, Nursing, Business, etc) other than computer science and ENGINEERING, had at least 3 rows of students filling them. The science and engineering students... didn't even fill 1 row!! 3 of these were girls...
But back to the OP, Depending on your finances, I would really recommend going to a community college to more so figure out what you want to do. If you kicked but in HS and got a full ride or something like that, go to a university and figure it out there, but if you're paying your way, CC helps a lot.
Also, just because you are good at something, doesn't mean you will like it. I'm good with computers and programming. I graduated with a computer science degree and can't stand it. Now I'm trying to switch fields and am going back to school in the fall for an advanced degree in something I enjoy.
The problem I'm not too good with computers and I don't really want to go into engineering. I know another poster mentioned that STEM is where it's at, but I'm not too interested in anything science, math and technology, besides nursing. I know I'm young, but I don't know what I want to do with my life and it's stressing me out to no end! Ugh!
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