Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I'm a freshman in college this year and have only been in school for about a week. I'm majoring in chemical engineering because I have always been good at math even though I don't always enjoy it, but so far I am just hating my classes and don't know if I can put up with constant math and science courses for four years. I know that it has only been a week but I am just really concerned about getting stuck in a job and career path I am going to end up hating. Now I have been looking into changing into a liberal arts major, possibly poly sci, international studies or geology but am concerned with being able to find a good job after i graduate with one of those.I mean I feel like I kind of just fell into the engineering degree choice but wasn't really prepared for the actual idea of it. Do So are there any good degrees that will actually be pretty useful once I graduate that would require more of math and social science based learning rather than sciences such as physics, chem, or biology? Also is it worth it sticking it out in chemical engineering?
I majored in liberal arts (comm studies) and came out with nothing. If I could go back to when I was 18 than I would major in computer science or business admin. In the end it's up to you on what you want to major in but keep in mind that you will be spending 40 hours or so a week studying your major so make sure it's something that your passionate about otherwise your just wasting your time; also checkout the job market for your major. Internships is something that would help so keep that in mind. Good luck.
Look into becoming a Pharmacist but you need more than 4 years of school. There is a big job demand right out of school with long term projections for high demand. and they earn higher income than Chemical Engineer.
You should really consider it. big salary and you dont have to run your own practice.
I would gues 75% or more of kids that start out in "hard" sciences like chemistry and physics end up switching majors. Really dumb move. Fact is if you do earn a solid degree in courses generally regarded as challenging (did some one lie to you and say Chem E was a "cake"???) it is pretty easy to get some kind of job that will give you a nice start. If you choose wisely your employer will pay for an MBA or maybe even laws school. Pretty hard to argue with the kind of income /career path that a well trained MBA with a a background in physical science can have, think Jack Welch former Chairmen of GE. Similarly if you could get a law degree you'd be prime candidate to be an Intellectual Property attorney, like the kind that just won a $1 Billion dollar verdict for Apple v Samsung. Nice compensation...
If you put your big boy pants on and stop whining you'll realize that 99% of losers that earn degrees in soft subjects like Poli Sci end up just living in their mom's basement posting to Huffington every four years
There are a whole lot of places that actively recruit people with skills in data analysis that do major in acturial science, statistics and econometrics, adding a MINOR in public policy can make you pretty valuable...
So I'm a freshman in college this year and have only been in school for about a week. I'm majoring in chemical engineering because I have always been good at math even though I don't always enjoy it, but so far I am just hating my classes and don't know if I can put up with constant math and science courses for four years. I know that it has only been a week but I am just really concerned about getting stuck in a job and career path I am going to end up hating. Now I have been looking into changing into a liberal arts major, possibly poly sci, international studies or geology but am concerned with being able to find a good job after i graduate with one of those.I mean I feel like I kind of just fell into the engineering degree choice but wasn't really prepared for the actual idea of it. Do So are there any good degrees that will actually be pretty useful once I graduate that would require more of math and social science based learning rather than sciences such as physics, chem, or biology? Also is it worth it sticking it out in chemical engineering?
Stick it out for a year.
I started in Aero Engineering and shifted to actuarial science after my first year at school. I wasn't keen on the physics etc. but liked the math\finance\economics aspects of actuarial science.
In this economy, shifting into one of those soft-arsed majors is a good way for you to wind up with a pile of student loans, working 2 McJobs that have nothing to do with your degree.
Trust me on this, if you have the skills to get into a chem eng. program do NOT sell yourself short by shifting into one of the majors where there are a lot more people than jobs and pays crap.
I started in Aero Engineering and shifted to actuarial science after my first year at school. I wasn't keen on the physics etc. but liked the math\finance\economics aspects of actuarial science.
In this economy, shifting into one of those soft-arsed majors is a good way for you to wind up with a pile of student loans, working 2 McJobs that have nothing to do with your degree.
Trust me on this, if you have the skills to get into a chem eng. program do NOT sell yourself short by shifting into one of the majors where there are a lot more people than jobs and pays crap.
Actuarial science actually sounds a lot like what I'm looking for. What type of jobs would be available with a degree in that?
If you put your big boy pants on and stop whining you'll realize that 99% of losers that earn degrees in soft subjects like Poli Sci end up just living in their mom's basement posting to Huffington every four years
Actuarial science actually sounds a lot like what I'm looking for. What type of jobs would be available with a degree in that?
The number one need for actuaries remain the broad range of insurance and financial firms. While once upon a time a vast majority of actuaries were merely performing analysis of life insuruance products the huge expansion of financial derivatives that allow many more ways to "hedge risk" has greatly expanded the role of actuaries in directing the entire "risk management" of diverse financial firms.
The second largest need for acturaries is in "benefits management" which includes firms that handle pensions / 401ks as well as a whole range of healthcare and HR centric firms.
The quickest growing segment of firms that are actively seeking more and more acturies are those in the broad category of marketing analysis including firms engaged in advertising and consumer analytics. The most technologically advanced polling / public opinion firms / organizations are also rapidly embracing the traditional tools of actuaries in assessing the accuracy and consistency of their domain.
Some of the best compensated people I know, at every stage of their career, from new hire to "C-level" executive is increasing expected to have skills in the discpilines of "Enterprise Risk Management" and this may outnumber the "casualty centric" actuary career path. CERA - Credential Overview
I started in Aero Engineering and shifted to actuarial science after my first year at school. I wasn't keen on the physics etc. but liked the math\finance\economics aspects of actuarial science.
In this economy, shifting into one of those soft-arsed majors is a good way for you to wind up with a pile of student loans, working 2 McJobs that have nothing to do with your degree.
Trust me on this, if you have the skills to get into a chem eng. program do NOT sell yourself short by shifting into one of the majors where there are a lot more people than jobs and pays crap.
I agree with this advice. I was also good at math, but stuck through my major (EE) and am glad that I did.
adox, being good at math is half the battle. Most people choose the soft majors because they aren't good at math. If you can find something that still uses math, but provides a balance (like the actuarial science suggestion), it would be a lot better than totally jumping ship to a lib arts major.
Actuarial science actually sounds a lot like what I'm looking for. What type of jobs would be available with a degree in that?
The majority of the jobs are with insurance companies. The type of work you wind up doing can be WILDLY variable depending upon where you go with it in your career path.
Some of it can be rote and boring while it can also be very very creative in nature with big-bucks on the line.
Warning: It is a VERY tough field. The exams you have to take to become credentialed requires a lot of work and the competition is full of bright bright people and oh yeah....the exams are essentially on a curve although they will tell you it isn't.
Look around, maybe see if your school has an actuarial department and maybe even better go to the society of actuaries website and forums and start a post asking for some advice there. I'm 20 years out of college so you are best off talking to some younger blood IMO.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Freshmen syndrome ...
