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View Poll Results: Why do young people today major in economically useless subjects?
ignorance about the bubble 36 21.05%
too lazy to do engineering/accounting/nursing 46 26.90%
other (comment) 89 52.05%
Voters: 171. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 03-23-2016, 07:46 AM
 
2,210 posts, read 3,483,430 times
Reputation: 2240

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Quote:
Originally Posted by NekoLogic View Post
I think you need to look at the average or statistics of those majors to get an accurate picture of what to expect from certain majors. There will always be examples of people who make good money with any given major.
It all comes down to someone's intelligence and drive. What degree they hold is a small part of the equation.

If you are reasonably intelligent and have a desire to succeed there is a high likelihood you will have a successful career. Having a degree is part of the equation, but far from the most important factor. What the major in is somewhat relevant coming out of school, but becomes less relevant over time. After 6-7 years what someone majored in is almost entirely irrelevant when being considered for most jobs. There are obviously exceptions for highly specialized or technical fields.
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Old 03-23-2016, 08:06 AM
 
404 posts, read 365,659 times
Reputation: 371
Quote:
Originally Posted by azsportpilot View Post
100% true, most (non-specialized) employers don't care what the degree is.... so long as you have one

I think that is why you see some seemingly useless degrees still being popular choices

It's easier

why work so hard getting a BS in Engineering when you can get a BA in Art...... "a degree is a degree" to many employers

I wish that was the case. Every white collar job that i try to apply to seems to want either a business or a communications degree. So i dont believe that a degree is just a degree


Quote:
Originally Posted by patheticpeter View Post
I got a poverty healthcare degree. I only went to college to get laid though. I could care less about money and careers. I just want to smoke weed and play video games.
Hey, at least you had a plan!

Quote:
Originally Posted by dazeddude8 View Post
Very true, its what you do with the degree. But at the same time you need a start, somebody, somewhere has to take a chance and hire you. So for all those Art majors working in communications-someone had to give him/her a chance. I think the overlying problem is people are struggling with that chance, getting that "foot in the door position". For instance what about all the art majors who did not get the communications position, what do they do? Now it could be that he/she is not willing to start from the bottom in an unrelated position or maybe he/she is only willing to work for Company A and no one else. Or maybe he/she is just dam lazy when it comes looking for work, I don't know.
I think that is my problem. Someone has to give you a chance, its jist finding that person in the first place.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IDoPhysicsPhD View Post
Don't believe everything you hear...
Why would he lie?
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Old 03-23-2016, 08:13 AM
 
2,151 posts, read 1,349,600 times
Reputation: 1786
Quote:
Originally Posted by Down in a Hole View Post
Why would he lie?
That's a question you should ask him. I can't tell you why he lied. Only that he did (based on the facts).
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Old 03-23-2016, 02:11 PM
 
1,110 posts, read 669,572 times
Reputation: 804
In a world where everyone gets a trophy, coddled kids emerge into adulthood with a burning desire to stand out, be interesting, obscure, eclectic, unique, 'special'...

Hence your Barnes and Noble cashier may have majored in Medieval Agriculture or Paleobotany. Bankrolled by student loans or enabling parents, they had no plan to forge relationships that my lead to a job in 'niche' fields, just want to be interesting...
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Old 03-23-2016, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Central IL
20,726 posts, read 16,287,003 times
Reputation: 50370
Quote:
Originally Posted by Down in a Hole View Post
I wish that was the case. Every white collar job that i try to apply to seems to want either a business or a communications degree. So i dont believe that a degree is just a degree




Hey, at least you had a plan!



I think that is my problem. Someone has to give you a chance, its jist finding that person in the first place.



Why would he lie?
Did they actually SPECIFY a business or comm degree? Those are very common and somewhat general but depending on the position may not be required - any liberal arts degree will do. Now, that may not be the case if they actually want someone who knows accounting stuff, how to calculate ROI..etc. but generally if you show the aptitude to learn by having a degree or other experience you have a chance.

Let THEM reject you - don't reject YOURSELF by not applying for a job.
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Old 03-23-2016, 11:44 PM
 
Location: U.S.A., Earth
5,511 posts, read 4,458,944 times
Reputation: 5769
Quote:
Originally Posted by L210 View Post
Biology? Yes, a lot of biology majors either don't get into med school or decide not to go and get stuck in low-paying, lab jobs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nostoneunturned View Post
Yeah, Biology is really not a good major, I would argue especially not for med school. Just not competitive enough, they're a dime a dozen. There are not even enough low-paying lab jobs for them. When I worked in health care HR, we used to get applications from BS Biology grads looking for $10/hr office/administrative jobs. Some with good internships and high GPAs. Of course they wouldn't get interviews because they don't have office experience. What happens then I wonder? Retail? Grad school? A lot of times, off to technical school to get AAS in Nursing, Dental Hygiene, etc. Could've saved on the tens of thousands spent on the BS..

Are we talking about Masters or higher? I've heard from cousins that after they got their Bachelors in Biology, they went straight for Masters since according to their research and knowledge, you need at least a Masters to have favorable job prospects. This was roughly 2008.
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Old 03-24-2016, 05:25 PM
 
7,005 posts, read 12,447,644 times
Reputation: 5478
Quote:
Originally Posted by ackmondual View Post
Are we talking about Masters or higher? I've heard from cousins that after they got their Bachelors in Biology, they went straight for Masters since according to their research and knowledge, you need at least a Masters to have favorable job prospects. This was roughly 2008.
I was talking about bachelor's degrees. Having to get a master's in order to have decent job prospects is the case for many liberal arts majors.
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Old 03-24-2016, 05:35 PM
 
Location: Ohio
115 posts, read 130,066 times
Reputation: 171
I majored in Economics. Lot of good that did. Starting McSalary: $10 hourly.

Kids, don't waste your time in college. Start your own business. Learn a skill like web design or driving a truck. College is for the rich, connected elites. Not average folks like us. All you'll get by going to college is a mountain of debt.
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Old 03-24-2016, 06:08 PM
 
1,768 posts, read 1,634,571 times
Reputation: 1597
Quote:
Originally Posted by zie92mg9z View Post
I majored in Economics. Lot of good that did. Starting McSalary: $10 hourly.

Kids, don't waste your time in college. Start your own business. Learn a skill like web design or driving a truck. College is for the rich, connected elites. Not average folks like us. All you'll get by going to college is a mountain of debt.

Economics is a GREAT degree if you focus on econometrics and go to a decent school. Don't waste your time taking economic history courses and focus on taking more regression and time series analysis courses.
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Old 03-24-2016, 09:31 PM
 
2,924 posts, read 1,582,596 times
Reputation: 2498
Because we have trouble figuring out what "economically useless subjects" are. Wish someone would tell us.
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