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In my opinion STEM is the way to go. Or if you do decide to go LA then please for the love of god pair it with some marketable classes outside the LA major. We must remember that the days of a company hiring generic degree for even entry level work are largely gone. They are picky now, they have the power to be as picky and as choosy as they want to be-keep that in mind. It also goes without saying, whether you go STEM or LA-internships, unpaid internships part time work etc... is vital
Now as to what majors are worth pursing-at just the undergrad level- I am assuming the student has no plan of graduate school or med school, dental school, law school etc..., I would say (this is in no particular order):
1) Computers, IT, programming etc...
2) Nursing
3) Accounting
4) Supply chain management, business, finance, economics-as you can see business is very big
5) Engineering
Yes I know you where told that all majors are equal blah blah, college degree sets you apart blah blah-twas all a lie, maybe it was relevant a few years ago but it is not so anymore. For whatever reason employers prefer to hire a,b,c,d major- might as well study that.
There are many downsides to gettng and being an MD. And many specialties that have their own specific up and downsides.
I wouldn't go nearly as far as saying "MD by far". If I could go back and do it all over again, that wouldn't be my choice of what to pursue.
Honestly.
Everything I say here comes from my own life experience.
No doctor I know has ever had to 'look' for a job. They have had one whenever they want one. No doctor I know makes less than six figures, and most make WAY above that water mark. No doctor I know has ever been laid off. And I know a lot of them. I know people in every other profession who have had to spend time looking for work, get paid low, and have been laid off. Engineer, business, nurse, law, nonprofit, academia, you name it.
It is really the only 'guarantee' out there. And once again, the reason is because the AMA restricts the # of licensed schools and # of degrees that are awarded, so that it doesn't turn into a silly money making mill, like every other degree out there.
Masters Engineering, JD, MBA, RN, you name it. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can get one at 'some' school these days. Apparently, PharmD is going that way as well, but things are apparently still pretty good for them.
In retrospect, I wouldn't have gone that way either because it would have been too many years of sacrifice. Not the debt.
STEM is relatively more useful, but there are simply too many STEM graduates. STEM is overrated because high-tech big companies want excessive STEM graduates to allow them to pay less and be more picky.
Not sure where you're drawing your conclusions from, but they are simply incorrect.
STEM graduates are actually in short supply right now in most STEM fields (the exception being some of the hard science areas, especially PhD positions). BS and MS grads generally have the best job prospects right now.
Everything I say here comes from my own life experience.
No doctor I know has ever had to 'look' for a job. They have had one whenever they want one. No doctor I know makes less than six figures, and most make WAY above that water mark. No doctor I know has ever been laid off. And I know a lot of them. I know people in every other profession who have had to spend time looking for work, get paid low, and have been laid off. Engineer, business, nurse, law, nonprofit, academia, you name it.
It is really the only 'guarantee' out there. And once again, the reason is because the AMA restricts the # of licensed schools and # of degrees that are awarded, so that it doesn't turn into a silly money making mill, like every other degree out there.
Masters Engineering, JD, MBA, RN, you name it. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can get one at 'some' school these days. Apparently, PharmD is going that way as well, but things are apparently still pretty good for them.
In retrospect, I wouldn't have gone that way either because it would have been too many years of sacrifice. Not the debt.
Nursing school has actually gotten quite competitive now. I hear it's because there is a shortage of nursing instructors. PharmD is still very competitive as well. Nurses have been laid off but it has been no where near as bad as other professions. Usually because the hospital had many financial/performance problems. I'd say pretty much every profession in healthcare has good job security with decent to excellent pay.
Not sure where you're drawing your conclusions from, but they are simply incorrect.
STEM graduates are actually in short supply right now in most STEM fields (the exception being some of the hard science areas, especially PhD positions). BS and MS grads generally have the best job prospects right now.
I agree that STEM graduates are needed. But from my experience though the job prospects for BS and MS grads in general science (biology, chemistry, etc.) are limited. Very low wage laboratory tech or laboratory analyst jobs seem to be the only option for BS and MS chemistry grads now that many QC chem jobs have been outsourced. Biology and biochemistry BS/MS have opportunities with pharmaceutical research companies. Yet, I hear there is not much advancement with only a BS/MS and that the company will tell you to get a PhD if you want to move up. However, for the more specialized STEM fields like engineering this is certainly not the case.
Nursing school has actually gotten quite competitive now. I hear it's because there is a shortage of nursing instructors. PharmD is still very competitive as well. Nurses have been laid off but it has been no where near as bad as other professions. Usually because the hospital had many financial/performance problems. I'd say pretty much every profession in healthcare has good job security with decent to excellent pay.
Nursing I think is pretty good. I would imagine the job security to be good, the pay to be decent, and the mobility to be very good.
I considered being a nurse briefly for this reason, even though I have absolutely no interest in the job itself.
It's not just about being competitive. It's about limiting the # of spots.
New Pharmacy schools are popping up all over the place because everybody wants that six figure income and job stability. So, what's happening is there's finally more spots than jobs.
But overall, yes, I'd say most primary healthcare jobs have good job security and good pay.
Healthcare and engineering are probably two of the top five choices. These fields are usually in demand. I wouldn't count on a job with any degree though. You may get a nursing degree and end up with a job at a bank who knows. Also, don't just claim a "best degree" major just because everyone else said it was a good idea.
My cousin graduated with Engineering degree at top state university in May and is still looking for jobs...
What type of engineering did your cousin study?
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