What was/is your major in college and what is your job now?

[LisaR]

Awww, Twinks! When I was 18 I wasn't a big achiever either. My guess is that most who responded to you were average, laid back students in high school and those who did go on to college were just as intimidated by starting over as "the youngest" - the freshmen in college.

I don't know about anyone else but it took me about a week to realize every other freshman was in the same boat and uh, I'll leave it at that!

Sounds like you're just a little intimidated, are having a little dip of self confidence but just by virtue of the fact that you not only asked for advice but you really read it and considered it leads me to think you'll do just fine!!

Good luck with school Twinks!

Lisa

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinks wooowowowow... thanks for all the advice I loved reading about your personal experiences and realized that I'm not a big achiever like you guys... I'm more of a lazy, average student, but your words of inspiration are truly appreciated... I guess I'll give college a try first because I'm attending practically for free anyway with grants... If anyone's wondering, I'll be attending Cal State Long Beach (I know, not a really smart school)... I guess I'm kindasorta just intimidated because I'll be the youngest in school again and I was just so used to being the senior in high school... and it doesn't help that no one I know will be going to the school either... anyway I'm just rambling now.. Thanks again ladies (and gentlemen?)... I really appreciate the help.

 

[Pink_lily]

let's see, i started out as a french major, then switched to an arts administration major (i.e. non-profit organization management), then finally settled on business administration with a concentration on marketing. if things work out for me, i will graduate in december. but if things don't, i'll be taking one required course and three useless classes in the spring.

my job right now is as a server at the cheesecake factory. it's good money, but the drive is getting to me (25-30 minutes). and with classes starting back up soon, i'm probably not going to be able to work the minimum required number of shifts to continue employment because of my schedule. sooo, it looks like i'll be working part-time at a restaurant closer to my apartment and working part-time at hollister as a sales associate. they even promised me that once i graduate, they'll put me into the management training program.

definitely give college a try. take classes that interest you - that's the whole point of general education requirements and basically the entire first two years of college. look around and find out what you like. if i hadn't taken a principles of marketing class, i never would have found out that that's what i want to do. if in the end you realize that you still want to do cosmetology, then do it!

 

[caffn8me]

I have a Master of Arts degree (work that one out!) in Zoology with a supplementary subject of Chemical Pharmacology. I then went to medical school for a year and a half but ran out of money

Since then I've always worked with computers - mainly internet, network and security consultancy. I don't have a single computing qualification or any formal training. I also do freelance makeup (for which I do have training and a qualification!).

Do a course that you know you will enjoy. You're far more likely to complete it and get a job you like afterwards than if you do something you hate. You may complete a course in a subject you really hate and at the end of it dislike it so much that you won't look for a job in that field which really means you've put yourself through hell for nothing.

Having a degree or diploma will make you more employable no matter what subject it's in so you may as well do something you like.

 

[professionaltart]

I understand why everyone is like, you're chasing your degree not your parents but the way I saw it was a degree is only going to help me in the future. I was afraid that after HS i was going to go to lets just say cosmetology school and realized I didnt like it. Then what? I wanted to have as many options as I could. Senior yr of HS i got a full scholarship to a great school for Biology buttt then i ended up graduating with a BA in Information Technology, after that I applied to law school and got a scholarship to a Tier 1 law school but I didnt end up going cause I didnt wanna jump back into school. I went into finance and worked for *name withheld* and liked it a lot butttt not as much as I wanted to like it. I had client that worked for MAC and thats how I ended up here.

If I dont wanna stay with MAC I have some fallbacks, I can go back into finance and I can go in to IT.

My advice is to give college a try and dont take classes in accounting just cause your parents say so or whatever other class.

 

[Eoraptor]

I'm getting an Earth and Space Sciences: Biology Option BS degree. Only one more class to go (calculus- my nemesis). Despite its name, Earth and Space Sciences has little to do with space. It's just what resulted when the university combined the Geology and Astrobiology programs. Astronomy's still a separate major. Specifically, I study paleontology- and focus on dinosaurs. I do work at the local museum, but can't get many hours there, and frankly the work's been so boring lately (labeling corks) that I haven't bothered. So most of my money comes from a hotdog shop, where I get paid to sit and read, and make maybe 7 hotdogs an hour. It's a great job, but I don't want to do it for the long term. Paleontological jobs are hard to come by though, especially in this state. I've been considering makeup too recently, but I have a long way to go if I want to try that.

I'm not a big achiever either, twinks. Very lazy and procrastinatory, but I'm managing to make it through college. I'm sure you can too.

 

[jess]

I attended tafe after finishing school - and studied to become a travel agent - I did this for 2 years and hated it, so became a receptionist for a floor of Barristers, now I am the Clerk / Manager here and have been here for nearly 5 years and love it, I studied for 2 years in the evenings a few years back related to this job - Diploma in Business - Legal Studies, have always wanted to study Law but cannot face the 7 years at night - I found that 3 nights per week for 2 years whilst working 10 hour days was hell and the workload wasn't that big.

 

[kaliraksha]

I know this is an old topic, but I would love more stories added to the topic. Any takers, please?

 

[aeni]

Majoring in Theatre and minoring in Art History. I'm still thinking of staying an extra year just to get my major in Art History. Both have really helped me in the way of makeup as anything and everything relates to each other with a bigger understanding of the big picture.

I'm thinking of either going to VFS or MUD after I finish my dental work (I get braces tomorrow for the next 8 months). Until then, I plan to either work at a counter, art store, or a bigger corporation with benefits. I also just got another movie offer for this summer - woot.

Edit: I should also mention that I was in the same boat as you, but in the end decided to go to college. I didn't want to continue living with my parents or have a dead end retail job. Thanks to college, I have many connections with actors, filmmakers, etc - which is probably why (in the end) people go to school: connections.

 

[macslut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jess I attended tafe after finishing school - and studied to become a travel agent - I did this for 2 years and hated it, so became a receptionist for a floor of Barristers, now I am the Clerk / Manager here and have been here for nearly 5 years and love it, I studied for 2 years in the evenings a few years back related to this job - Diploma in Business - Legal Studies, have always wanted to study Law but cannot face the 7 years at night - I found that 3 nights per week for 2 years whilst working 10 hour days was hell and the workload wasn't that big.

You went to finishing school too? I hated it.

I graduated with a liberal arts degree with emphasis in art and psychology. What that means is that I could not decide. I am getting my masters in adult education and at this point will graduate in December. I then want to go to law school. And I read WWD everyday. I figure if I can indulge my hobby then I won't feel compelled to enter the field. I know I should go to law school. I want to work with intimate violence victims.

My advice: Don't decide until about 3/4 of your first year in...if then. You will have to take tons of general education classes and those will help you narrow it down. Also, attend the majors fair that your school will put on. It is a great way to talk to professors and students about their respective fields and get some information. Most of all: RELAX. Get into some activities and make friends. I always thought about college as 70% academics and 30% everything else. Be careful about the party scene. It is too easy to get sucked in. I have seen many a freshman screw up royally.

 

[Pei]

I have a diploma in Marketing & a degree in Business.

Eventually I help to manage my parent's business.


In my personal opinion, i feel that u shld choose something that u really wish to do. Not what others want u to do.

Tell ur parents firmly that this is what you would want to do. DO NOT bicker with them on the topic.

They might see u as an immature brat who's just insisting on what he/she want in a moment of passion.


However, have determination. Try to excel what what u had chosen. Not to proof them wrong, it is to proof urself right.

 

[xbeatofangelx]

More stories hmm?

I didn't like highschool but I did well and was accepted to UC BERKELEY

(GO BEARS) where I met many friends for life, joined a great sorority (Sigma Omicron Pi est. 1930) and even met my boyfriend through the Greek system.

The summer after my freshman year I took a part time job with a home-operated contractor who was building houses, as a full time secretary/assisstant. Pretty soon, he began piling more and more responsibilities on me. About a month later, he paid for my tuition for real estate classes, and now I'm a 19 y/o real estate agent in Arizona. I had my first deal close a few weeks ago. I also supervised the job site development for six brand-new custom built houses, but now I'm working back at the office, managing the accounting and day-to-day for 5 small companies.

I completed 3 semesters in college - then decided that this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I can go back to school at any time without any penalties, all I have to do is submit a simple form.

At 19.5, I feel like I can get almost any job I want with the skills I have learned. But college is important - that doesn't mean you have to stick with it for 4 years straight before you try anything new.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I majored in physics, and I haven't had a single job within the field. I work in math editorial work, which is closer to English.

The problem with physics is that there aren't the number of jobs available compared to other sciences, unless you have a graduate degree. My other friends have faced this issue. I've also faced an issue with places not convinced that I'll stay on, because they think I'll be bored doing admin work; I don't even know why they bother interviewing with me.

If I had to do it over again, I would've probably had a "safety" major in another science or engineering.

If your parents are worried about security, you might want to try the plan I wish I would've taken. It wouldn't be financially the best, but it would appease everyone.

 

[mskitchmas]

Well. I started out as an Animal Science (pre-vet) student, but I hated the chem, and it showed, the thoughts of those grades still makes me cringe. Plus my parents said they wouldn't pay for Art School. So, after a few years of disastrous grades in chem... I switched to Medical Illlustration, and after I was in it for 6 months, the program was dropped from the school I was attending. I took this as a sign, and made a run for art school. Where I received a BFA Majoring Graphic and Advertising Design and a Minor in Package Design. It was a great experience, and I don't regret one minute going for what I wanted. EVEN though I had to work like a dog to pay for supplies and take out a GAZILLION dollars in loans and eat toast and ramen noodles for years and will be paying for the loans for the next 105 years.

Although I work very hard, I love my job, and for confidentiality purposes I'd rather not say where I work/what we make. I manage a staff of artists and designers to create some really fun stuff.

Good Luck!

 

[GalleyGirl]

My bachelors is in Japanese, my masters is in Museum Studies, and I now work in a museum. Before that I was a desk slave at a talent agency because I used to want to be a literary agent, until I realized that agents are used car salesmen that push people, not cars. I am so glad I got my masters, its seriously the new bachelors these days.

 

[kaliraksha]

Well that's because of the trends. Back in the days when my parents and their generation were graduating, if they were graduating from college... a degree was not commonplace. Statistically speaking most people did not have their bachelor’s degree 50 years ago… so those with bachelor’s degrees were more readily employed. Now, we’ve raised the bar and the BA or BS is “mandatory” so now corporations are looking for more than just that.


My Mom is always incredulous whenever I tell her I don’t think I will get a job with a BS in Psychology, but I don’t think I’m too far off. I probably will make little more than I make now without a degree.

 

[Char1986]

I'm in college right now, going for my BA in Music Industry. I love my major! It's like a music degree and a business degree combined

 

[medusalox]

Oh dear.

I started out as a French major at a big university in Wisconsin. Didn't work out too well...although I tested out of nearly all of my classes and nearly completed my french degree my first year, I ended up being kicked out due to some...unfortunate circumstances involving me, too much alcohol, and a lack of attending class. Heh. you live, you learn.

So I transferred to a technical college here in WI, and just about completed a degree in Nursing, before I realized that I HATED it. I totally admire nurses, but it's just not something I could be happy doing. So I dropped out of that, and proceeded to sign back up for a new degree plan...

Criminal Justice!
And I love it!

It's really great to feel like, yeah, this is where I should be.

It takes some time to learn about what you want and what you need, but the one thing I know for sure is that you have to listen to yourself. Don't do something because it's practical or just because you're good at it. Do the thing that makes you warm, fuzzy, and excited inside.

 

[Viva_la_MAC_Girl]

Went to college @ Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, GIS Minor, Biological Sciences Major. Here are some of the things that I tapped in :
Conservation biology, wildlife ecology, herpetology, freshwater ecology, fire ecology. I loved every minute of it! It was hard but it payed off. I worked for CDF- California Department of Forestry, and now I currently work for BLM -Bureau of Land Management

Hard work does pay off!!!!

 

[kimmy]

right now...i'm a courtesy clerk at a grocery store haha. but i'm in the process of getting hired with the sheriff's department as a sheriff's assistant. i'm not in college yet, but am planning on starting this coming fall (hopefully) to get my bachelor's in law and society...then i wanna go to law school to be a criminal prosecuter. i'm 18 right now, and just in the past couple years i've changed my mind like five times as to what i wanted to do, which is why i'm not currently in college. at the beginning of my senior year in high school i planned on being a career military girl, so i didn't take the sats or anything...so now i have to wait a year to start college so i can get all the pre-reqs and everything covered.

 

[bklyn]

I graduated high school in '89. Guess that makes me as good as 100 to ya huh

Though I always did very well when I applied myself, I was very distracted - social stuff, hanging out, part-time job, dram, etc. plus I was not really that into school. Well I started college after having graduated a yr early..only to go full then part time, drop out a semester here and there, go to 3 diff schools..after yrs of this I started working full time and going to night school. 11 yrs later I finally got my BA, psych major, sociology minor. Worked in cosmetics for 4 yrs and then went for my master's in occupational therapy. I have a lot of regrets when looking back on my academic career. I wish I would have committed fully to something - if it wasn't school then I feel I should've gotten some kind of training in something (i.e., medical asst, dental hygenist) so I could have been doing that while attending night school. Better yet, just fully committed to school. I regret, too, not having gone into the military bc I think it would have given me focus and direction (though I wouldn't advise that now). So basically my advice is make a decision and commit yourself to it, even if it's for a designated amt of time. p.s., a degree can only help you..and you could always take one of those 2 wk mu courses during summer break (i.e., LIBS) to see how it feels to you and access your skills/aptitude for it. Consider going thru some of those career books at B&N. And do talk w ur parents, they may be more insightful than u think. sorry this is so lengthy!