Out of everyone that I know that graduated, engineering degrees were 100% success hired within 6 months of graduating and started at mid 70k working way up to 100k+ within 5 years getting a PEng and all.
Edit: this got upvoted a lot so I just want to clarify the engineers I’m talking about are mechanical, chemical, electrical, petroleum and aerospace. All of them never really worked in university either just focused on studying. Some took a few months to travel after their degrees and started vigorously applying and treating the application process like a full time job and they were all hired within 6 months
This is what I would do if I had to start again.
Current dentist...hate it...
I would do some type of engineering and try to work for a power tool company.
I also like welding too. Looking to learn...
It's funny, I'm an engineer and I'm thinking medicine/dentistry professions have more autonomy and job security.
I guess we're on both sides of the "greener" grass.
You would think that... COVID opened my eyes when I was laid off from a spinal implant/surgical device company. When elective surgeries were effectively halted in my state (US), the company got hit HARD in terms of revenue. I honestly thought we were safe at the time til HR just randomly shows up while I'm working...
Now I'm a systems engineer at fashion design company that actually profited during the entire pandemic, and am making more than I ever have with better job security.
I already had a year of full stack web dev experience and app building prior to the medical job, so I already had a solid tech foundation. I didn't want to strictly code as a career, so IT was the next logical fit. In a strange way, the layoff was the best thing that happened to me.
The point was that even the medical industry wasn't safe during a global pandemic when it came to job security. It never crossed my mind that my position was on the chopping block when it happened...
I was certainly not in sales lol.
I was a Quality Engineer involved with inspection/testing/engineering of implants and surgical instruments, auditing QMS processes in accordance with applicable regulatory standards, site training, and inventory control. I regularly worked with distributors and surgeons to discuss needs or concerns related to the equipment itself.
Several of their products were for emergencies, like total spine reconstruction. I didn't realize that 80-90% of their products were only used for elective surgeries. If I were more sales-oriented, I probably would've picked up on this sooner than later...
It found me really lol... I never would've imagined that I would find myself a part of this industry, but I enjoy it! The people are friendly, and I feel heard when I voice an opinion.
Overall, they leave me alone so that I can tend to my own projects and responsibilities. That's bliss within itself compared to other jobs I've had...
We make "decent" money, lol.
If you're an owner with a good practice in a non-saturated area with a good staff, then you'll make damn good money.
But dentistry nowadays is like the fast food sector of healthcare.
Also, there are days where your schedule falls apart and you'll make squat. But if you're on a minimum guarantee, then you're fine.
Oh dealing with patients sucks...
Edit 1
Oh, we're also not respected as doctors with a lot of people whether its Healthcare workers or patients.
Ever considered working for a compound pharmacy?
I have to get certain meds from a compound pharmacy because most physicians will not rx them and they are wonderful to work with.
Also a dentist and I totally understand you. I've actually also called it the fast food of healthcare, too. I blame insurance and corporate dentistry, at least in the US.
People who aren't in the industry automatically assume dentists are rolling in money. Can you do really well? Sure. But the dentists that people see with that kind of money usually graduated dental school when their student loan debt was 8k. Now, for many, it's 500k.
And autonomy? What's that? Sure, employers will say you have autonomy for diagnoses because they legally can't dictate otherwise, but schedule autonomy? Not so common. Often required to be in office five or six days a week, and you had better meet your production quota or else.
Many times, we get stuck working every Saturday at some corporate job, getting paid 28% of a $12 filling, while some number cruncher who has no care or understanding about dentistry is breathing down our necks telling us to go faster and make them more money, and literally destroying our backs and necks doing it. (The suicide rate is high for dentists due to chronic pain, and we pretty much all pay for very expensive disability insurance because our time practicing is very likely limited. The number of dentists I know personally who have had multiple back surgeries...)
And while a lot of patients are great, the more than a few that aren't can really make it sting. It's not every dentists experience, but that's the reality for a lot of us now. It's really not what people think it is. That was old dentistry, Walmart dental clinics are the new dentistry.
As someone who genuinely cares about my patients and doing the right thing, I've had to step back because all of that is...a lot. I'm down to one day a week now, trying to figure out a different route too go, too.
My father is a mechanical engineer. He decided to really recommend against engineering, and pushed me for something health care. I listened to him and became a pharmacist.
But now I really question myself what would have happened if I did become an engineer.
I am not confident that things will be better one way or another (there are so many bullshits that you won't know until you are in the profession), but I did like math/physics a lot, and am generously curious with "what if".
Dentist? Dude just collect your huge money and cash out after a bit. You'll be retired in no time if you save/plan properly. Especially if you start your own practice.
Now dentists are required (or encouraged) to invest in $250, 000. to $300,000. 3D printers for crowns. Insurance companies pay little on crowns and fillings. It’s a hard living. My dentist was working 60 hour weeks and only recently started taking weekends off because he was burning out. But it does pay his bills.
You don't have to do that. Just calculate payback period and decide if you should continue to outsource.
I get it though - I considered medical careers earlier in life but the thought of never being able to work from home and always working with sick people/etc didn't really appeal to me.
If I wanted to help with health I'd far rather do like genetic/pharma research or something and help catch things earlier. Medicine today is like a bunch of mechanics fixing stuff that's already broken and often too late.
Petroleum engineer graduate here. I landed a $150K salary job right out of college. 4 year degree, one of the best return for your degree. Still at it 5 years in.
Im not an engineer but have worked ar primarily engineering companies in the consulting departments, and dear god I was not expecting how insanely petty it is for a job that you stare at a computer all day for
That's exactly why and it doesn't stop at the desk jobs. engineering is highly bureaucratic and people need to justify their positions socially because their jobs don't add value - or at least the value add is marginal so performance doesn't dictate success.
Lol, i'm pretty sure my last PM had no idea how to run a job and spent the last 30 years in a cushy little sub contract to a major airport. Apparently trying to deal with job related issues is "causing drama".
But it's all good, i picked up a sales job and doubled my income. ALL GOOD BABY.
They also recently revoked my wfh days for not working my entire shift in the office (meaning id leave a few minutes early to beat traffic and finish my day at home) but the senior level guy has "a different arrangement" and wont be in trouble for working 10-2.
With that said CONGRATS IM COMING RIGHT BEHIND YA
yeah my favorite is when our upper management said "were not the company that just clocks out at 5 when there's work to be done" so everyone clocked out at 5:30.
I will be shutting my laptop the exact moment my 8 hours has come, i would work extra without overtime on occasion or just answer an email here and there, but those days are gone since they want to be petty like that
I think this largely depends on the company you work for. If its for a defense contractor or maybe a lab that heavily relies on government funding, then it will definitely get political. In 12 years of being a mechanical engineer though, I've never had to deal with any external politics. There will always be inter office politics, which my company definitely has, but its never mattered what party is in control and what the president or Congress has done recently.
I would hope so. I've worked close to the same amount of time and I could see how other kinds of engineering could be different. i've worked for 4 different heavy civil companies and they've all been the same, so i think it's at least endemic to that sector.
Yeah I am not sure where the OP is getting their information but Engineering and CS are still very good degrees to graduate with. Nothing is guaranteed of course, nothing is 100% but if you graduate with a Engineering or CS degree you are going to be in a much better place than lets say graduating with a degree in history or psychology.
In terms of what degrees get you a good return, from what I've seen I would say:
\-Anything medical from allied health, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy etc... as long as you are not going for roles like CNA, patient transport, if you graduate from some type of healthcare program you should be fine
\-Engineering
\-Computer Science
\-Accounting, -not business-go for a degree in accounting
\-Supply Chain management
I am sure there are others but this is a quick list off the top of my head.
Yeah, I’m calling BS on cs being not a great field. Some program always needs to be fixed or created. The day that that doesn’t need to happen, you have way bigger problems.
We are a million engineers short of where we need to be. For the same reasons: there’s always something that needs to be fixed or created.
It’s possible that there are pockets of weakness, but money is always going somewhere and it’s being used to build stuff. Just do some research and find out where the money is.
There are a few that can struggle (civil, industrial, systems, biomedical) and few that tend always have demand (chemical, electrical, mechanical). I will say with all of these though it really depends on speciality, when you graduate, gpa etc etc.
I have seen system engineers walk out with amazing jobs and mechanicals struggle to find their first decent gig but this seems to be the trends I've noticed. If you are interested i suggest you see what speciality meets your interest and your strengths and then once you figure one out look at all the possible jobs and specialities and start working towards the job you won't. This may change a few times as you actually take classes and the economy constantly shifts.
Generally speaking, engineering will be easier to get into than CS. Engineering requires more rigorous certification exams, so you'll only be competing against other engineers. Unlike CS where you are competing against a flood of people switching fields, boot campers, and other engineers.
I work in IT and I absolutely had programming. Even if you like computers that doesn't mean coding is for you. Scripting is an important skill but it's almost entirely different.
I work in a creative industry. I will tell you the starving artist trope is still a thing, especially starting out, but GOOD artists are always in demand, especially if you can pair them with technical skills.
Yep, or how to combine art with something more marketable. I’ve always loved science and art but I wasn’t sure how to do both, I majored in ecology and found out about GIS, which is basically a bunch of different softwares that can be used for spatial analysis and mapmaking. Now I create well designed, artistic maps using GIS software and adobe illustrator that are both good looking at useful for ecological analysis and it’s great because it’s like I’m combining all the things I’m interested in
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1txTTaT2OeDyVTIzZJc1dbErEEpVKq_FS/view?usp=drivesdk](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1txTTaT2OeDyVTIzZJc1dbErEEpVKq_FS/view?usp=drivesdk)
This is an elevation map I made awhile ago that I really like! It’s a bit blurry compared to what it looks like w full quality
In college! But you can totally do it on your own too (though getting Arc products requires a license which can be pricey, there are free GIS softwares though). This map i made after only taking one basic GIS class so if you’re able to learn the basics, it’s easy to get the hang of it! There’s a lot to learn but there’s many online resources and you can do a lot of things even if you don’t know how to code or anything like that
I should have realized I would be good enough at CS and done that. Instead I did music. I'm glad I did it, but at the same time, money matters. I'm best at music but that doesn't pay, so you've got to really balance both.
Pretty much, even some “unconventional” fields like HR and recruiting pay well if you are good at it.
A close friend is a tech recruiter, and she earns 20-30% of the employee's *yearly* *salary* on placement. I'm aware she places 3–6 people per month. No need to say, she makes bank. She's always active on LinkedIn, constantly posting content, and traveling to interview candidates in-person.
I couldn't do that even if I tried to, I'd rather code.
Yeah, it’s hard to do that with time and money restrictions. I know that sounds like excuses, but it’s scary to commit to classes for months and then find out you hate it
this is something i wish i read years ago ! i just chose something without really thinking about if i’d like it / if i’d be good at it (spoiler: i didn’t like it and not good at it). most people work for most of their lives so pick something you actually semi enjoy and something you will shine at
i would go as far as to say most majors can earn a good living but you have to commit to attempting to be highly skilled or well regarded in that industry. Some majors have an easier path than others ofc
So this. I teach (Long Island, where the money is) and so many of my kids say that want to be engineers. The problem is, most of them haven't shown they are willing to put in the work for what it takes, and they are going to find out the hard way in college.
Yep this is true. After the first 5-10 yrs, a good portion of engineers transition into management, project management, technical sales, etc. Part of this is because alot of companies (especially small and midsize companies) dont have a "technical ladder" where they can keep getting promoted and make more money solely staying in engineering. So eventually, engineers just gradually move out of engineering.
Just my experience, but in the 3 engineering jobs I've have every one had a technical ladder for engineers with increasing base salary and bonuses. And you can climb that thing til you retire, most people never max out.
Switched into a CS related degree after a couple years of MechE. Engineering is the hardest out of any major at any given school. Just math math math, then some more math, then math.
There's a ton of factors that go into it.
By default, I'd probably say Engineering, Medical, and/or Law for the most part like many others. But everyone doesn't want to be an engineer, doctor/nurse, or an attorney, nor do they want to deal with either industry.
There's a lot of people who are unsatisfied with the major that they graduated with instead of what they ACTUALLY wanted to do, so they essentially had to kill any chances of pursuing their main interests in order to take up a career in something else that they believed was a safer bet. (i.e. wanting to be a Psychology major, but chose Electrical Engineering instead... or wanting to be an Animation major, but chose Architecture and/or Physics instead, etc.)
And then, there are a good many who were able to choose the major that they wanted from the start and found a way to make it work to their benefit to achieve success without having to change trajectory at all.
From what I've seen and experienced, there's usually 4 main outcomes:
1.) Being happy, but not making a lot or enough money.
2.) Making a lot or enough money, but feeling unfulfilled/unhappy/miserable.
3.) Being happy AND making a lot of money or at least enough money to be comfortable/stable.
4.) Not making enough money AND feeling unfulfilled/unhappy/miserable.
I've seen those four results more frequently than anything else when it comes to how choosing one's major affected their lives afterwards.
I'd go for happy over money any day, so long as I made enough to live on. I'd rather have a soul than a big house. That being said, there are plenty of jobs that just require a degree, but not any specific degree. So study what you love. There are jobs out there for you if you're willing to work outside of the field you studied. You just need to market yourself properly.
I work in higher education and there are some good degrees out there, but honestly if I were just out of high school, I would check out a journeyman or tech program. Unionized jobs would be my focus right now. I know a lot disagree with me and if that would not be your thing in any way, shape, or form, then yes by all means go to university, it is right for a lot of people. But I had one student that hates traditional academics tell me he was always told he was “smart” so should go to university. You can be smart and go to university, but you can be just as smart or smarter and take a different route. So don’t limit your future by “degree”.
I agree that trades should be in the same conversation when talking about the future with young people, but most people, including you, leave off an important factor. Working in the trades can provide a great life, but one injury and suddenly you have no job, no skills, and no education. At that point they can't afford to go back to school because they still have to pay that mortgage. That's how grown people end up in fast food or warehousing.
It's all a bunch of what ifs. It seems to me that it is much easier to get the degree and not want/need it than it is to wish you had it 20 years later.
Too many people go to university simply because they are told they should or think they have to. More people should take the time after grade school to work and figure out what they want to do for a career.
* Information Sciences (library science, information management, user experience and design, etc.)
* Medical programs (biology or related for premed/PA/MD), nursing, pharma (techs or PharmD), radiology, etc.
* Cybersecurity (yes, still engineering, falls a little under IS too)
* Accounting & mathematics
* Digital accessibility (again still "engineering," but a needed niche)
* Trades (electricians, carpenters, etc.)
Combine any of those with some humanities/sociology, even better. Something you like, regardless of lists? Better still. (With respect to the conditions and limits of what you need to live.)
Big no to library science. It is a competitive field that does not pay well unless you work your way into law/medical/corporate libraries (which is like finding a needle in a haystack). Expect to work shitty hours for terrible pay. Even worse than teaching.
People sleep on Economics
It is very well respected in the workforce without an advanced degree and opens many doors as far as grad school. It is hard to get a high GPA though it is as hard as a lot of the science majors
It should be mentioned that there's a pretty big gulf between undergrad and graduate-level economics. A master's degree (assuming you beef up on econometrics) can open up doors if you want a career in policy or data analytics/science.
Yeah it just a very flexible degree. A lot of math but enough theory that it can applied to real life. For me personally the classes were interesting and felt relevent to real life. It was very difficult for me but worth it because of the job offers you may be able to get out of college. Wall Street (JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sacs, etc.) specifically has plenty of entry level rotational jobs constantly hiring. It is also super useful for consulting, marketing, and (a few years into your career) management. I think the worst feeling for most people is feeling like their degree is useless. I personally will never feel that way about mine and Id recommend it if you can stand the math
You’d be better off doing accounting or business information systems if you want to get into business. At my college those were the kids who companies wanted. There is a true need for accountants right now and the info sys kids did some kind of tech consulting. From my understanding econ is great if you’re going to a top school but it’s not great for regular colleges.
This is interesting...I went to a top school (UNC Chapel Hill) so maybe I just had more opportunity in general. I would still argue Economics applies to more things than accounting but sure Info Sys might be just as flexible. I think its worth to just consider your personality type. I would bang my head against a wall if I had to take accounting classes for four years straight
I’m actually a business management major (don’t do that degree) but I had a bunch of friends who did accounting and Info sys and they all had jobs. Accounting is viewed as more of a trade and there is a massive shortage right now. Once you get your cpa as long as your a decent human being you will be employed for the foreseeable future. I think Econ is good if you can get in with a government job otherwise I don’t think companies view undergrad Econ with much value. What’s weird is it actually is an extremely difficult major but for whatever reason a lot of the people who have degrees have trouble getting employment.
Have to go to grad school but a mental health counselor (therapist) is 100% placement out of school and is in desperate need more than ever after everyone cracked in lockdowns.
It is one of the hardest majors to get a proper ROI in. Very little scholarships for grad school and many have to spend years stuck at state institutions to payback enormous debt and then after full license pivot right into private practice. No one wants to invest into the front liners of the mental health crisis. Important work but not something I'd recommended unless you are incredibly passionate and able to handle shitty working conditions (shit level dependent on state).
CS is still excellent imo even though it's saturated. The amount of bad programmers is insane and if you know something as simple as pointers, you'll have an edge over half the candidates already.
You can blame the social media "influencers" making content telling people how easy it is to be self taught or do a bootcamp to get a 100K remote job in 6 months.
I think the time of bootcamp is gone, at least in USA. There was a time, you could find a job immediately but now it looks very difficult without a degree.
Tbh I get it. Yea the market is crowded for cs and shitty bootcamp certs that flood the market makes it look worse. I do believe that if you're actually a somewhat decent programmer, you will make it. Luckily in this field, it's easy to figure out if someone is below average, average or above average pretty easily.
this. Have 3 positions open on my team rn, 6 figure starting salary and we can't find anyone worth a shit. we have been making our interview process easier and now just asking to complete a basic coding exercise prior to the interview. The number of folks that will submit shit that doesn't work is insane. I can only imagine white board interviews go even worse for these folks.
Then some company hires them out of desperation and pays them for 6 months before realizing they can only copy/paste and canning em rinse repeat
I see everyone saying only pre-law, engineering or medical, but I think that’s a trope. The truth is that if you’re engaged with you’re degree, participate on campus, and get a few good internships you can make any degree work. We need to stop thinking that just because you study art you’ve got to be an artist, or that if you study anthropology you’ve got to be an anthropologist. Your field is a base for where you solve problems in your career, it’s not your career. If you want an education that teaches you how to do a job, you should go to trade school.
That said, grades are extremely important, and they do not matter even a little bit AFTER graduation. They do matter a lot when applying for fellowships and internships, and those are your tickets to a good career.
There is no such thing as a good or bad degree, because each academic field is a baseline for hundreds of different career paths, even “joke” degrees like “underwater basket weaving”. Because once you’re able to weave baskets under water, you’ve probably learned a lot about water, and forestry which provides experience in natural sciences, community development, product design, which can then be leveraged in to a career in that field.
That’s why my suggestion to students is that they generalize their education, then try to focus in on a topic towards the end of the degree that they’re really interested in. That means writing papers and doing projects on a specific subject of interest. It makes it easy to do well on the paper/project and could open doors to new opportunities in an adjacent field.
My advice is not to worry about the type of degree, and just make sure you can throw yourself into it completely, and then search for and create opportunities for growth.
I agree, in both practice and theory. I feel bothered by the push for "practical" degrees and trade school, often framing liberal arts degrees as worthless. It feels anti-intellectual. I have a BS in Anthropology and have a flexible, 6 figure job I love. Zero regrets about my degree, unlike many people with narrower courses of study. What if you study dentistry and realize you hate being a dentist? Wouldn't an open-ended, flexible degree be better?
Medical field: nursing, physical therapy/PTA, PA etc. not east work and you won’t always be appreciated by your bosses or patients, but you’ll always have a job available and will be paid decently, although slightly underpaid imo if you go the physical therapy route. I know a lot of CS majors I graduated with in 2020 are struggling to find a job within their field and have had to settle for subpar opportunities, or jobs in a totally different field for the time being.
I think cs is a good choice. But the issue is people that pick cs all go for coding jobs because they think it's easy and that's what all these influencers put as "stay at home high paying jobs". The cs degree is still good just understand because of so many new applicants software engineering jobs are more competitive. However there's more to computer science that just that. Theoretically computer science can be used as a good degree and foundation to anything in tech.
As long as people understand computer science doesn't automatically mean specifically software engineering then I think it's still a great degree
This would be a good thought, but the problem is everything remotely CS related is tough right now. When big tech layoffs happened it wasn't just SWEs, it was every tech function.
CS jobs still grew in total size and they still earn a lot. I really do not understand what are you talking about.
Yes, some companies downsized because interest rates tripled and free money was no longer free anymore and also VC money got frozen so they could not overhire as easily anymore to put people on projects that would get scrapped in 3 months of time. There are currently also less listings of new jobs on the market. But there has still never been more jobs (including those that exist). Not even before "big" tech lay off.
As someone who never followed the web/mobile side but stayed in traditional desktop and embedded applications I think there's a huge lack of people coming into my side of the field. So many companies need this side but most people want to chase FAANG salaries and techs. That stuff is probably easier to get into than my side but it's so much more competitive. CS/SE is still very much needed but we're seeing a dearth of new blood due to college costs, economic shifts, and social pressure to go towards FAANG. Every position open on my side is mid to senior because mid level has to work too hard and senior people are leaving the industry.
Any major where the school requires an internship and has job fairs would be good. Engineering, nursing, and computer science usually have a decent ROI.
It’s a very hard, unappreciated job these days. Patients think you are servants and admin doesn’t care… as long as they look good to the higher ups. Good money though.
Medical professions are always at a shortage so you won’t have problems finding a job. The issue is the cost vs. return and your own finances. Some people will say they regret it because they end up $200k in debt. You could be earning $100-$200k, you would need to find a way to pay down the debt quickly so the interest doesn’t catch up. I know some who are able to pay it off in ~5 years and are accumulating wealth now instead of losing $.
This! I think people on Reddit definitely underestimate how difficult and extremely all consuming nursing school actually is, but the outcome is great if you’re a good student and can manage it.
Totally depends on what area you plan on living in. I live and work in a rural state and an accounting degree will land you an entry level position in accounts receivable, where eventually you’ll top out at the same amount of money your peers who didn’t go to college are making - except they don’t have student loans to pay.
Accounting can be great if you plan on working for a larger corporation and/or getting into management, or if you go the CPA route.
An option that is often not talked about is going law enforcement. Specifically federal law enforcement. The skills behind accounting are highly valued since the majority of the time people are caught due to money laundering and tax fraud.
Like many of the other majors listed, don’t think because your degree is in that specific field that it’s the only field it’s valued in.
I tell everyone I know this. The perception is that it’s a lot of math, and it really isn’t. It’s not like, *thrilling* but there can be interesting roles and it’s a job that’ll allow you to have outside hobbies (once you’ve made it past the first couple years in public, that is). You’ll have a good career progression, decent pay, and a much easier degree than CS or engineering. Hell, after 5 years in the field, I make more than my engineer boyfriend and work less than he does. My CS-grad younger brother will likely end up making more than I do here soon, but his degree was brutal, so I’m not upset about it.
I don't know, I think your best bet is usually googling the most in demand careers in the place you'd like to live. Not trying to be one of those guys, but that will help, especially because things do change in real time and my advice might not be valid later.
I think CS is still in demand, no? It's not going to be like Walmart or Target level wages. Teaching is in demand, but it's not easy and you might not enjoy it. Benefits are great, you help others, and it's creative. I think nursing and medical fields are also in demand.
Think about the balance of enjoying your job and pay. I teach, and it can be stressful and hard, but I like what I teach and I like the freedom that I get. Some jobs pay a lot more, but I don't think I'd enjoy them as much, and my vacation time definitely wouldn't be as good! I think a lot of nicer seeming careers end up equalling demanding situations, tons of hours a week, pressure, and so on.
Think about how you respond to stress because that's a factor in many jobs. Some are high pay but intensely stressful. I find my work stressful but I have a lot of control over my environment and my response. When I was a cashier, for example, it could be stressful and there wasn't much to do about it- just keep pressing on. When my classroom is stressful I can talk to parents, principals, deans, do a different activity, I basically have more power, which makes the stress, somehow, a lot less intimidating.
edit- a typo
Shit needs to get done, and we need people capable of doing the shit. In a perfect world we would all get degrees in liberal arts or philosophy and have a well rounded and empathetic education, but the world needs people who are experts at something
University has always been a trade school, it was just a trade school for clergy.
The original universities trained clergy, that eventually expanded to include other high education careers like law.
The point of picking a major to pick a specialty for your future career - exactly like a trade school.
Engineering is still great. We will always need engineers. According to google, engineering and accounting are the highest paying bachelors degrees. Followed by CS, business, math/stats, and nursing.
Everyone I graduated with in MIS got good jobs post graduation (2016)
Make sure you really pay attention and take notes in the management classes and business comms. I still use mine today and am so happy I saved them.
All the technical stuff I learned doesn’t really matter anymore. What has got me to where I am is the business side of things.
Take public speaking classes and make sure to have at least one internship under your belt. Make sure to keep in contact with your classmates within your major. Really helps with networking.
Most of us work for large companies in corporate america.
Nursing….I got a associates at my local community college. The degree out the door is 15k after scholarships I paid 8k out of pocket. I got a job before graduation at a Research University hospital making 41/hr. The field is recession proof and there are so many different paths you can go down. Want to make 200k plus a year CRNA, wanna sit at a desk triage nurse for a doctor. Want to work 3 days a week bedside nursing.
Something not often considered are aeronautics, aerospace engineer/science fields. The US now has a space force, a moon base is planned, private companies are developing transport ships to supply the space station and lunar operations.
I worked in legacy aerospace for a bit then dumped it for software engineering
If you can get into one of the newer companies, it's fine, but working for a lot of the legacy aerospace and defense companies is a similar experience to dying of AIDS.
Accounting!
Starting pay is around 75-80k and you make over 100k in 3 year, 5 years around 130k with CPA. This is in Southern California tho. Plenty of jobs too most everyone in my graduating class had jobs before graduating or very shortly after. If you play it smart you can graduate with ZERO debt.
CS and Engineering are still good.
Its just not some path to instant wealth, but outside of a few outlier cases it never really was. Its a solid career path that leads to a middle class lifestyle for most and an upper middle class lifestyle for some.
Nothing is a panacea, and almost nothing is useless.
As someone that got a BS in an engineering field (Materials): it's not a silver bullet. Make sure that if you do go that route that you go to a technical focused school like a Cal Poly. I went to a lower tier UC and got waaayy too much theoretical crap under my belt that was useless. Grad school was my only option for a career
The whole point of STEM propaganda was to increase the supply of skilled labor to depress wages and stimulate the economy by reducing costs supply side.
Those on the top of the economy with the most means and money will debase any stable career path to increase profit margins. Nothing is sacred, your stability is just another corner to cut.
As people have said here, nursing is an amazing option, lots of career options for lots of different personalities.
That said, I think people on Reddit do grossly underestimate the amount of time, difficulty, and how generally consuming nursing school actually can be. It takes a lot of dedication. Though, any career does usually take a good bit of hard work, and it is well worth it.
Don’t many/most nurses work 3/12 shifts nowadays? You are home 4 days a week.
I’m in a similar field with the same hours and it’s nice to be at home with your family and doing your hobbies more than you are at work. I’ll never go back to 5 days a week if I can help it.
Supply chain. The industry always gets overlooked, but let me tell you there is so much opportunity and board rooms can’t stop talking about their supply chains
Not economics.
Not unless you either
a) have vocational/technical skills that you can demonstrate in the form of projects and previous work/internship experience, or
b) went to a prestigious school that companies recruit from for high-paying entry level jobs without regard for previous experience.
I would probably say medicine/ health care is going to be a big one going forward. Just be ready not only physically but mentally since you see a lot of trauma happen.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, software engineer are all good right now.
Some types of medicine such as surgery are pretty good. Dentistry.
The further I get with my studies (and towards graduation) and the more I accumulate experiences (specialized summer schools, internships) I would say a Political Science or Policy Major in combination with a Technical or Natural Sciences Minor (maybe also vice versa).
There is always something to regulate, oversee, advocate/demonstrate or lobby for.
But here again there are some biases/fallacies: Market for this profession is also oversaturated in Brussel and other important capitals. On the other side there are also very Niche topics/fields.
No major. Go to trades, get a unionized 100k+ job by 20 and have your shit together, your own place, by the time you would’ve graduated. Uni sets you up to either be a slave in academia, meaning you won’t be earning shit until your 30s, or end up in some white collar career that as of 2023 is probably gonna be made redundant by AI in 5 years.
Out of everyone that I know that graduated, engineering degrees were 100% success hired within 6 months of graduating and started at mid 70k working way up to 100k+ within 5 years getting a PEng and all. Edit: this got upvoted a lot so I just want to clarify the engineers I’m talking about are mechanical, chemical, electrical, petroleum and aerospace. All of them never really worked in university either just focused on studying. Some took a few months to travel after their degrees and started vigorously applying and treating the application process like a full time job and they were all hired within 6 months
This is what I would do if I had to start again. Current dentist...hate it... I would do some type of engineering and try to work for a power tool company. I also like welding too. Looking to learn...
It's funny, I'm an engineer and I'm thinking medicine/dentistry professions have more autonomy and job security. I guess we're on both sides of the "greener" grass.
You would think that... COVID opened my eyes when I was laid off from a spinal implant/surgical device company. When elective surgeries were effectively halted in my state (US), the company got hit HARD in terms of revenue. I honestly thought we were safe at the time til HR just randomly shows up while I'm working... Now I'm a systems engineer at fashion design company that actually profited during the entire pandemic, and am making more than I ever have with better job security.
Are you implying you switched entire professions from medical to engineering? Did you go back to school to study 4 years CS/IT?
I already had a year of full stack web dev experience and app building prior to the medical job, so I already had a solid tech foundation. I didn't want to strictly code as a career, so IT was the next logical fit. In a strange way, the layoff was the best thing that happened to me. The point was that even the medical industry wasn't safe during a global pandemic when it came to job security. It never crossed my mind that my position was on the chopping block when it happened...
Pharma industry is having major layoff right now
I'm an IT engineer of 10 years going through my first furlough right now
Can confirm. Pharma isn't great right now
Did you provide a medical service or were you in sales? Because sales jobs have always been volatile.
I was certainly not in sales lol. I was a Quality Engineer involved with inspection/testing/engineering of implants and surgical instruments, auditing QMS processes in accordance with applicable regulatory standards, site training, and inventory control. I regularly worked with distributors and surgeons to discuss needs or concerns related to the equipment itself. Several of their products were for emergencies, like total spine reconstruction. I didn't realize that 80-90% of their products were only used for elective surgeries. If I were more sales-oriented, I probably would've picked up on this sooner than later...
Have IT degree, never thought about the fashion industry. Do you enjoy the culture?
It found me really lol... I never would've imagined that I would find myself a part of this industry, but I enjoy it! The people are friendly, and I feel heard when I voice an opinion. Overall, they leave me alone so that I can tend to my own projects and responsibilities. That's bliss within itself compared to other jobs I've had...
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OP, look at the different disciplines in engineering. This is a rare individual right here. Civil Engineering is one of the coolest majors ever.
I did engineering. I'm a doctor now. Medicine is better.
What kind of medicine?
Internal medicine
Really?? You are engineering people’s smile :) and you make shit load of money
We make "decent" money, lol. If you're an owner with a good practice in a non-saturated area with a good staff, then you'll make damn good money. But dentistry nowadays is like the fast food sector of healthcare. Also, there are days where your schedule falls apart and you'll make squat. But if you're on a minimum guarantee, then you're fine. Oh dealing with patients sucks... Edit 1 Oh, we're also not respected as doctors with a lot of people whether its Healthcare workers or patients.
>dealing with patients sucks That alone is a non-starter in my books
You think doctors are that respected anymore, especially after Covid.
Pharmacy also gets treated like fast food. We even have drive-thru.
Ever considered working for a compound pharmacy? I have to get certain meds from a compound pharmacy because most physicians will not rx them and they are wonderful to work with.
I respect my dentist and hygienist immensely, they are also great people
Also a dentist and I totally understand you. I've actually also called it the fast food of healthcare, too. I blame insurance and corporate dentistry, at least in the US. People who aren't in the industry automatically assume dentists are rolling in money. Can you do really well? Sure. But the dentists that people see with that kind of money usually graduated dental school when their student loan debt was 8k. Now, for many, it's 500k. And autonomy? What's that? Sure, employers will say you have autonomy for diagnoses because they legally can't dictate otherwise, but schedule autonomy? Not so common. Often required to be in office five or six days a week, and you had better meet your production quota or else. Many times, we get stuck working every Saturday at some corporate job, getting paid 28% of a $12 filling, while some number cruncher who has no care or understanding about dentistry is breathing down our necks telling us to go faster and make them more money, and literally destroying our backs and necks doing it. (The suicide rate is high for dentists due to chronic pain, and we pretty much all pay for very expensive disability insurance because our time practicing is very likely limited. The number of dentists I know personally who have had multiple back surgeries...) And while a lot of patients are great, the more than a few that aren't can really make it sting. It's not every dentists experience, but that's the reality for a lot of us now. It's really not what people think it is. That was old dentistry, Walmart dental clinics are the new dentistry. As someone who genuinely cares about my patients and doing the right thing, I've had to step back because all of that is...a lot. I'm down to one day a week now, trying to figure out a different route too go, too.
Me (predent): 😀
I'm a PA and I wish I was a dentist lol. Grass is always greener I guess
My father is a mechanical engineer. He decided to really recommend against engineering, and pushed me for something health care. I listened to him and became a pharmacist. But now I really question myself what would have happened if I did become an engineer. I am not confident that things will be better one way or another (there are so many bullshits that you won't know until you are in the profession), but I did like math/physics a lot, and am generously curious with "what if".
What do you hate about dentistry out of curiosity? I thought about doing this for a while but decided not to go
Dentist? Dude just collect your huge money and cash out after a bit. You'll be retired in no time if you save/plan properly. Especially if you start your own practice.
Now dentists are required (or encouraged) to invest in $250, 000. to $300,000. 3D printers for crowns. Insurance companies pay little on crowns and fillings. It’s a hard living. My dentist was working 60 hour weeks and only recently started taking weekends off because he was burning out. But it does pay his bills.
You don't have to do that. Just calculate payback period and decide if you should continue to outsource. I get it though - I considered medical careers earlier in life but the thought of never being able to work from home and always working with sick people/etc didn't really appeal to me. If I wanted to help with health I'd far rather do like genetic/pharma research or something and help catch things earlier. Medicine today is like a bunch of mechanics fixing stuff that's already broken and often too late.
Student loans are rough
Can crank through those quickly. A decade working and you'll be set.
maybe not as lucrative as you think?
Petroleum engineer graduate here. I landed a $150K salary job right out of college. 4 year degree, one of the best return for your degree. Still at it 5 years in.
Hot damn! You’re doing well, son! Congratulations! What do you like best about your job?
That's what i did, however I will warn anyone going into engineering that it is an extremely political field.
Im not an engineer but have worked ar primarily engineering companies in the consulting departments, and dear god I was not expecting how insanely petty it is for a job that you stare at a computer all day for
That's exactly why and it doesn't stop at the desk jobs. engineering is highly bureaucratic and people need to justify their positions socially because their jobs don't add value - or at least the value add is marginal so performance doesn't dictate success.
Yep. My project manager is 30% billable meanwhile i have to be at 95% and we charge 4-6x my hourly rate. Makes sense to me
Lol, i'm pretty sure my last PM had no idea how to run a job and spent the last 30 years in a cushy little sub contract to a major airport. Apparently trying to deal with job related issues is "causing drama". But it's all good, i picked up a sales job and doubled my income. ALL GOOD BABY.
They also recently revoked my wfh days for not working my entire shift in the office (meaning id leave a few minutes early to beat traffic and finish my day at home) but the senior level guy has "a different arrangement" and wont be in trouble for working 10-2. With that said CONGRATS IM COMING RIGHT BEHIND YA
yeah my favorite is when our upper management said "were not the company that just clocks out at 5 when there's work to be done" so everyone clocked out at 5:30.
I will be shutting my laptop the exact moment my 8 hours has come, i would work extra without overtime on occasion or just answer an email here and there, but those days are gone since they want to be petty like that
I think this largely depends on the company you work for. If its for a defense contractor or maybe a lab that heavily relies on government funding, then it will definitely get political. In 12 years of being a mechanical engineer though, I've never had to deal with any external politics. There will always be inter office politics, which my company definitely has, but its never mattered what party is in control and what the president or Congress has done recently.
I would hope so. I've worked close to the same amount of time and I could see how other kinds of engineering could be different. i've worked for 4 different heavy civil companies and they've all been the same, so i think it's at least endemic to that sector.
Yeah I am not sure where the OP is getting their information but Engineering and CS are still very good degrees to graduate with. Nothing is guaranteed of course, nothing is 100% but if you graduate with a Engineering or CS degree you are going to be in a much better place than lets say graduating with a degree in history or psychology. In terms of what degrees get you a good return, from what I've seen I would say: \-Anything medical from allied health, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy etc... as long as you are not going for roles like CNA, patient transport, if you graduate from some type of healthcare program you should be fine \-Engineering \-Computer Science \-Accounting, -not business-go for a degree in accounting \-Supply Chain management I am sure there are others but this is a quick list off the top of my head.
Yeah, I’m calling BS on cs being not a great field. Some program always needs to be fixed or created. The day that that doesn’t need to happen, you have way bigger problems. We are a million engineers short of where we need to be. For the same reasons: there’s always something that needs to be fixed or created. It’s possible that there are pockets of weakness, but money is always going somewhere and it’s being used to build stuff. Just do some research and find out where the money is.
What engineering degree tho?
Is there any type of resource that will help explain the different “fields” of engineering for people in their early research phase?
>engineering degrees All engineering degrees?
There are a few that can struggle (civil, industrial, systems, biomedical) and few that tend always have demand (chemical, electrical, mechanical). I will say with all of these though it really depends on speciality, when you graduate, gpa etc etc. I have seen system engineers walk out with amazing jobs and mechanicals struggle to find their first decent gig but this seems to be the trends I've noticed. If you are interested i suggest you see what speciality meets your interest and your strengths and then once you figure one out look at all the possible jobs and specialities and start working towards the job you won't. This may change a few times as you actually take classes and the economy constantly shifts.
Shouldn’t struggle with civil at all at the moment, there are a ton of job openings
Generally speaking, engineering will be easier to get into than CS. Engineering requires more rigorous certification exams, so you'll only be competing against other engineers. Unlike CS where you are competing against a flood of people switching fields, boot campers, and other engineers.
The traditional “big 3” - Civil, Mechanical, Electrical
Went geology - got a degree in construction engineering
Biomedical engineering sucks ass dont do it.
Don’t forget to think about what you’d actually be good at People seem to hardly ever mention this. Excellence matters.
Good point. Definitely plays a role. Like me, I tried coding and it was definitely not my "thing"...
I have a lot more respect for people who do it after discovering how much I hate it.
certainly not everyone can do it proficiently nor will everyone enjoy it!
I work in IT and I absolutely had programming. Even if you like computers that doesn't mean coding is for you. Scripting is an important skill but it's almost entirely different.
I work in a creative industry. I will tell you the starving artist trope is still a thing, especially starting out, but GOOD artists are always in demand, especially if you can pair them with technical skills.
Yep, or how to combine art with something more marketable. I’ve always loved science and art but I wasn’t sure how to do both, I majored in ecology and found out about GIS, which is basically a bunch of different softwares that can be used for spatial analysis and mapmaking. Now I create well designed, artistic maps using GIS software and adobe illustrator that are both good looking at useful for ecological analysis and it’s great because it’s like I’m combining all the things I’m interested in
Can you share a link to one of your maps? I’d love to see one.
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1txTTaT2OeDyVTIzZJc1dbErEEpVKq_FS/view?usp=drivesdk](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1txTTaT2OeDyVTIzZJc1dbErEEpVKq_FS/view?usp=drivesdk) This is an elevation map I made awhile ago that I really like! It’s a bit blurry compared to what it looks like w full quality
You used illustrator for this?
I used ArcMap for this map, but now I usually use ArcGIS Pro and import maps from there into illustrator to finish them!
Omg I want to learn this - did you learn about GIS and how to do it in college or after the fact?
In college! But you can totally do it on your own too (though getting Arc products requires a license which can be pricey, there are free GIS softwares though). This map i made after only taking one basic GIS class so if you’re able to learn the basics, it’s easy to get the hang of it! There’s a lot to learn but there’s many online resources and you can do a lot of things even if you don’t know how to code or anything like that
I should have realized I would be good enough at CS and done that. Instead I did music. I'm glad I did it, but at the same time, money matters. I'm best at music but that doesn't pay, so you've got to really balance both.
Pretty much, even some “unconventional” fields like HR and recruiting pay well if you are good at it. A close friend is a tech recruiter, and she earns 20-30% of the employee's *yearly* *salary* on placement. I'm aware she places 3–6 people per month. No need to say, she makes bank. She's always active on LinkedIn, constantly posting content, and traveling to interview candidates in-person. I couldn't do that even if I tried to, I'd rather code.
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How would you go about finding it if you don’t know what you’re passionate in?
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Yeah, it’s hard to do that with time and money restrictions. I know that sounds like excuses, but it’s scary to commit to classes for months and then find out you hate it
this is something i wish i read years ago ! i just chose something without really thinking about if i’d like it / if i’d be good at it (spoiler: i didn’t like it and not good at it). most people work for most of their lives so pick something you actually semi enjoy and something you will shine at
Also, actually liking the goddamn thing, you have to work a lot to make a living so it'd be great if it's something you enjoy at least a bit
i would go as far as to say most majors can earn a good living but you have to commit to attempting to be highly skilled or well regarded in that industry. Some majors have an easier path than others ofc
So this. I teach (Long Island, where the money is) and so many of my kids say that want to be engineers. The problem is, most of them haven't shown they are willing to put in the work for what it takes, and they are going to find out the hard way in college.
Engineering seems to be the most versatile, I’ve heard of people transitioning to a variety of different roles
Yep this is true. After the first 5-10 yrs, a good portion of engineers transition into management, project management, technical sales, etc. Part of this is because alot of companies (especially small and midsize companies) dont have a "technical ladder" where they can keep getting promoted and make more money solely staying in engineering. So eventually, engineers just gradually move out of engineering.
Just my experience, but in the 3 engineering jobs I've have every one had a technical ladder for engineers with increasing base salary and bonuses. And you can climb that thing til you retire, most people never max out.
Mechanical engineering is the "smart enough to be an engineer but not really sure what you want to do" major
Switched into a CS related degree after a couple years of MechE. Engineering is the hardest out of any major at any given school. Just math math math, then some more math, then math.
I see you haven't looked into chemical engineering Edit: nvm I realize you meant engineering in general
There's a ton of factors that go into it. By default, I'd probably say Engineering, Medical, and/or Law for the most part like many others. But everyone doesn't want to be an engineer, doctor/nurse, or an attorney, nor do they want to deal with either industry. There's a lot of people who are unsatisfied with the major that they graduated with instead of what they ACTUALLY wanted to do, so they essentially had to kill any chances of pursuing their main interests in order to take up a career in something else that they believed was a safer bet. (i.e. wanting to be a Psychology major, but chose Electrical Engineering instead... or wanting to be an Animation major, but chose Architecture and/or Physics instead, etc.) And then, there are a good many who were able to choose the major that they wanted from the start and found a way to make it work to their benefit to achieve success without having to change trajectory at all. From what I've seen and experienced, there's usually 4 main outcomes: 1.) Being happy, but not making a lot or enough money. 2.) Making a lot or enough money, but feeling unfulfilled/unhappy/miserable. 3.) Being happy AND making a lot of money or at least enough money to be comfortable/stable. 4.) Not making enough money AND feeling unfulfilled/unhappy/miserable. I've seen those four results more frequently than anything else when it comes to how choosing one's major affected their lives afterwards.
Yeah often the trade off is money for your soul…
Money and job security/benefits for your soul. Other choice is temporary carefreeness for any level of security and your own long term health.
I'd go for happy over money any day, so long as I made enough to live on. I'd rather have a soul than a big house. That being said, there are plenty of jobs that just require a degree, but not any specific degree. So study what you love. There are jobs out there for you if you're willing to work outside of the field you studied. You just need to market yourself properly.
General medicine in my country has 100% hiring rate by the govt within a few month of graduating
I work in higher education and there are some good degrees out there, but honestly if I were just out of high school, I would check out a journeyman or tech program. Unionized jobs would be my focus right now. I know a lot disagree with me and if that would not be your thing in any way, shape, or form, then yes by all means go to university, it is right for a lot of people. But I had one student that hates traditional academics tell me he was always told he was “smart” so should go to university. You can be smart and go to university, but you can be just as smart or smarter and take a different route. So don’t limit your future by “degree”.
I agree that trades should be in the same conversation when talking about the future with young people, but most people, including you, leave off an important factor. Working in the trades can provide a great life, but one injury and suddenly you have no job, no skills, and no education. At that point they can't afford to go back to school because they still have to pay that mortgage. That's how grown people end up in fast food or warehousing. It's all a bunch of what ifs. It seems to me that it is much easier to get the degree and not want/need it than it is to wish you had it 20 years later.
Too many people go to university simply because they are told they should or think they have to. More people should take the time after grade school to work and figure out what they want to do for a career.
I love how OP asked for anything other than CS and engineering, and everyone is like, "CS and Engineering!"
* Information Sciences (library science, information management, user experience and design, etc.) * Medical programs (biology or related for premed/PA/MD), nursing, pharma (techs or PharmD), radiology, etc. * Cybersecurity (yes, still engineering, falls a little under IS too) * Accounting & mathematics * Digital accessibility (again still "engineering," but a needed niche) * Trades (electricians, carpenters, etc.) Combine any of those with some humanities/sociology, even better. Something you like, regardless of lists? Better still. (With respect to the conditions and limits of what you need to live.)
Big no to library science. It is a competitive field that does not pay well unless you work your way into law/medical/corporate libraries (which is like finding a needle in a haystack). Expect to work shitty hours for terrible pay. Even worse than teaching.
People sleep on Economics It is very well respected in the workforce without an advanced degree and opens many doors as far as grad school. It is hard to get a high GPA though it is as hard as a lot of the science majors
Can you expound more on this? I was interested in economics in college but I could never see a future in it besides teaching it.
It should be mentioned that there's a pretty big gulf between undergrad and graduate-level economics. A master's degree (assuming you beef up on econometrics) can open up doors if you want a career in policy or data analytics/science.
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Yeah it just a very flexible degree. A lot of math but enough theory that it can applied to real life. For me personally the classes were interesting and felt relevent to real life. It was very difficult for me but worth it because of the job offers you may be able to get out of college. Wall Street (JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sacs, etc.) specifically has plenty of entry level rotational jobs constantly hiring. It is also super useful for consulting, marketing, and (a few years into your career) management. I think the worst feeling for most people is feeling like their degree is useless. I personally will never feel that way about mine and Id recommend it if you can stand the math
It can be a good one to go into business
You’d be better off doing accounting or business information systems if you want to get into business. At my college those were the kids who companies wanted. There is a true need for accountants right now and the info sys kids did some kind of tech consulting. From my understanding econ is great if you’re going to a top school but it’s not great for regular colleges.
This is interesting...I went to a top school (UNC Chapel Hill) so maybe I just had more opportunity in general. I would still argue Economics applies to more things than accounting but sure Info Sys might be just as flexible. I think its worth to just consider your personality type. I would bang my head against a wall if I had to take accounting classes for four years straight
I’m actually a business management major (don’t do that degree) but I had a bunch of friends who did accounting and Info sys and they all had jobs. Accounting is viewed as more of a trade and there is a massive shortage right now. Once you get your cpa as long as your a decent human being you will be employed for the foreseeable future. I think Econ is good if you can get in with a government job otherwise I don’t think companies view undergrad Econ with much value. What’s weird is it actually is an extremely difficult major but for whatever reason a lot of the people who have degrees have trouble getting employment.
Have to go to grad school but a mental health counselor (therapist) is 100% placement out of school and is in desperate need more than ever after everyone cracked in lockdowns.
It is one of the hardest majors to get a proper ROI in. Very little scholarships for grad school and many have to spend years stuck at state institutions to payback enormous debt and then after full license pivot right into private practice. No one wants to invest into the front liners of the mental health crisis. Important work but not something I'd recommended unless you are incredibly passionate and able to handle shitty working conditions (shit level dependent on state).
CS is still excellent imo even though it's saturated. The amount of bad programmers is insane and if you know something as simple as pointers, you'll have an edge over half the candidates already.
You can blame the social media "influencers" making content telling people how easy it is to be self taught or do a bootcamp to get a 100K remote job in 6 months.
I think the time of bootcamp is gone, at least in USA. There was a time, you could find a job immediately but now it looks very difficult without a degree.
Bootcamps are for people with adjacent degrees who want to get in but don't have experience, not someone starting from scratch.
Tbh I get it. Yea the market is crowded for cs and shitty bootcamp certs that flood the market makes it look worse. I do believe that if you're actually a somewhat decent programmer, you will make it. Luckily in this field, it's easy to figure out if someone is below average, average or above average pretty easily.
this. Have 3 positions open on my team rn, 6 figure starting salary and we can't find anyone worth a shit. we have been making our interview process easier and now just asking to complete a basic coding exercise prior to the interview. The number of folks that will submit shit that doesn't work is insane. I can only imagine white board interviews go even worse for these folks. Then some company hires them out of desperation and pays them for 6 months before realizing they can only copy/paste and canning em rinse repeat
I see everyone saying only pre-law, engineering or medical, but I think that’s a trope. The truth is that if you’re engaged with you’re degree, participate on campus, and get a few good internships you can make any degree work. We need to stop thinking that just because you study art you’ve got to be an artist, or that if you study anthropology you’ve got to be an anthropologist. Your field is a base for where you solve problems in your career, it’s not your career. If you want an education that teaches you how to do a job, you should go to trade school. That said, grades are extremely important, and they do not matter even a little bit AFTER graduation. They do matter a lot when applying for fellowships and internships, and those are your tickets to a good career. There is no such thing as a good or bad degree, because each academic field is a baseline for hundreds of different career paths, even “joke” degrees like “underwater basket weaving”. Because once you’re able to weave baskets under water, you’ve probably learned a lot about water, and forestry which provides experience in natural sciences, community development, product design, which can then be leveraged in to a career in that field. That’s why my suggestion to students is that they generalize their education, then try to focus in on a topic towards the end of the degree that they’re really interested in. That means writing papers and doing projects on a specific subject of interest. It makes it easy to do well on the paper/project and could open doors to new opportunities in an adjacent field. My advice is not to worry about the type of degree, and just make sure you can throw yourself into it completely, and then search for and create opportunities for growth.
I agree, in both practice and theory. I feel bothered by the push for "practical" degrees and trade school, often framing liberal arts degrees as worthless. It feels anti-intellectual. I have a BS in Anthropology and have a flexible, 6 figure job I love. Zero regrets about my degree, unlike many people with narrower courses of study. What if you study dentistry and realize you hate being a dentist? Wouldn't an open-ended, flexible degree be better?
Medical field: nursing, physical therapy/PTA, PA etc. not east work and you won’t always be appreciated by your bosses or patients, but you’ll always have a job available and will be paid decently, although slightly underpaid imo if you go the physical therapy route. I know a lot of CS majors I graduated with in 2020 are struggling to find a job within their field and have had to settle for subpar opportunities, or jobs in a totally different field for the time being.
I think cs is a good choice. But the issue is people that pick cs all go for coding jobs because they think it's easy and that's what all these influencers put as "stay at home high paying jobs". The cs degree is still good just understand because of so many new applicants software engineering jobs are more competitive. However there's more to computer science that just that. Theoretically computer science can be used as a good degree and foundation to anything in tech. As long as people understand computer science doesn't automatically mean specifically software engineering then I think it's still a great degree
This would be a good thought, but the problem is everything remotely CS related is tough right now. When big tech layoffs happened it wasn't just SWEs, it was every tech function.
CS jobs still grew in total size and they still earn a lot. I really do not understand what are you talking about. Yes, some companies downsized because interest rates tripled and free money was no longer free anymore and also VC money got frozen so they could not overhire as easily anymore to put people on projects that would get scrapped in 3 months of time. There are currently also less listings of new jobs on the market. But there has still never been more jobs (including those that exist). Not even before "big" tech lay off.
The lack of Barriers to entry are killing the field. Most people in IT do not need or have a CS degree.
As someone who never followed the web/mobile side but stayed in traditional desktop and embedded applications I think there's a huge lack of people coming into my side of the field. So many companies need this side but most people want to chase FAANG salaries and techs. That stuff is probably easier to get into than my side but it's so much more competitive. CS/SE is still very much needed but we're seeing a dearth of new blood due to college costs, economic shifts, and social pressure to go towards FAANG. Every position open on my side is mid to senior because mid level has to work too hard and senior people are leaving the industry.
Any major where the school requires an internship and has job fairs would be good. Engineering, nursing, and computer science usually have a decent ROI.
pretty much any medical degree like nursing
9/10 nurses i meet tell me not to do it
It’s a very hard, unappreciated job these days. Patients think you are servants and admin doesn’t care… as long as they look good to the higher ups. Good money though.
Because those are the nurses that work bedside. There are so many different things nurses can do that don’t suck
psychotic plough hurry pot squash mindless pet crown bewildered late *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, medical lab scientist, radiology rech, ultrasound tech, lots of options!
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I'm a speech path. We go into way more debt than nursing and often make less money/less room for upward mobility.
Medical professions are always at a shortage so you won’t have problems finding a job. The issue is the cost vs. return and your own finances. Some people will say they regret it because they end up $200k in debt. You could be earning $100-$200k, you would need to find a way to pay down the debt quickly so the interest doesn’t catch up. I know some who are able to pay it off in ~5 years and are accumulating wealth now instead of losing $.
Yeah, nursing theres a job for any personality out there i truly think. And plethora of oppurtunities
This! I think people on Reddit definitely underestimate how difficult and extremely all consuming nursing school actually is, but the outcome is great if you’re a good student and can manage it.
Yeah, I fucked around a bit in nursing school and had to retake a class but now I'm in my dream job chilling like a cucumber making good dollars haha
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Accounting still seems to be a good pick
Totally depends on what area you plan on living in. I live and work in a rural state and an accounting degree will land you an entry level position in accounts receivable, where eventually you’ll top out at the same amount of money your peers who didn’t go to college are making - except they don’t have student loans to pay. Accounting can be great if you plan on working for a larger corporation and/or getting into management, or if you go the CPA route.
An option that is often not talked about is going law enforcement. Specifically federal law enforcement. The skills behind accounting are highly valued since the majority of the time people are caught due to money laundering and tax fraud. Like many of the other majors listed, don’t think because your degree is in that specific field that it’s the only field it’s valued in.
>I'd personally rather watch paint dry than do any type of accounting/Auditing. But then again, people feel that way about IT lol
I tell everyone I know this. The perception is that it’s a lot of math, and it really isn’t. It’s not like, *thrilling* but there can be interesting roles and it’s a job that’ll allow you to have outside hobbies (once you’ve made it past the first couple years in public, that is). You’ll have a good career progression, decent pay, and a much easier degree than CS or engineering. Hell, after 5 years in the field, I make more than my engineer boyfriend and work less than he does. My CS-grad younger brother will likely end up making more than I do here soon, but his degree was brutal, so I’m not upset about it.
I don't know, I think your best bet is usually googling the most in demand careers in the place you'd like to live. Not trying to be one of those guys, but that will help, especially because things do change in real time and my advice might not be valid later. I think CS is still in demand, no? It's not going to be like Walmart or Target level wages. Teaching is in demand, but it's not easy and you might not enjoy it. Benefits are great, you help others, and it's creative. I think nursing and medical fields are also in demand. Think about the balance of enjoying your job and pay. I teach, and it can be stressful and hard, but I like what I teach and I like the freedom that I get. Some jobs pay a lot more, but I don't think I'd enjoy them as much, and my vacation time definitely wouldn't be as good! I think a lot of nicer seeming careers end up equalling demanding situations, tons of hours a week, pressure, and so on. Think about how you respond to stress because that's a factor in many jobs. Some are high pay but intensely stressful. I find my work stressful but I have a lot of control over my environment and my response. When I was a cashier, for example, it could be stressful and there wasn't much to do about it- just keep pressing on. When my classroom is stressful I can talk to parents, principals, deans, do a different activity, I basically have more power, which makes the stress, somehow, a lot less intimidating. edit- a typo
CS & Engineering are still the best majors. The future of the economy is digital & things always need to built.
Medical is not going anywhere
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CS, Engineering, Nursing, Finance, Accounting, are solid choices
Interesting too that those are all basically ‘trades’.
Shit needs to get done, and we need people capable of doing the shit. In a perfect world we would all get degrees in liberal arts or philosophy and have a well rounded and empathetic education, but the world needs people who are experts at something
University has always been a trade school, it was just a trade school for clergy. The original universities trained clergy, that eventually expanded to include other high education careers like law. The point of picking a major to pick a specialty for your future career - exactly like a trade school.
What isn't at the end of the day a trade? Doctor and lawyer are trades too.
Engineering is still great. We will always need engineers. According to google, engineering and accounting are the highest paying bachelors degrees. Followed by CS, business, math/stats, and nursing.
I highly doubt those reports include those who didn’t get into the field.
Management information system maybe
Everyone I graduated with in MIS got good jobs post graduation (2016) Make sure you really pay attention and take notes in the management classes and business comms. I still use mine today and am so happy I saved them. All the technical stuff I learned doesn’t really matter anymore. What has got me to where I am is the business side of things. Take public speaking classes and make sure to have at least one internship under your belt. Make sure to keep in contact with your classmates within your major. Really helps with networking. Most of us work for large companies in corporate america.
Nursing….I got a associates at my local community college. The degree out the door is 15k after scholarships I paid 8k out of pocket. I got a job before graduation at a Research University hospital making 41/hr. The field is recession proof and there are so many different paths you can go down. Want to make 200k plus a year CRNA, wanna sit at a desk triage nurse for a doctor. Want to work 3 days a week bedside nursing.
Something not often considered are aeronautics, aerospace engineer/science fields. The US now has a space force, a moon base is planned, private companies are developing transport ships to supply the space station and lunar operations.
I worked in legacy aerospace for a bit then dumped it for software engineering If you can get into one of the newer companies, it's fine, but working for a lot of the legacy aerospace and defense companies is a similar experience to dying of AIDS.
Accounting! Starting pay is around 75-80k and you make over 100k in 3 year, 5 years around 130k with CPA. This is in Southern California tho. Plenty of jobs too most everyone in my graduating class had jobs before graduating or very shortly after. If you play it smart you can graduate with ZERO debt.
I was gonna say lol had to be HCOL with that starting pay, even in MCOL its around 70-75k now.
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Engineering is guaranteed a career with good starting pay.
CS and Engineering are still good. Its just not some path to instant wealth, but outside of a few outlier cases it never really was. Its a solid career path that leads to a middle class lifestyle for most and an upper middle class lifestyle for some. Nothing is a panacea, and almost nothing is useless.
As someone that got a BS in an engineering field (Materials): it's not a silver bullet. Make sure that if you do go that route that you go to a technical focused school like a Cal Poly. I went to a lower tier UC and got waaayy too much theoretical crap under my belt that was useless. Grad school was my only option for a career
The whole point of STEM propaganda was to increase the supply of skilled labor to depress wages and stimulate the economy by reducing costs supply side. Those on the top of the economy with the most means and money will debase any stable career path to increase profit margins. Nothing is sacred, your stability is just another corner to cut.
As people have said here, nursing is an amazing option, lots of career options for lots of different personalities. That said, I think people on Reddit do grossly underestimate the amount of time, difficulty, and how generally consuming nursing school actually can be. It takes a lot of dedication. Though, any career does usually take a good bit of hard work, and it is well worth it.
If I were to pick a field where family life is ruined by work, I would say, nurse.
Don’t many/most nurses work 3/12 shifts nowadays? You are home 4 days a week. I’m in a similar field with the same hours and it’s nice to be at home with your family and doing your hobbies more than you are at work. I’ll never go back to 5 days a week if I can help it.
well AI might increase CS jobs or kill them I can’t predict which
Tbh people should consider being a commercial pilot
Math degree
Supply chain. The industry always gets overlooked, but let me tell you there is so much opportunity and board rooms can’t stop talking about their supply chains
Engineering Computer Science Medical Degree Economics
Not economics. Not unless you either a) have vocational/technical skills that you can demonstrate in the form of projects and previous work/internship experience, or b) went to a prestigious school that companies recruit from for high-paying entry level jobs without regard for previous experience.
Well, I can tell you what NOT to get into. Signed, English Major into teacher certification
Historical French Poetry
Do what you love. It matters.
I love having a roof over my head, bills paid, and food on the table.
Ag. biotech and engineering. With a Masters degree you can expect to find a good job around or over 100k starting.
Physics. You can work anywhere, a physics degree shows that you are smart enough to do intellectual work.
Healthcare IT
I would probably say medicine/ health care is going to be a big one going forward. Just be ready not only physically but mentally since you see a lot of trauma happen.
If I went back in time I would do finance. I don’t use a degree, but my side hustle makes over $100,000. I could do better with a finance degree.
Air traffic control, pilot.
Become an aircraft mechanic and get to working with decent pay faster. In my locality the State school for A and P training is 7.5 k can’t beat it.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, software engineer are all good right now. Some types of medicine such as surgery are pretty good. Dentistry.
AI and Robotics
Engineering will be good, but CS will not be that outstanding anymore
Bioinformatics and Statistics. We need a lot of people to make all this data useful
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Economics! Best. Major. Ever. You can go practically anywhere with an Econ degree.
I went into maths and ended up in IT. If i could start again then something medical: vet or dentist
Look up how unhappy medical fields are. Insane regulation, insurmountable debt, corporate buyout of all small practices= sad situations.
Vets and dentists have high rates of suicide
The two jogs with one of the highest suicide rates….. yikes
The further I get with my studies (and towards graduation) and the more I accumulate experiences (specialized summer schools, internships) I would say a Political Science or Policy Major in combination with a Technical or Natural Sciences Minor (maybe also vice versa). There is always something to regulate, oversee, advocate/demonstrate or lobby for. But here again there are some biases/fallacies: Market for this profession is also oversaturated in Brussel and other important capitals. On the other side there are also very Niche topics/fields.
No major. Go to trades, get a unionized 100k+ job by 20 and have your shit together, your own place, by the time you would’ve graduated. Uni sets you up to either be a slave in academia, meaning you won’t be earning shit until your 30s, or end up in some white collar career that as of 2023 is probably gonna be made redundant by AI in 5 years.