I've always thought about getting a major in Physics or Chemistry, but truthfully...I don't really like either of these two areas.

I'm thinking about...a Math major perhaps? Going into the medical field?

Does anyone have some recommendations (outside of Science/English) and one where sufficient employment opportunities exist?

Also, which field did you go into and which University did you attend? How is it going/did it go?

I am currently going for an Economics major.... Though I'm starting to regret it since no one informed me of how much calculus was involved

I study the history of the Russian language and culture and stuff. And it's actually not as boring as it sounds. But I'll probably try to get a transfer to graphics design.

Don't go to a typical college. Find something you like, and train your *** off in that area however you wish (Tradeschool, apprentenceship, classes, work, self teaching, etc)

Unless you're going to get a degree because a career requires it, I'd suggest you just skip that. Each to his own though, but I'm about 100X happier here at my trade school. I know exactly what I am going to be doing when I am done here unlike when I went to a University. I KNOW that I'm going to be better off here studying what I am than doing that same thing in a regular school. I KNOW I'm going to have a good job when I get out. Nothing was clear when I went to a University. But whatever floats your boat. I'd suggest going with something direct and specific like a trade school.

If you don't know what you want to do, I say spend a year in colelge taking a bunch of differnt classes and see what floats your boat.

Exactly. Explore different fields.

What if nothing floats your boat after 4 years (I unwillingly took a semester off and had another 2 semesters with only 1 class) and you choose a major in the field of the only classes that you enjoyed and seemed like could lead you to a decent career only to get into the junior level classes and find out that the introductory courses are NOTHING like what people in the field have to do?

Moral of the story: dont choose economics as your major, unless you did good in calculus. I barely got through calculus and now its haunting me.

I like Engineering, mechanical to be specific, a lot. Lots of math, physics, and cool design courses, etc. Mechanical's very broad with lots of employment oportunities.

If it's not your thing you shouldn't have much of a problem switching out to another major if you do it before junior year. With the amount of math courses you take you'll probably have taken the same as most other sciences require.

You should major in SOUL.

Murder.

Word.



Hahah, prebusiness, or if your school doesn't have it (most probable), Econ

I have a degree in Economics. Another hater of maths, eh?

Do do: Macroeconomics, history of economics, any bludge subjects you can get your hands on like economics of sport, or urban development and economics.

Dont do: Microeconomics, econometrics

More like sweat.

I never attended college, nevertheless I am doing all right. The main reason I never went had to do with the money issue. Now that I have a decent job (been at the same place since 2001) and make good money I can afford to go.

I might go and major in Political Science. I have always thought it would be interesting to be a diplomat.

I recommend against Computer Science. I'm in my third year, too far to back out now, and I'm hating it more and more.

Computer Engineering isn't so bad though. The Electrical Engineering part of it.

At most schools there are only a few classes that seperate a Math Major from a Computer Science Major.

That's why I went to RIT. Computer science is...computer science. And a lot of it.

I just switched to Computer Science.

im political science, but concidering philosophy, but then again i might just do a philosophy minor

im comp engineer. happy medium between electrical and computer science.

Medicine is cool, but you don't have to be smart at all - just be sure to have a good memory. You'll need it when learning a few hundred of these



and while spending time memorizing the names of the little cuts in your bone. Yes I said 'hundreds'. And I can't even remember what I had for lunch.

I'm going to clarify my statement on computer science really quick.

I guess the main reason I don't like computer science is because I'm a practical person and the way it's taught to us at Mizzou is from a purist's standpoint. Frankly, I don't care if the MergeSort algorithm runs at O(n^2) and the Quicksort algorithm at O(nlgn). Just tell me which one is faster, and more practical for what I need it for. Plus, all the algorithm classes I've taken so far have been rehashes of each other, just with more complex calculations each time.

If the algorithms were interesting, say some of the algorithms the demo scene uses to produce its 64k demos, I'd be much more interested in learning them. Not their O(n) runtime mind you, but how they work in and of themselves. I know basics must be learned and built upon, but honestly, how many recursion trees do I need to go through before I get sick of them?

I understand the need for complex and quick sorting algorithms in cases such as Google's, which needs to sort and search billions of bytes of data. But for the average company that needs record-keeping systems? Maybe 50,000 entities or so. Also, I don't understand the eternal search for the ultimate, all-inclusive algorithm when it would be simpler and cheaper to implement optimized algorithms based on the data being input.

All that being said, it's not entirely bad. I did enjoy my C course because we created practical programs utilizing sockets, pthreads, etc. In my software engineering class (which is basically a glorified business class with hundreds of diagrams), I'm helping create a web-based inventory control system. While I don't like the class itself, the project we're doing is fun and quite interesting. Perhaps things will get better next semester when (if I don't fail my algorithms course) I proceed past the courses that rehash the same algorithms and onto more practical courses, one being game design in which we create a mod for HL2. <3

My final gripe with computer science courses is that the technology they teach with is a lot of older languages and legacy stuff. Not COBOL, but C and the like. What Java we did use was pretty basic stuff. I'm interested in seeing where Java, Ruby on Rails, Python, Perl etc. are going and what can be done with them. Sure, there is still need for older languages like C, especially for work in the Linux kernel and projects, but it's the newest development applications and environments and the problems they are being applied to that's really interesting.

And like I said, it needs more demo scene-like algorithm design courses. It's still beyond me how those people manage to fit a FPS game into 96k.

I'm going to a community college for a while, until I know what direction I want to go in.

The way I see it, there's no reason to move away from home, spend a lot more money, and make a bigger commitment to a school that I don't know if I want to attend, just to wander around like a decapitated chicken wondering what I want to do.

Information Technologies. Design software, design networks, design games, edit digital video...fun fun fun fun fun.

Next semester, we have a course called Intoduction to Game Design, where we look at physics algorithms, ADTs applicable for game design, and learn how to use the Source SDK.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.

Quoted for the Lord's Holy Truth. I hated memorizing every freakin' type of collagen fiber, where they were located, what happened if one had a mutation, ugh. Curse you collagen type 17 and your sould-be-an-integrin-but-is-a-collagen-ways!! However, while being smart is by no means required, it helps because you don't have to memorize as much (For biochem, pharm, and the like). Still, latin names in anatomy are hard to intuitively figure out...

Hey, you can get an MD/phd if you want to do research as well. Sweet stuff.

I was a neurobio major, and I went to the Unversity of California, Irvine. That was pretty fun stuff, and I can gladly reccomend it. Biology is fun if you go to a science university, but not if you go to a smaller one IMO. For example, there were soooo many damn courses offered in ever little niche of the subject that you could just find a place you were comfortable with and sit there. I think this is true in general. Echoing what emon said, if you take a subspecialty of neurobiology in UCI, you can choose to really just stay in your submajor (as far as electives are concerned).

However, if you go to podunk U, and you are a biology major, you'll be dealing with a very limited course selection. It just depends where you go. Biology can be very, very boring if they focus on... err... "classical" biology of anatomy, zoology, crap like that, instead of modern biology (which includes biochemisty, psychobiology, biomedical engineering, and in one university I can think of cybernetic and nanobiology).

Thanks for all the comments. Maybe going into the medical field isn't such a good idea. How about: Geoscience? Engineering? Archaelogy? Math? Waah? And this is my Senior year in High School :\

I vote for engineering. I'm in second year, and loving it.

there is absolutely nothing in archaeology. nothing

Accounting is becoming one of the fastest growing fields in the US. and its not really that hard. theres mostly simple math skills involved (add subtract multiply divide.)

its a five year program to get your CPA license but its worth a look.

Creative Writing, or, if you know how to draw, Graphic Design!

There are resources out their to help you determine what you would like to do. Such uncertainty is common.

I have a P.H.D. in Kicking Your ***.

I'm majoring in political science and international studies, so don't do either of those. It'll be hard enough for me to get a job, and the last thing I need is more competition.

I would be a history major if.. well.. if.. I don't know why I'm not

What kind? The train kind?

Media, it rocks,

piss about with cameras, learn things that spoil film and tv for life, make some shorts, its great.

not hard at all.

pffft college, take a few months off after graduation, then proceed into the lower-middle class workforce with your l33t typing and MS Office skillz.

I don't want to be the one who blocked out that possibility for you. Please, go inform yourself beyond the internet, see through some textbooks and examine your own background/interests. Maybe take the MCATS or something, see how it goes.

EDIT: oh

AND I FAILED BOTH CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS IN HIGH SCHOOL
AND I'M A TOTAL RETARD
AND I HAVE CONCENTRATION ISSUES

If I can do this, and I can, you sure as hell can too.

anything but computer science

While we're on the subject, what is the difference between Comp Sci, COmputer Engineering, and Software Engineering?

That's quite true that Accounting is one of the fastest growing fields right now. However - I wouldn't necessarily say it's "not really hard". The basics behind it are pretty easy, it's when you get into tough issues such as Business Consolidations, Governmental Accounting, etc is where the hard issues come into play.

Plus, it's an always changing field with FASB, PCAOB, and others making modifications and new rules that accountants must follow. You must stay current on it. Some stuff I learned my 2nd year of college are now out of date my 4th year...

Definetly a good job opportunity there though. Every classmate in my upper classes graduating this fall are already mostly lined up for jobs. Plus, every company needs an accountant - so you could work with any company theoretically. Just if you go into auditing, you'll have some very horrible hours (12 hour days - 60 a week) during the 'busy season'. You'll make good money though