Versatile college degree?

Dan208 · 04-11-2008, 03:28 PM

Hi all. This is my first post here. I'm not sure if this is the right place to put it, but here goes anyway. First a little background.

I'm 28 and will be married for 7 years this year. We have a year and a half old daughter. My wife works full time during the week and I work full time on the weekends so we don't have to have daycare (my mother-in-law watches our daughter on Mondays as this is the only day we both work).

My wife and I both are planning on going back to school soon. She knows what she wants to get into and already has it all planned out. I, on the other hand, have no idea what to do. There are things that I'm interested in, but nothing that I'm "passionate" about.

What are some versatile degrees out there? I don't want to get into something that I'm going to end up not liking and waste a bunch of time (I've already done that twice). I do physical labor now and make decent money for only having a high school diploma, but I've had a bad back for several years and don't know if I can do the physical stuff forever. Plus, with the exception of annual raises, I'm topped out in my current position. There is always the possibility of promotion to management, but I'm not really the management type.

I'm just sort of rambling now, so back to the original question. What are some of the more versatile degrees that one can go for? I've never been good in math (other than the basics), but I did well in most other areas of school. Thanks for any advice. I'll take about anything right now.

Dan

krnpsychopath · 04-11-2008, 04:53 PM

I was going to say look into finance so you be invest and live off stocks and interest but since you're not into math nvm.

How about writing? You can always write a novel or something. Everyone has a story to tell.

or you can try something totally out there like photgraphy, painting or something like that

ad.bc · 04-12-2008, 12:30 AM

well what kind of job area are you interested in? business? teaching?

basically anything in the humanities is useless in the real world. that's all i know.

Andale · 04-12-2008, 02:17 PM

Moderator note:Hello, parent posters. I have moved Dan's thread from the College Confidential Cafe to this forum, as I feel confident there will be many parents with insight, experience and ideas to offer to Dan.

LIMOMOF2 · 04-12-2008, 02:50 PM

Dan, if there's an area that your are very interested in - history, biology, English, whatever - you can always select one of those and think about teaching. Not knowing you, where you're located, or if you're willing to relocate - stuff like that, really makes it difficult to come up with recommendations. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

jmmom · 04-12-2008, 02:59 PM

Dan, you might be able to tell us a little more about what interests you and where you live. Which might help us identify interesting degree programs in your area.

One thought I would have: if you wish to return to college - which is a great idea in my opinion, and will give you so many options in life - you don't actually have to decide what field you will major in at this point.

Talking to others and asking a lot of questions, as you are doing here, might help you pinpoint your interest. But, even if it doesn't, that first year (or even first two years) at college could be where you explore different fields and THEN choose. I don't know the exact statistics, but common wisdom is that about 50% of college-bound students who think they know what degree and major they want change their mind anyway.

BTW, you do not have to be math-inclined to get a business degree, if that interests you. Likely you would need to take some accounting, some economics and a bit of finance. But those do not necessarily have to be math-intensive (depending on school and course). Beyond those, a business degree can involve lots of courses in marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, organizational behavior and so on. So don't rule out that particular possibility if business interests you. You did say you don't see yourself in management in your current field, but I'm just pointing out that lack of math interest or talent rules out only a few fields (such as, I would say, Engineering and physics).

mathmom · 04-12-2008, 03:54 PM

I don't feel like I know nearly enough. I gather you've been to college before, but dropped out. What didn't you like? What things do you enjoy doing? Why do you think you wouldn't like management? What are you good at?

There are so many possible professions it's hard to even know where to begin. You need to think of some ways to narrow it down.

Some questions you might start with.

Would I like to be my own boss or work for someone else?
Do I like working with children?
Do I like meeting new people?
Am I good at visualizing things?
Do I like seeing physical results of my labor?
Do I need a regular salary?
Am I detail oriented?
Do I get other people enthusiastic about things?
Am I good at selling things?
Do I like solving puzzles?
What jobs that friends have seem like fun? What seems attractive about them? What other jobs might be similar?

bethievt · 04-12-2008, 04:02 PM

A BS in nursing is an incredibly flexible degree and you can get a good job anywhere. Lots of men are going into it now. When I was a hospital nurse, I did need a good grasp of algebra to calculate dosages and had to get through inorganic chemistry to get into the nursing program. Bedside nursing in hospitals is hard on the back, but there are many, many areas of nursing that require no heavy lifting. It's very satisfying work if you like working with people. My brother's wife is a nurse practitioner and he says she can earn $80-100K in the Minneapolis area. This does require an extra degree. Another great thing about nursing is that if you decide to go on for a graduate degree (as I did in psychology) you can work part time as a nurse to help with expenses while you do it.

CollectivSynergy · 04-12-2008, 05:45 PM

Er... I'm not sure if posts 2 and 3 were meant to be serious, but if they are their ideas are seriously flawed.

I'm going to assume that you require a steady salaried job, since you have a family. This doesn't entirely rule out entrepreneurial pursuits, but might make it harder to stomach the risk involved. Also, finance is a far cry from what post #2 makes it sound as, and writing, painting and photography are pretty much out of the question if you're aiming to be the primary bread-winner.

Humanities majors aren't useless either, there's plenty of successful people with liberal arts degrees. For the majority of people they're a very good fit with few limitations. Also, economics is the most flexible of business-y majors.

Andale · 04-12-2008, 06:15 PM

^^ Posts #2 and 3 were made before I moved this thread from College Confidential Cafe here to the Parents Forum. A little different perspective from the Cafe denizens, no?

mominva · 04-12-2008, 06:23 PM

Yes, Dan, a little more background could be helpful.
Are you trying to decide where to enroll or are you limited to the one local option?
If there is only one option, just start by fulfilling the general education (or core curriculum) requirements. Seek out the Career services department once you enroll. They often have tools and tests to help discern strengths and weaknesses.

tenisghs · 04-12-2008, 06:43 PM

@ Dan208

I think attending a local school part-time at a community college or 4-year college is the best path for you. I know you will still need to work to pay the bills. Definitely pursue and complete the general core requirements. This should also enable you to experience what is your best subject(s).

goaliedad · 04-12-2008, 10:33 PM

I think Mathmom has the right idea. First you need to decide what type of work makes you happy.

I think her questions boil down to what I see as the major dividing line of professions, people vs. techincal.

That is do you want to spend your time working with people on people issues where the results are measured in client satisfaction or more on physical/logical/commercial things where the results are measured more quantitatively?

There are great professions in both areas that can be financially and personally satisfying, while not taxing your back.

ad.bc · 04-12-2008, 11:35 PM

@collectivsynergy
lol im sorry! i'm just 17 i don't know much about college majors. that's just what ive been hearing my whole life that if you major in humanities you can just be a teacher or like be homeless

CollectivSynergy · 04-12-2008, 11:53 PM

Eh, I should apologize for being a bit harsh, plus I forgot that this was originally in the cafe. But my post was slightly hypocritical because I'm in a pre-professional school. The majority of my friends are humanities majors though, and I'm sure most of them will do quite well with those.

Besides, there's nothing ignoble about being a teacher, albeit you'll never be rolling stacks of money.