<p>I am a sophomore transfer to the University of Michigan LSA (from Auburn University) and will be starting classes this fall. I am dealing with the age old dilemma of falling in love with an English major without a lot of career paths. Everything I love and most of the things I’m good at (analyzing text, writing, thinking critically about a work of literature, etc) all point to an English degree. If money weren’t an issue, I would absolutely be in the right major. However, I am paying 52k in oos tuition as an investment in my future and would like to make 100k someday (not as a starting salary, of course, but somewhere in my career). I need to change my major and I’m very driven, I just don’t know where I’m driving. I will talk to my advisor at Michigan, but I’d like some suggestions so I have an idea first. I don’t have to LOVE my major, but I’d like not to hate it. Please no STEM majors and I wouldn’t want to teach.</p>
<p>what about bschool? or economics if bschool would be an extra year and you can’t afford it.</p>
<p>What is bschool?</p>
<p>the business school (Ross)</p>
<p>Wouldn’t I have to apply to transfer to the business program? I would prefer to stay in LSA.</p>
<p>you’re correct, you have to apply to the business program after your 1st year. that’s why i mentioned that it might be an extra year. why are you not considering STEM? i feel like most jobs that end up paying ~100k are STEM-related. have you considered law? that seems like it’d be a good fit for you considering the interests you described above. i’ve heard that many law students are struggling to find jobs nowadays, though.</p>
<p>I’m not considering STEM or economics because it’s simply not the way my brain works. I’ve always excelled in English and the humanities, even sometimes math, but I can’t stand the hard sciences and would rather not transfer again because an extra year would be more than 50k. I considered the organizational studies major for a while, but I don’t know enough about it to be sure.</p>
<p>it doesn’t seem like you have a lot of options based on the limitations you’ve set…</p>
<p>Yeah, I mean it doesn’t have to be exactly 100k. I’d just hate to make 40k or something. It sounds petty, but if I’m putting this much money into my education, I’d like to get money out of it. I know the STEM majors are usually where the money is, but I find it hard to believe that they are the only way to make money. I’m just looking for some ideas.</p>
<p>First of all, paying 50k/year for an English degree, even from Michigan, is probably not the best idea you’ve ever had.</p>
<p>Based on the limitations you’ve put on yourself, your best bet would be to just major in English, get a 4.0, study really hard for the LSAT, and gun for a T14 law school and hope to god that you do well enough 1L year to give you a shot at biglaw.</p>
<p>BTW, STEM majors, (particularly certain fields of engineering) tend to start higher but also tend to top out relatively quickly. Most hard science people don’t make much to start, especially without a graduate degree.</p>
<p>I realize that it isn’t smart to spend this much on an English degree. That’s why I’d like to change my major. I didn’t know about the STEM majors topping out quickly, though. That’s pretty interesting. In what ever major I end up in, I am fully willing to further my education, getting masters or doctorates where they’re appropriate. I just want to make some money in a field I’m good at so that I can build a future for myself.</p>