<p>So, my boyfriend is switching out of Engineering and into Business. When applying to the business college, he had to pick two programs (just in case he didn’t get into his top choice). His top two business majors are Human Resources and Accounting. He has a preference for HR because he “wants to help people”. However…</p>
<p>I asked my parents’ opinions (one who is an accountant and the other was an actuary) on his choice in HR and they say that it is a big mistake. He will have a hard time find a job. They also said that HR is glutted and the jobs are very low-entry. HR, according to them, is all about protecting the company, not about helping the people.</p>
<p>Accounting, on the other hand, has much more stability and job opportunities. He says he wouldn’t mind Accounting at all but he still wants to do HR. He also wants to get an MBA (his speciality is not yet known). </p>
<p>Should I convince him that HR is a bad idea? Or should I keep my mouth shut?</p>
<p>If it’s the truth, tell him. Just the same as a relationship, you tell them whether it hurts or not. It’s better now than later. Give him your opinion and back it up with statistics and practical thinking.</p>
<p>With outsourcing of engineering, its not a terrible idea but its not a great idea to switch from engineering to accounting/finance, hr might be different.</p>
<p>He’s not quitting engineering because of outsourcing, he’s quitting because it’s too much work and his girlfriend takes up all of his time. Engineering jobs pay almost double what public accounting jobs pay ($30 an hour before taxes vs. $14 an hour after taxes).</p>
<p>Because it is. In engineering, you learn practical skills and have like a good chance of making $35 an hour before taxes. In accounting/finance, you fret over your GPA due to professors who are bad at making multiple choice tests. And, without extremely good OCR, you have about a 10% chance of getting a worthwhile job (that pays $14 an hour after taxes). The people who realize that this sucks talk about ‘exit opportunities’ which of course are allotted based on luck and handsomeness.</p>
<p>For the 2010 hiring season there is a higher than normal unemployment rate among graduating engineers. However, in a few years, there is expected to be an engineering shortage in most engineering disciplines again. To me, it seems like a terrible idea. The worst I’ve heard since finding this message board. </p>
<p>His parent’s are 100% right. There are no jobs available in HR because the supply of people qualified for HR positions far far outweighs the demand for HR labor. Why in God’s name would he want to be a paper pusher for a corporation? What kind of life is that for a grown man? Accounting jobs used to be in high demand, but because of deluded people like your boyfriend, that labor market has become saturated as well, and I expect it to remain so for some time. The absolute only way I would consider going for an accounting degree is if I were going to U of Texas, BYU, or UIUC. Otherwise, forget it. I hope he won’t take offense to this, but you should tell him to grow some balls and man up.</p>
<p>LOL. I just got the Toby and Oscar reference. Nice work. I would counter that in the near future Toby’s role will be made obsolete by technological advances. PeopleSoft is just the beginning.</p>
<p>No, he was already going to switch before we met. Engineering became too much for him, so over the Christmas break, he decided to get out of the College of Engineering so that he can apply for business. My concern is the type of business degree he is seeking. I would much prefer him to do accounting instead of HR. My parents have been in the world of business for 25+ years, so they know what HR is like. It is not about helping people.</p>
<p>Another thing that concerns me is his desire to go get his MBA with a degree in HR. His GPA is not super high, thanks to engineering (3.01). I think he would be better off taking accounting classes and become a CPA instead of doing HR so that he would have something to fall back on in case he doesn’t get into a MBA program. </p>
<p>My mom told me that if he gets a degree in HR he would have a hard time finding a job, and that most jobs he would probably get are low level ones (or a position at McDonald’s). That, or he would end up on the street. :(</p>
<p>Well, he is done with Engineering, and he is not going back to it. He hated it and he was put on academic probation. But what kind of business major should he be looking at? </p>
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<p>I think accounting jobs are still in demand. HR? I don’t think so. It is funny. His step-dad is an accountant and is making over $200k/yr and might be getting a raise for 400k/year…yet he, the money obsessed man, still wants to do HR.</p>
<p>Ditto Tort’s response. If he asks your opinion, you can give it. Otherwise, it’s his choice. I probably would have told Bill Gates not to quit college if I was there back in the day…</p>
<p>Why should it matter if we are engaged or not (I see you edited that into your post)? If we are planning to live together and spend our lives together, I expect him to have a decent job. HR, according to older people who have been in business for years, have a hard time finding jobs as it is. </p>
<p>If I have to be the one to support both of us, things will not work out. He’s got to pay for his, just like I will be paying for mine. He says he wants us to move in together and have a life together, then yeah, I think it is my business (no pun intended).</p>
<p>Ignore Tort, he wishes that someone would have told him international business was an awful idea when he was in college. You should definitely enlighten him that he is being scum right now.</p>
<p>Ignore “engaged” and replace it with “planning to spend your lives together”. What ever, if you’re in his plans for the future then he cares what you think and you should say something. If you’re not in his long term plans you’re taking a risk meddling in his business. Are you in his plan? Did he ask what you think, or what you want; or are you just imposing yourself?</p>
<p>Some guys like their girlfriend and parents controlling their life. If he’s like that then I am completely wrong. You do your thing.</p>
<p>It somewhat depends on what school he is going to, but if he absolutely MUST do a business major, then he should do MIS. If computers isn’t his thing then he should do accounting. Tell him to stay away from a general business degree and especially from marketing. </p>
<p>Entry-level accountants from a “normal” school should expect to make between 24-35 thousand a year full-time, assuming they can find a full-time job. After a few years, if he’s still in the game he should be making 35-50 thousand. </p>
<p>It’s good that your step-dad is ballin, but he’s not making that kind of money because he decided to major in accounting, if somebody’s making that kind of money it has everything to do with character, ambition, intelligence and personality traits. He’s in the top 1% of all accountant salaries for sure and would likely be making bank no matter what major he chose. I say this because your boyfriend needs to make sure that he’s not deceived into believing an accounting major is a road to riches- or even job security for that matter (no major is really, it mostly depends on the individual. I guess if the dude is hell bent on being a Toby then nobody can stop him, and if he’s truly passionate about HR then he might just make some decent money some day as an HR Manager).</p>
<p>I think it’s okay to tell your boyfriend what your father said (but don’t say your father’s the one who told it to you). But only if you just tell him this once in a neutral, non-judgmental way and then drop it. </p>
<p>People very often do things different from what they major in. I know a number of lawyers who hate being lawyers and take different jobs. Second, people do better in jobs they like than jobs they hate. If your boyfriend hates being an accountant, then he’s going to be a bad accountant. Who will he blame if he’s unsuccessful? You. If someone does what YOU tell them to do, then you own their failure if it doesn’t work out. If they succeed, then of course it is their own success. </p>
<p>Shame on your father for not telling you to let your young man be himself. You may not yet know that it is a big mistake to be so controlling, but your father as a grown man should know it. The best thing you can do for the person you love is to have faith that he will make wise choices. Maybe he’ll need more time after college to find his way. I sense from what you write that there’s a fundamental insecurity and distrust in your relationship. You appear to find him somewhat incompetent and unable to make reasonable decisions. For some reason, you seem to fear that he’s going to mooch off you. On the other hand, frankly, you sound like a bit of a daddy’s girl and certainly rather controlling. It’s normal to worry about money in this economy, but at the same time, all people, especially young people, need a lot of latitude to find their way in the world. If I felt that my girlfriend wanted to tie me down for the rest of my life as a job as an accountant, without any consideration of what I would want, and with daddy weighing in with his opinion, I would run for the hills.</p>