Stuck. Major Change or...?

jjwinkle
Mon, 11 May 2015 21:49:34 +0000

I see that in your brief description math is standing out as a strong area. But I need to know more. Have you enjoyed working with your hands? How do you feel about doing work that is routine and hardly ever changes? How do you feel about working with others - love interacting with strangers, prefer just a small group, just tolerate others or what? How do you feel about working outdoors/indoors/in a cubicle? Have you gotten any awards in any particular area? What do other people think you’re good at? What were your SAT scores?

What problems are you having with science? I am not inclined to agree that you should give up science because it’s hard. I am inclined to say work harder at it. This is because developing your mind, as science does, will make you more competent, in getting jobs, in work and functioning generally, as an adult. I personally feel college should be a time of hard work in developing your mind. You will extract more from the opportunity if you study long and hard and seek out the help of instructors, other students and even relevant websites if a concept is difficult.

For actual job prospects, look at http://data.bls.gov/projections/occupationProj and, for the sciences, math and engineering (the so-called STEM fields), look at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10318/pdf/tab35.pdf . The former is projection by the Dept. of Labor, the latter is established fact about STEM. Both of these data sources say that the health area offers the best odds of getting a job that applies to one’s major. The bls (Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics) site shows the top specific professions for number of openings expected in the decade of 2012-2022 to be accountants, managers (general), secretaries (general), and registered nurses (each about half a million).

Try to find out what it’s like doing the work of an occupation - through talking to people who do it, through interning or part-time working at it - before submitting yourself to studying to do it.

I looked at the jobs that BS degree recipients at my university do. Most of them had studied biology or agriculture. Many of them worked in laboratories and many worked in some kind of environmental management, often for the government, others were in technical support, sales, teaching. I think the major decision facing you is whether to focus on developing the skills fundamental to doing these kinds of professions, letting the exact profession remain undetermined for now, or to right away be vocationally-minded and opt for a program with a specific job at the end of it. On the latter course you will be more comfortable now, but you will not become as developed.