<p>I’m honestly of the belief that if you are intuitive enough and take advantage of opportunities, that it is possible to “make money” with any major your choose. Of course, this means looking at college beyond the “This major will get me a job with money because it teaches me to do x,y,z, which will make me more money when I use x,y, and z.” perspective.</p>
<p>I have my own career path that serves to show this – I work with computers/high tech/information technology. My major at my local CC was History. I plan on either going the History or Political Science route for my undergrad but will most likely not stop working in my current career, unless I decide that I want to teach History or do something else with what I’ve learned. Why? I like it, do well in the courses, and can’t deal with computer stuff 24/7, as much as I’m interested in them.</p>
<p>A lot of people really don’t understand how something like that can work and are very quick to write off the liberal arts as useless and not worth anything. Sure it is, if you want your hand to be held all throughout college and your job search, and are looking to learn more of a trade – in which you’ve pursued a program that is DIRECTLY related to the type of work that you want to get, as opposed to a program which is passively related to many different types of work that you can get.</p>
<p>Examples of this can be seen with many CTOs/CIOs (Chief Technology Officers) and upper managers at my current company and others who got into the positions that they’re in not ONLY because they were decent technicians and administrators, but because they had a solid grounding in the liberal arts, which taught them the skills that they needed to get along with people, remain innovative in high technology, and manage effectively. Even with the work that I’m doing, the skills that I’ve learned in my courses so far have helped me be a better worker within my field.</p>
<p>Guess what most of their majors are? History. They then started out doing entry level work within IT, and were able to work their way up. They tend to do very well, and some are highly respected within the field.</p>
<p>In short? Your major is what you make of it. There are the “easy money” ways, and there are others which can work out, depending on your common sense and what your passions are. I think it’s best to pursue subjects that you enjoy and do well at them. Most people who say otherwise are generally just bitter because of their own failed attempt to “make practical use” of their English degrees.</p>
<p>I don’t think age or family can be a valid excuse either. There are exceptions to everything (life circumstances, medical issues, etc.) but all I have to do is look at people like the ones that I went to school with at CC and my single mother, who decided in her mid-fifties to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner, while also pursuing training to perform various cosmetic procedures on people – as her “retirement” job, while supporting the rest of my family living in her house. She succeeded despite the difficulties and is very happy with her choice.</p>