A Major Problem?

School is upon us and for those going back or moving into a college program, a lot of pressure exists. Not only is the competition to get into school difficult, but getting a job when you graduate has become just as difficult and competitive.

So, the major you choose has become more important than ever. There was a time when graduating meant a decent starting position for the start of a great career, regardless of your major. Not anymore. Of course there are employment opportunities out there for all majors but the odds are that coming out of college with one of these degrees could mean your starting position will be sales clerk, assistant manager at JC Penny. Or perhaps Junior vice chairman of french fries at the local burger shop. Not that newly graduated therapist are not getting work, just very few are.  So if you are just starting out, may I suggest you think twice before you invest four years in one direction?

According to ModestMoney.com;  Some of the most important jobs in life, as far as humanity goes, not finances, are “Child and Family Service” ,“Social Work”, “Elementary Education”, “Human Development”, and “Special Education”. These studies and the knowledge gained will be an extremely rewarding career, but not financially rewarding for most that choose this path. So God bless all the teachers, counselors, tutors, instructors, and brave workers who reach out to help the human race on a daily basis. The problem is, just know you are not doing this for the money, because these are the lower wage jobs out there and they are very tight in opportunity right now.

On the other hand, science and engineering majors are at the top of the list for most financially rewarding undergraduate degrees. Not only are the starting salaries attractive, the need for those graduates is very high in our country. Part of the reason, from my own point of view, is that most of us Americans like to be creative and expressive ourselves, but not when it involves higher mathematics.

I noticed in college a few years ago, that the higher the math course I took the lower the population of students in the classroom. In fact I met many fellow students who changed majors at the early stages of their education because they had too much trouble passing Intermediate Algebra. Now I had a low background in mathematics so I had tutors all the way through college, because on my own I could not make sense of most of the concepts presented to me. Of course those tutors made a difference. Because thirteen math courses later I graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics.

The point to all of this is that in our current times there are jobs that are just waiting to be filled and jobs that are overcrowded.  Do what you love or do what you can. I say you can do more with a tutor.