How did you choose your major?

[*winter*]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Ex: getting into the TV/film industry. It really doesn't matter that you went to XYZ School of Art/Film. Or that you have a degree in film/acting. 9 of 10 times, the person who has worked on different sets before and is "in the know" with casting/production/director peeps is going to get the job/part over Suzie who was an acting/film major but has no real connections and has never interned/PAed/done actual acting.

I would say the school does help with this process. The school I graduated from (ironically with a science degree) has a HUGE and nationally-known performing arts program- everything from dance to theatre to stage and arts management. Being in that environment, you are working with and meeting those valuable "networking" people simply because of your educational environment. In the dance program, recruiters come to the school to find new talent because the school is so well-known for its program and its high standards. As a result of the excellence in the performing arts, grads can have an automatic connection to people in the industry because there are so many who are alumnus from this school. It also has name recognition. It certainly helps with internships, too.

Off topic...sorry MelindaWarren

[melindawarren]

Originally Posted by *winter*

I would say the school does help with this process. The school I graduated from (ironically with a science degree) has a HUGE and nationally-known performing arts program- everything from dance to theatre to stage and arts management. Being in that environment, you are working with and meeting those valuable "networking" people simply because of your educational environment. In the dance program, recruiters come to the school to find new talent because the school is so well-known for its program and its high standards. As a result of the excellence in the performing arts, grads can have an automatic connection to people in the industry because there are so many who are alumnus from this school. It also has name recognition. It certainly helps with internships, too.

Off topic...sorry MelindaWarren

Actually, not off-topic at all! Networking is huge. Sometimes, in certain fields (not the ones DTD Alum-by the way, FIGHT ON!-mentioned, but certain fields), networking is "it." Multiple people have said to me, "I wouldn't be any more or less inclined to hire based on what academic qualification was on the person's resume-I want the person who's best for the job." You're more likely to be in that room and up for the job in the first place if you have the connections, regardless of whether or not you majored in Biomechanical Engineering or Basketweaving.

But thank you all for your answers! I'm not really in that much of a rush-I have until the end of sophomore year (fall 2012, thanks to AP credits)- but my school has this really weird policy that, if you major in something in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, all but about 24 units have to be CLAS units (this may not be a weird policy; I have no basis for comparison). I've already taken 8 (given that I was a major in a professional school)+3.3 from my summer class. This leaves me very little room for outside experimentation, should I decide to pursue something in liberal arts (which, in all honesty, is probably the case for me).

Either way, hearing your stories gave me some perspective (given that every other relative of mine, save for one, came in as a major in [poli sci, history, etc.] and saw that major through).

[SWTXBelle]

I wouldn't count on ANY degree being a guarantee that you'll be able to be employed after college - I know far too many unemployed business, finance, accounting and law majors to think that you can count on your degree. I'm also reminded of my grandfather who graduated from SMU. He wanted to be an architect, but as a child of the Depression, he listened to his father who told him to be an accountant, and he'd always have work. So he spent his life as a miserable accountant. Nope, life's too short to do something you hate.

That said - I started college as a drama major. I was given a scholarship, and thought for sure I would be a professional actress. I quickly discerned that I could be perfectly happy doing acting as a hobby, but really wanted the intellectual stimulation of a liberal arts degree. I graduated with a B.A. in English and a drama minor. I did NOT plan to teach. I then went to graduate school in order to continue my studies - again, NOT planning to teach. But when I needed to support my family teaching turned out to be the perfect career. I have taught college, high school and middle school. Teaching turned out to be my passion. I am also a newspaper columnist, but that is really more for fun than financial gain.

My education is far more than a way to earn a living, as important as that is. I cannot imagine what my life would be without it.

[IrishLake]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

^^^True this. I can only think of MAYBE one or 2 fields where you can leave college and immediately have a shot at getting into the decently-paying/fulfilling jobs. I think nursing is one of them and to an extent education is, although with the advent of Highly Qualified Teacher status, I think it's becoming more difficult to get positions in a lot of school districts without a grad degree. Even if you do get the job, you can't reach your highest level of salary potential without it.

You could include Pharmacy in that. If you select a school where it has a straight 5-6 year pharmacy program, you're making 6 figures or close to it when you graduate. That is versus 7-8 years if you get a BS undergrad, and then go to grad school of pharmacy. This is why Ohio Northern is so popular for Pharmacy school, I think it's one of the few left in the country that offer a straight 6 year program (I think they did away with the 5 year program, everyone now has to get their PharmD).

When I started college, I was a biology/pre-vet major. I loved science, was good at it for the most part, and loved animals. What better career, right? Wrong. I started shadowing vets the summer before college started. I passed out a few times. I nearly barfed a few times. The vets kept telling me I'd get over it. First year of college came and went, and I struggled with keeping my grades up. I partied too much, and I struggled with passing chemistry classes. After my first year of college, and my dismal GPA, my mom said "If you want to flunk out of college, you can come home and do that from the community college." I didn't want to leave school, so I changed my major to something I didn't even know my school offered at the time: environmental science. I could still keep my biology and science nerdiness, while doing something I thought I'd enjoy. As a bonus, I didn't have to take as many or as difficult chemistry classes. I was always an outdoors enthusiast. My grandparents took me hunting, fishing, riding and camping as a kid, and I was in 4-H for 10 years. I got to take awesomely cool classes like Mammology, Herpetology, Ornithology and Entomology. I also got to take engineering classes, which got my foot in the door with engineering consulting companies in the petroleum industry. I've always been fortunate to have a career in my field (with the exception of some unemployment). Now, I am an environmental geologist at a nuclear facility, I love my job, and my salary is decent.