need help choosing a college major

[untouchable]

i want to have a career that can make decent money without too much hassle (meaning i dont want to be a lawyer or a doctor). i also enjoy some social aspects of life so i dont want a job where i have to research crap all day.
im not sure what i want to do, but i do know what i dont want.
my parents suggest engineering since im pretty good at math. i dont know what specific field of engineering i want though. im also decent with biology so i thought about something in the scientific field. ive also been thinking about a business major, but i dont know too much about it.

what i DONT want..
-lawyer: too many years/school
-doctor/surgeon/nursing: i dont like blood and needles..
-performing/visual arts: not artsy
-priesthood: not religious
-teacher: crappy pay, not my thing

any help/suggestions would really help

[Exoduso]

You're asking advice about your future HERE?

Oh boy...

Anyways, I would suggest my major, business management, but the only reason I took it is because I have a family business to go to after I get my degree, and from what I understand you can struggle finding a decent job after finishing it. (same thing applies for lawyers and doctors though..)

[Nightbreed]

If you are just entering college start off by taking necessary classes that all students are required to complete, most colleges don't make you pick a major until your second year in and hopefully by then you will have decided on a major.

[Khamsin]

Actuary. They get paid more than neurosurgeons and criminal defense lawyers combined!

[Exoduso]

Well yeah, but it depends where you're going too I guess... if you plan on transferring to a specific college later for your major, might as well research on what type of necessary classes you need to take (specifics) to get into their ____ school. But for now just take English and Math and stuff you have to take anyways, just take the hardest classes out of those so you don't have to go back and repeat stuff.

[Senoska]

do Biology, or do what I'm doing, get your bachelors and apply to Nova/Jet/etc

Free travel and 25k a year, what can be better ><b
also when you are sick of teaching English or sick of japan you can always fall back on your degree so all is well =.=

[Keno]

Psychology. Good pay if you move on to get your PhD, interesting stuff too.

[Axil]

Just drive a garbage truck

[Skyylya]

Only do psychology if you plan to do more schooling, a bachelors in psych will get you just about nowhere, as will almost any just bachelors these day's unless it's a fairly specifified bachelors like civil engineering.

Your best bet is some kind of engineering field as that market is huge right now and very good pay for starting out. Unless you get very lucky or make the right connections you can expect to make between 25-45 right after your bachelors, with 45 probably being a stretch for your first job out of college. high 20's and low 30's is probably more accurate.

Not sure how you figure business management ppl make more than neurosurgeons, I've been looking into the neuro field since I'd like to end up in it someday in about 10-15 years, but salaries in that field are about 300k+ if you have a few years under your belt and that's starting.

Really what you pick as an undergrad minor means very little unless it's a specific field you're trying to get into. If you plan on going to school for graduate, just pick a major with classes that'll let you pad your resume and grades to get into a good grad program. You don't need to have a BA in a specific field in order to get accepted into a masters/specialist program or combo program master/ph.d.

I got my b.a. in psych, i'm working for a financial company and working on starting a master of public health program which will hopefully get me able to apply to medical school (long shot, but it's what i wanna do). And if that doesn't work out, well my job i have now still rocks, and i was pretty lucky to spot it and apply when i did.

[Jefe]

If you are into business the best advice I can give you is visit your university's career centre and find more info about it (salaries, etc. etc.). They usually give you brochures about companies around your area.

Most engineering degrees differentiate in about 8-10 core classes. Which means if I decide to bail out of computer engineering, I can go for mechanical or electrical

Who knows, maybe later on (if I'm still alive I'll get a masters in business or CE 8)

[tyven]

accounting, fo serious

[Senoska]

I GOT IT:

Cosmology

or Theoretical physics!

PREPARE FOR MINDFUCK

[Tristam]

Just from experience, if you do biology and think the Ph.D route is much more money than a B.S. it's not. but it is a shitton more work.

There really aren't alot of not too rough work professions that pay really well. What starting salary are you looking for? Have you thought about business? If you get a biology degree and then go for an MBA I'm pretty sure you could go into pharm or biotech on the business side quite qualified. I have a friend that whent pharm after getting a comp sci degree followed by an MBA. That may be something to think about. And yes, he gets paid a helluva lot more than I do.

[Mulligan]

I got a BS in chem and i got 50k at my first job right out of school which isnt fantastic but considering i really didnt do that much work to get the degree its nice. I can get most biology related jobs with a chem degree but biology majors cant get chem positions as easy. You could also do chemical engineering or computer engineering, they pay more but its more work. my friend who has a computer engineering degree got 80k a year right out of school. Im about to go back to grad school to do computer engineering. :-"

PS: no offense to people with communications degrees but thats a waste and dont get a degree in art if you like art just take the classes and get another degree. I have a friend who is a successful artist but it took a while and he was happy he got a more functional computer degree to pay the bills before he got noticed for his art.

[Keno]

Only do psychology if you plan to do more schooling, a bachelors in psych will get you just about nowhere, as will almost any just bachelors these day's unless it's a fairly specifified bachelors like civil engineering.

Your best bet is some kind of engineering field as that market is huge right now and very good pay for starting out. Unless you get very lucky or make the right connections you can expect to make between 25-45 right after your bachelors, with 45 probably being a stretch for your first job out of college. high 20's and low 30's is probably more accurate.

Not sure how you figure business management ppl make more than neurosurgeons, I've been looking into the neuro field since I'd like to end up in it someday in about 10-15 years, but salaries in that field are about 300k+ if you have a few years under your belt and that's starting.

Really what you pick as an undergrad minor means very little unless it's a specific field you're trying to get into. If you plan on going to school for graduate, just pick a major with classes that'll let you pad your resume and grades to get into a good grad program. You don't need to have a BA in a specific field in order to get accepted into a masters/specialist program or combo program master/ph.d.

I got my b.a. in psych, i'm working for a financial company and working on starting a master of public health program which will hopefully get me able to apply to medical school (long shot, but it's what i wanna do). And if that doesn't work out, well my job i have now still rocks, and i was pretty lucky to spot it and apply when i did.

I don't know where you're from, but out here even a business or econ major can make 35-40k straight out of college. The engineers get 55-70k starting. Of course advancement in engineering is quite limited and about the most you can ever expect to make is 250k/yr, whereas other fields offer much higher opportunities. It's basically up to whether or not you have confidence in yourself and think you can advance through the workforce. If you think you can then get a business major of some type. If you're lazy and just plan on doing your job, go for engineering.

[Ohemgee]

BUSINESS/FINANCE/ACCOUNTING

yep

[Kuya]

Well, now is as good a time as any to ask.

I am taking political science, planning to switch to psychology/political science by next year, and when i'm done with my bachelors degree, i plan to work on my juris doctorate. Anybody have any suggestions, or any experiences with these sort of studies?

[Senoska]

Well, now is as good a time as any to ask.

I am taking political science, planning to switch to psychology/political science by next year, and when i'm done with my bachelors degree, i plan to work on my juris doctorate. Anybody have any suggestions, or any experiences with these sort of studies?

Stop lieing Kuya we all know you're black and too lazy to go to college.

[Raiko]

I dunno if I'm misunderstanding, but you go to college for years to get paid $25k per annum? or is that only your first job? Also cost of living may be way cheaper in US (from UK btw)

[Priran]

Silly Walks.