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re: 13 most useless majors
Posted on 4/26/12 at 1:04 pm to RedStickBR
Posted on 4/26/12 at 1:04 pm to RedStickBR
"The moral of this story is basically to get an engineering degree.
Nearly everything else can be self-taught."
35 years ago it was not common, but there were people with as little as a HS diplomia that basically apprenticed for a engineering firm then took and passed the PE exam. The ones I knew were civil and mechanical, had one for an instructor in college, was the only time he had ever been inside a college classroom. At some point just like the CPA and bar exam, they changed the rules where you must have the associated formal degree to take the PE test.
Nearly everything else can be self-taught."
35 years ago it was not common, but there were people with as little as a HS diplomia that basically apprenticed for a engineering firm then took and passed the PE exam. The ones I knew were civil and mechanical, had one for an instructor in college, was the only time he had ever been inside a college classroom. At some point just like the CPA and bar exam, they changed the rules where you must have the associated formal degree to take the PE test.
2
Posted on 4/26/12 at 1:21 pm to JWS3
I know a guy with an engineering degree, worked as an engineer for a long time then decided it wasn't for him anymore. He studied and took the CPA exam and finished his career as an accountant.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 2:09 pm to siliconvalleytiger
quote:
Take audit for example. Technically it is an accounting/finance field but they take people from every major.
I can't say I agree with this.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 2:39 pm to baytiger
quote:
I didn't know so many people went to college to be insurance salesmen until I was a senior.
I kick myself everyday for not having my priorities straight in college. I wouldn't say I was lazy, just uninformed. I came from a small town where everyone has the mindset, "just get the degree, that's all that matters." bullshite.
I started college too early and had no college prep. I fell behind and lost interest too easy. Ended up graduating in 4 years with a solid GPA and a GS degree, but I know I have mental capability of so much more.
Luckily I didn't graduate in debt, but I did think the insurance industry was a good in to the corporate/business world. bullshite.
Now I'm 4 years out of college and can't find anything outside of insurance (and nothing in the insurance industry outside of sales). I'm back in school getting an MBA, but I fear it is a mistake as well (an expensive one).
Now I tell everyone that will take my advice, to make sure they know what they want to do in college. DON'T PICK A BS MAJOR. If you don't know what you want to do, sit out a year, join the military, get a trade, something other than a BS major.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 2:56 pm to Slickback
The advice I will give my kids.
A) Get an engineering degree from a school in the south and go work for an oil & gas company to start off.
B) Get an accounting or finance degree, get involved, and network hard. Masters degree in the future (MFIN/MACCT/MBA).
A) Get an engineering degree from a school in the south and go work for an oil & gas company to start off.
B) Get an accounting or finance degree, get involved, and network hard. Masters degree in the future (MFIN/MACCT/MBA).
Posted on 4/26/12 at 3:05 pm to raw dog
If I started over, I'd go Petroleum Engineering and then get an MBA.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 3:44 pm to Slickback
If I started over, I'd go Petroleum Engineering at LSU, work 3-5 years and then get an ivy league MBA.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 3:53 pm to OceanMan
You'll notice all the people who work in acct/fin have said that. 
Posted on 4/26/12 at 5:31 pm to TheHiddenFlask
quote:
If I started over, I'd go Petroleum Engineering at LSU, work 3-5 years and then get an ivy league MBA.
Me too.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 6:12 pm to TheHiddenFlask
quote:
So you are saying mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc. all shouldn't be 4 year degree subjects?
No. I was using the comparison to explain the unique value of arts degrees. I am pro-education, whatever the degree may be.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 6:20 pm to TheHiddenFlask
quote:
If I started over, I'd go Petroleum Engineering at LSU, work 3-5 years and then get an ivy league MBA.
I don't think you can do much better than that for a career in anything O&G. For a LA resident, LSU undergrad is the way to go unless you get nearly a full ride at a top 30 university.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 8:32 pm to TheHiddenFlask
If I could do it over:
1. Stanford
2. Software Engineering
3. Silicon Valley
4. Island
1. Stanford
2. Software Engineering
3. Silicon Valley
4. Island
Posted on 4/26/12 at 8:54 pm to Quidam65
quote:
Architecture made the list? There must be a glut of some sort.
Yea, the market may be saturated at the moment, but that is definitely not a "useless" major. I know plenty of people who get direct use of that degree.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 8:56 pm to JWS3
quote:
35 years ago it was not common, but there were people with as little as a HS diplomia that basically apprenticed for a engineering firm then took and passed the PE exam. The ones I knew were civil and mechanical, had one for an instructor in college, was the only time he had ever been inside a college classroom. At some point just like the CPA and bar exam, they changed the rules where you must have the associated formal degree to take the PE test.
I think that was a good decision. I can't imagine not learning the many engineering fundamentals in an academic setting. There's no time to teach somebody statics and mechanics of materials on the job.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 8:57 pm to RedStickBR
I would have just followed through with the idea I had in over the second half of Xmas break in early 2007 to use twitter (still in its infancy as a popular tool, only exploding on the tech world) to set up a website where people could "check-in" to different bars around nola so you wouldn't have to send a mass text to 40 different people to figure out where every one was. I had this idea about gathering up all the drink specials for various bars on various nights, using geo-location and sticking a neat hot spot map on there, selling ads to bars on the website and doing some datamining. Use then newly created facebook open-login to get people in easily. Then I talked to my roommate, who probably would have written about 99% of the code (EE major and giant, giant computer nerd) and he convinced me no one would use it because people would think it was creepy, and I relented. God only knows where that could have gone, seriously. 
Posted on 4/26/12 at 9:08 pm to kfizzle85
Posted on 4/26/12 at 10:23 pm to kfizzle85
quote:I do not see the appeal, what does a day in the life as an architect have to offer?
I know a bunch of people that did architecture. Seemed like they worked super hard at school, all smart as well, but I think the nature of the industry just makes it difficult to find a job since its traditionally a pretty unconcentrated industry.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 10:25 pm to Tiger4
quote:
I do not see the appeal, what does a day in the life as an architect have to offer?
You get to design buildings and watch your vision get constructed and come to life. That's pretty cool, IMO. There are plenty of headaches along the way, though.
Posted on 4/26/12 at 11:53 pm to urinetrouble
I'll be honest, I'm absolutely fascinated by things like tall buildings and bridges. I was thisclose to majoring in arch.
Posted on 4/27/12 at 6:28 am to RedStickBR
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