Does major matter for AFROTC?
I know major matters if you're applying for a scholarship, but I'm not. I'm not strong enough yet to merit one, and will be training all this year for when I start college. I'm strong academically and think I will be able to win some other scholarships/financial aid to help with college. My primary concern is the Air Force's downsizing. I keep reading horror stories about 100s and 200s working their asses off, but not getting Field Training slots. I'm pretty confident in my PFA score (I have 3 years left, and I'm determined. I've already made a lot of progress) and I plan to be as involved and supportive as I can in my detachment. So I guess my primary concern is GPA. I'm not a math/science person. I got a 5 on the Calc BC exam as a junior and have been taking some advanced math/science courses, but I don't enjoy it. Up against a lot of people who are truly passionate about the material in technical majors, I don't think I could do well. I'm hoping to be a Psychology major, maybe with a Russian major tacked on, with a forensics/criminality minor. If the load becomes too much, the first thing to drop would be the Russian major. (Is Psych a good major for someone hoping for MI/special investigations/maybe SF?) If I keep my GPA high enough (3.6-4.0 I'm hoping) will I still be considered useful? I really, really want to have a career in the Air Force. I know Army has more slots, but the jobs interest me less than AF jobs. Any advice for getting a FT slot? If a technical major is imperative, is Russian enough, and if it isn't, what's the easiest technical major for a liberal-arts type girl? If I find out I don't have a FT slot, do I still have time to join Army ROTC? FT slots have shrunk a lot in the past 1-2 years... how much worse will it be in 3 years?
Does your college major really matter?
Well, it matters to a certain extent, especially if you do not plan on going to graduate school. If you are a journalism major, it will affect your career options somewhat -- like... you may experience difficulty trying to be a marine biologist if you majored in print journalism. I think that I understand what you are saying though... that many majors are versatile in that, on down the road, it may make no difference to your job, position or career if you majored in English Lit or Fine Art Photograpy. But, think of it this way: if you want to specialize in a certain field, it's better to study that area in college and show that you did by majoring in that subject matter. Why? Because future employers will assess your aptitude for the job based upon your studies and knowledge of the subject. Sure, once you acquire a decent employment history and demonstrate that you can perform and do whatever job it is you are doing, employers will not rely upon your college major as much. But, to get there, it sure helps to have an appropriate major. As for me, I majored in English Lit and also Poli Sci. I went to law school where my majors helped me a great deal. Now, it doesn't matter so much for my job that I majored in those things but I'm very glad that I did.
Does your major matter at all?
Yes it (unfortunately) does.This Venn diagram sums it up and shows that your future career should intersect with each of the three circles if you want to get the best out of it.People will often tell you to ‘follow’ your passion, although passion is in fact only part of your plan. You also have to consider your talents and think about how you are going to get paid later. If you have trouble choosing, you must ultimately realize that later in life the things you enjoy doing won���t help you survive. Doing things people will pay you to do will, even if you don’t enjoy it.If you want my opinion, I would always recommend to take as many math classes as possible in school and ultimately try to pursue a STEM degree even if you only get low grades and don’t enjoy it that much. As despite all that, getting a STEM degree will put you on the safe side when it comes to survival later in life and give you a very wide range of opportunities even outside your original discipline. This makes it even possible to completely switch fields since everything you learn in STEM can basically be applied everywhere, but not vice-versa.Anecdote: I have heard of various people majoring in engineering or a program like physics that end up working for a bank or a pension fund. When you think, this is actually not unusual, considering the massive mathematical toolbox they bring and are able to learn economic theory on the fly on the side. On the other hand though, with an economics program you may learn economic theory but your mathematical toolbox is considerably smaller so for an economist it is far more difficult to ever switch and go work in a STEM field. With a complete alpha program like psychology the odds are even worse.I do like to warn that non-STEM people trying to switch to Computer Science by learning it for themselves often find themselves disappointed since their level will most likely never reach that of a genuine CS major. Don’t underestimate this. An acquaintance of mine for instance was interested in both learning Chinese and programming, so he rightfully chose to do the CS degree and learn Chinese as a hobby on the side. Trust me that vice-versa would significantly limit your opportunities.Good luck!
I want to be a cop, does it matter what I major in college?
I never recommend a degree in Criminal Justice. It is useless if you ever choose a new career field, and of marginal usage in law enforcement. Remember, you are still going to be required to go to a police academy. At the police academy they will teach you everything you need to know about doing your job. You might consider a degree in psychology or sociology. At my office we have a Captain who has her PhD in Communications. Science degrees, especially computer science are of vital importance in law enforcement right now as well.
Does your major in college really matter?
Hm.. When you get a degree, you specialize at a certain area. If you get an English degree, you basically specialize in just that; English. But to become a police officer, I don't think you need a degree. Having a degree in Criminal Justice would be much more preferred, but not required. For example, if I get a degree in Mechanical Engineering, there is no reason for me to apply at a court house to become a judge. They have no use for someone with a Mechanical Engineering degree. The same vice versa, someone with an English degree isn't going to easily find a job in an engineering firm. If that person does find a job, probably in something that doesn't have to do with engineering, like writing persuasive essays.
Does your college major actually matter?
Your college major matters. You should major in something that challenges and inspires you, or at least in something that gives you skills that you may someday need. The problem is that we are not always going to be inspired by the same things, and that we do not know what future skills we will need. I started school as an Engineering/Mathematics major and wound up in Philosophy and Literature. Later, when I started studying Ecology/Evolution, I found that it was very useful to have solid math/chemistry/physics training, not only to satisfy prerequisites, but to understand biology better. As I began to write scientific papers and teach, I found my philosophy and literature training was extremely helpful.So did my majors matter? In some ways not. I wound up in very different fields than I started. But taking solid courses that gave me background and skills did matter. Had I majored in, say education or history, I would have taken weak versions of math, science and philosophy. It would have been hard to follow the paths that I later found I wanted to take.
Does it matter which major you put on your college application?
I’m going to have to disagree with Tom Stagliano based on personal experience. Sorry Tom I know we usually agree…. BBUUTT…When my son was applying to colleges he applied to Michigan State University (Lymon Briggs - a STEM honors college) and University of Michigan college of engineering among others. He got accepted at both.The deciding factor was the FASFA (Financial Aide) awards by each University. MSU wanted his parents (ME!!!) to take out $19,000 a year in student loans. Michigan on the other hand gave him a $19,000 GRANT (as in free money).Now having worked with many parents for financial aide and being a CPA I have always suspected that the FASFA was skewed based upon what I call the “employability factor” of a intended major.So let’s think here MSU hard science and math college? What does one do with a bachelors? Obviously get a Masters…..Michigan what does one do with an engineering bachelors? Get a JOB!!!!!!Who is going to give back to the school the one who is still in school or the one earning money?While many may not believe it College education is a business.
To what extent does your college major matter for your long-term career success?
This blog post may give you some insight on that. It talks about the relationship between your major and your career and how the two don't have to be related. Give this article a shot and others included on the blog.Think Your Major Is Holding Back Your Job Search? Read This - AfterCollege