There are many socioeconomic factors that influence students as they are choosing their college majors. Since some degrees can determine the type of career the students will have for the rest of their lives, there is a lot of pressure to choose a major they will be passionate about. However, not every student has a single interest they are truly passionate about. Luckily, there are other degrees that emphasize providing students with the tools they would need to create their own place in the business world. Like many other liberal arts degrees, a Bachelor’s Degree in English focuses on developing a solid base of critical thinking on which a student may build their career or decide to further their education. Alternatively, a Bachelor’s Degree in English can prepare students for careers in education, law, publishing, journalism, public relations, business, management, advertising and writing; all of which, I have expressed an interest in at one time. Although there are many other degrees that support my …show more content…
Professor Angela Fidger at College of the Canyons advises her Paralegal Studies class not to go on to get a bachelor’s or graduate degree until they are absolutely certain that they are ready for the investment. She goes on to say: “I will be paying for my law degree my entire life. Many people think attorneys are well payed, but in reality almost all of my money goes to paying off my college loans. I think I would have been happier with a lower level job since there is less stress and I would not have all of these college loans to pay off” (Fidger). In other words, Professor Fidger is saying that it is important for students to consider the economy, their personal finances and their own happiness when choosing a college major. Not only do potential English majors have to consider the cost of their choice, but they also have to consider the cost of the individual school they decide to go
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
One statistic that Owen and Sawhill presented was “Hamilton Project research shows that 23- to 25-year-olds with bachelor’s degrees make $12,000 more than high school graduates but by age 50, the gap has grown to $46,500 (Figure 1). When we look at lifetime earnings—the sum of earnings over a career—the total premium is $570,000 for a bachelor’s degree and $170,000 for an associate’s degree. (Owen, Sawhill pg 641). Owen and Sawhill also mention that “with tuitions rising faster than family incomes, the typical college student is now more dependent than in the past on loans, creating serious risks for the individual student and perhaps for the system as a whole, should widespread defaults occur in the future. Federal student loans now total close to $1 trillion, larger than credit card debt or auto loans and second only to mortgage debt on household balance sheets” (Owen, Sawhill pg 642). Basically, what the authors are saying is college is expensive, but for some career paths, the training and education received in college is necessary to have that job and the benefits outweigh the costs. With a high paying career where a college education is necessary, paying off student loans is no problem. On the other hand, people who go after low paying careers that don’t necessarily need a college degrees,
A former English major- for nineteen days that is; by the name of Mark Danner, gave a commencement speech to a graduating class of the Department of English at the University of California. Starting off with a familiar and dreaded question, he asks the students “What are you going to do with that?” A question that has been repeatedly asked by anyone that knows you are an English major. Retorting to his own question, he states that by striving to be an English major, they will do questioning of their own, but also be questioned. In today’s society everyone hustling for a college degree is pursuing fields that will grant instant satisfaction in the job field, upon graduating. Unfortunately, for Liberal Arts or English majors, the options do not come quite as abundantly.
Zac Bissonnette, “Your College Major May Not Be as Important as You Think”. New York Times. New York Times. 03 November 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2014
Reading “I am an English Major, Now What?” written by Timothy Lemire was an interesting discussion to explain to the students that their careers can be successful with English majors. This book was designed to help academic students understand the purpose of English skills and communication with the proper techniques to enhance achievements. The English major involves a variety of reading and writing, but people can find real jobs to help them achieve happiness in their life. In addition, the student needs to know who they are, what they can do, what they want, and where to look for opportunities. Colleges and universities around the world has a different set of requirements for the major in English, but to earn a degree in English, the student should be able to at least read two three-hundred page novels and write a five-page paper about the novel. According to Lemire, “There are English skills that the student should learn at a bare minimum, such as proper grammar, manage deadlines, and
These eighteen year olds who had virtually no say in what they wanted to study in high school are now ask “ what is your major?” or better yet “what do you want to do for the rest of your life?” This is a big question, and most have no idea what they want to do. So, in a state of confusion they instinctively choose to study in a field that will benefit them economically when they graduate. Is this what a higher education means, to go through college fixed on the money? Or, is there a deeper meaning to it all, if so how can it be obtained? These are the sort of questions that need to be asked when considering going to college.
Education is one of the most important factors to any person’s success in their lifetime, but is higher education really worth it? The answer is found in the article “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree.” Written by Marty Nemko who was most likely inspired to write this because of his experience as a career counselor. In this article Nemko addresses the parents of potential college students to inform them the truth about college’s being money hungry businesses. He brings fourth multiple examples of why bachelor degrees are overrated and how colleges are not being held to a high enough standard. Additionally, he argues that going to college isn’t even necessary for success, and that many of the skills needed to succeed in the workplace are already in the successful students not just taught at some college. The text as a whole reveals the ugly truth that colleges are more focused on making money than actually helping their students succeed and because of this fact parents should take action to protect their students from being harmed in the process.
In “Should Everyone Go to College?” there are multiple figures depicting the return of investment on different Bachelor’s degrees. Among the lowest ROIs include the majors of liberal arts, literature, and the arts (215). These are majors which on average, don’t pan out well for those who invest in them. As we often forget, college is an investment in a future career, and so there are certain majors which just aren’t good ones to make. Other majors, such as engineering, computers, math, science, and business, are fantastic investments based on the work-life earnings on different careers pertaining to these majors. These are the ones which are the best ones to invest money in if someone’s looking for a college route, and if they are having trouble finding a way to pay for it, they should consider looking to methods such as doing some time in the military, applying for scholarships, or going to a community college, in order to help them achieve their
A Public Relations worker’s media pay is: $57,550. An Event Planner’s median pay is: $45,260. Of course, last but not least, a person working in sales will make anywhere up to $87,000 (onedayonejob.com). The fact that there are articles written on this topic of what we can do with a major not in the classical fields tells me that there are huge problems at hand. Students are entering school with the hopes of becoming fulfilled with what they learn from these pricey schools but end up graduating with a huge
Making a decision for the future can be hard, but it can be even harder when people are torn between their passions and meeting other’s expectations. In today’s generation, most students are expected to have their career chosen by the time they are out of High School. They are trained to plan and map out their entire lives. Yet, college students still end up having an undecided major by the time they start their freshman year in college. A huge issue that is present in today’s society is that college students chose their major for the wrong reasons. Parents pressure students to pursue careers in business, medicine, politics, and law; however, unless practiced with passion, those careers are pointless.
The benefits and burdens of a college education are not one to be taken lightly. The value of getting a college education is greatly debated among society today. This is due to the rising costs of tuition and decreasing availability of jobs. In consequence, graduates are finding it harder today to find employment in the jobs they earned their degree in all while struggling to keep up with their student loan payments. Yet, despite the misfortunes, all that hard work does not go to a waste. This is supported through a college graduate named J.D. Roth, claiming that, “I earned a B.A. in Psychology… (with a minor in English Lit…). What have I done with this degree? Almost nothing. Yet I do not regret the money and years I spent working to earn
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
One of the most important decisions an undergraduate will make will be deciding what they will major in. This academic and life choice will ultimately decide how an individual will view their college experience and help guide them with their future career choices. Choosing the wrong major can be too stressful and overwhelming for a student with more course work than expected. On the other side of the spectrum, the wrong choice in a major will not challenge the individual to bring out their full potential. “Ideally, a major will leave a student academically successful, as well as fulfill academic, personal, and vocational goals “(“The Pennsylvania State University Division of Undergraduate Studies,” n.d.). For most college students choosing a major is a difficult decision, especially when they are not mentally and rationally matured. When choosing a major it is implied that most people are logical and rational, and that they weigh the pros and
Choosing a major is such a difficult decision. During the second semester of my college education, we had to start observing teachers in elementary. This is the best way for someone to determine if one would like to go into the education field. It is especially important for prospective teachers because although you do not realize it as a student, teaching is a very demanding, burdensome job that requires patience and determination.
It's no secret that choosing the right college major will be an important decision students make during their academic lives. And with tough economic times and enormous amounts of debt to deal with, students have never been more worried about which major to choose, and it seems like college-related pressure has never been greater. Though economic realities can be discouraging, student decisions regarding which major to choose usually should not be affected by economic conditions. What students will need to consider is what they are interested in, what field of study they would succeed in, and their debt situation. They should also remember that there will many careers available to them regardless of their major.