The Big C Word...

[Baylan]

I'm approaching the end of my junior year in high school, and I've got some serious decisions to start making in terms of my future... But like most kids my age, I'm completely undecided on what I want to do, much less which college I'd like to go to. I'm coming here because I've at least partially figured out what part of my problem is: what can you *do* with a certain degree?

My parents have always told me that they think I'd be a good engineer, but there are more kinds of engineers than I'd care to count, and each degree means something different, and different kinds of jobs?

I've also always been interested in Computer Science, and I've taken a programming class at my HS. I have, however, yet to see anything that clearly defines Computer Sci as something that I'd be truly interested in as anything more than a hobby, similar to gaming.

On the other side of the spectrum, I participate in Forensics (not THAT kind of forensics! The public addressterature interpretation type of forensics) in the Extemporaneous category. Being involved in this category requires a great deal of knowledge about politics, domestic as well as foreign policy, plus a good amount of current affairs knowledge. As such, it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that I might be more suited for something along the lines of Poli Sci.... But again, I'm not truly aware of what careers are really open to a poli sci major, which is a major stumbling block for deciding whether or not that might be an avenue I'd like to pursue.

So I guess what I'm really sort of asking is - how did you decide what profession/college to go into? What helped you make your decision? I'm obviously going to be doing a lot of thinking/considering in the next six months or so before I send out my applications, but I figure its better to start thinking about it now than in August. My guidance counseler has at this time been of little help, we can't ever seem to get together long enough to have a decent conversation about this, which is part of why I'm coming here. Guess I'm also half curious what the average Lurker thinks.

Baylan

[Daemon]

I guess I never really 'decided' what my career choice would be. When I finished high school, I signed up for a college course in Administration, which is a 3 year course. I completed the first two years of it, and I quit it. I should have done so earlier. It really wasnt the thing for me.

I spent one year working, and then enrolled for an Electronics class, a 2 years course, which I have completed with success two years ago. I kept my maintenance job at the local community center for about 6 months, then found a job related to my course: hearing aid repairs technician. A year after having gotten this job I went up the ladder and ended up where I am now, R&D technician for that same company.

I had never really planned for a career into electronics, I signed up to the class mostly becaue I wanted to acquired the knowledge, but ended up with a nice job. I don't plan to work there for 45 years still. I'll go wherever my choices will take me. I may go back to school someday, who knows?

I'm just saying, do what you LIKE. Even if you don't get a 50k/year job in the field in which you enjoy working, as long as you are happy, it's what counts most imho. Don't go out there and get a high salary, heart attack@40 years old kind of job just to posess a lot of material goods. Do what feels good to you, and you could be surprised.....

-D

[Count Duckula]

(This is assuming you live in the US.)

First off, now is the time to take your SAT/ACT. (Different states require different tests. However, if you live someplace other than the Midwest, you're probably taking the SATs for college applications.)

I'm graduating college in May and I still don't know what I want to do once I get out of here. I'll be getting a BA in English/Creative Writing from a liberal arts school. I'll be getting one of those degrees that basically tells prospective employers that I'm educated.

The fun thing is, you don't have to decide exactly what you want to do now. I want to write, hence the English major. If you don't know yet, I suggest a liberal arts institution where you can play around in several different fields before deciding which one you want to major in.

You might also want to do some research on prospective career tracks. I know several chemistry majors who became testers in big corporations. I also know a computer science/English double major who runs an online zine. Anything's possible.

[pakman]

I am currently attending Purdue University as a civil engineering major. I went to a private high school and was fairly good in math and the sciences, my parents had pushed that all my life. I also wanted to emulate my father and become and engineer, but not an electrical engineer. Instead, I had really taken a liking to my chemistry teacher who used to work in the field as a Chem E. I was also part of an explorer post at United Oil Products where we worked in actual labs using real equipment. We even got to use a program that simulated an actual oil refinery. But, I was also interested in architecture, buildings, bridges, etc. In my mind there were two choices: chemical engineering or civil engineering.

I started to look at schools that had a strong engineering program. My only criteria was that it had to be within a days drive of Chicago. That meant the Big Ten. I applied to Illinois Institute of Technology, my father's alma ater, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, and Purdue. All schools have very strong engineering programs and I was accepted to all except U of I (that's another story). I liked all the schools and the decision was quite hard. I eventually picked Purdue because it was just the right distance and price. All the schools had similar tuition. IIT is in downtown chicago, near Comiskey Park about 45 minutes away, Iowa is about 4.5 hrs away and Purdue is 2.5-3 depending on traffic.

In all the other schools, I would have started imediately in the Chem E. program, but Purdue is a little different. They figure that since all engineers take the same basic courses the first year or two, they combined them into a program called "Freshman Engineering (FrE)." There are issues with this program, but again, that's another discussion. During FrE I was barely ekking out a C, but it didn't help that i was taking honors. I looked at the course progression and it occured to me that if I am having trouble in freshman chem and can barely stand the labs, how am I going to be able to handle p-chem or o-chem, etc? I then went with my second choice of civil engineering and will focus on structures.

I have held a couple internships with engineering firms and it confirms my belief that structural engineering is what I want to do. These are some of the factors that influenced my decision.

[Munkay]

So I guess what I'm really sort of asking is - how did you decide what profession/college to go into? What helped you make your decision?

It doesn't get much bigger than BU when it comes to college. I mean that in a literal sense, with a 20,000+ undergrad student body, and far too many schools/colleges within it to name, its a giant academic beast.

When I was 15 I was convinced I'd go into science/engineering/computers. By 18 I was convinced I wanted to go into English. At 20 I'm a Philosophy/Ancient Greek double major, eyeing further degrees in Philosophy.

For me, going to such a large school with many strong departments was the best thing I could have done.

...I will write more later, but a paper is pressing at the moment and my own alloted break time is over :)

Cheers,

Munk

[Yrrek]

Well, this is where I will be going come August. Check out the majors, Champlain College has very specific majors that you might be interested in.

I am going to be in the Computer Networking major. Right now I am in the second year of a special technology program in my school district. Last year we learned computer repair, and this year is advanced networking. Our curriculum is online through Cisco, and I have a good basis and luckily will go into college with 32 credits making me a sophomore.

I am doing networking for a few reasons:

1) I like networking and connection/configuring the devices a lot.
2) There is a growing market for network administrators/technicians.
3) I already have my own business where I go around to small businesses around town that cannot afford a computer staff and I set up their networks, or fix any problems and just do general maintenance.

One thing I like about Champlain was location. Burlington is amazing!
About the School
Teaching Philosophy

Hope this helped somewhat! :)

[Mithrandir]

The reason I went into biomedical engineering is actually quite simple: I did lots of reading (Scientific American, etc.) my junior and senior years of highschool, and that is the field that really, really lit a fire underneath me. Picking something that you enjoy is absolutely critical to your success... 10 hour study days and 4 hours sleep on bad nights will absolutely crush you if you don't enjoy what you're doing.

Also though, realize that what major you choose to put on your college entry form your senior year of highschool does not straitjacket you *at all*. It is a common thing for people to change their major after their freshman year and the universities are quite supportive of it. Almost all the classes you'll be taking your first year are just pre-req stuff anyways, common to many different majors. Even if you change majors and end up taking a class you didn't have to, at worst you'll have a couple credits you can't use (which isn't a big deal) and at best you'll be able to write the class off as a "technical elective" (or whatever) and still gain some benefit from it.

That doesn't mean you can just dick around though :) One of my best friends was in mechanical engineering, took one class, hated it, and switched out (which is, like I said before, completely fine in and of itself). But now though he's "exploring" with a 12 credit class load of introductory psych, roman sports and games, and a botany class. The moral of the story? Be decisive, stick with your decisions, but if it turns out to be the wrong decision then pick up something else that you think you'd love quickly. You can't spend forever in college, so make the most of your years.

On a side note: take a class or two at your local community college the summer before your freshman year in some classes that give transfer credit to the university you're going to (check your college's website, it should have a very comprehensive list of transfer credit accepted from other college's). If you go into your university with a college-level class or two under your belt and a couple of APs, you will be a god among lost children. Also, I would recommend to take only the minimum number of years of a language that your highschool requires if you plan on going into engineering and instead taking some AP classes in their stead (in the University of Michigan's engineering program, there is no foreign language requirement - only a general requirement of 16 credits of humanities/social sciences outside of the engineering program - and my experience with individuals from other schools seems to validate this as a national norm). My four years of language allowed me to test out of French 1 and French 2, but I don't plan on taking a 300-level course (as French 3 would be) to get 4 of my 16 "non-engineering" credits when I can just as easily take a 100-level class. And I don't even like French. AP Bio, Programming, Chem, Calc, Physics, etc. allow you to skip past the boring introductory classes and get to the fun classes... well, hopefully they're fun if you picked your major right :)

I went in with a decent amount of AP credit, but could have avoided taking three of my least favorite classes at the university (calc 2, intro to biology, and physics 1) if I had taken two more AP classes (AP Bio and AP Physics) instead of two extra years of French (god what a waste that was - I'm going to tackle my counselors if I ever see them on the street for recommending four years of a language instead of the two minimum and two APs) and then taken calc 2 (AP'd out of 1) at one of the local community colleges in the summer. In case I'm not being overt enough, the intro non-major classes are generally boring and not fun or interesting. Try to avoid taking as many as possible IMHO :wacko: Also, you might want to familiarize yourself with what tests your university administers after you enroll (I believe that most universities give some). U of M provided a foreign language, chem, and math tests IIRC. Because I did well on the chem exam they provided, I tested out of intro chemistry which was the exact same effect as the AP Chem exam... so if you're confident in your testing-taking abilities, you may save yourself from having to take an AP class or two, allowing you to clear room for other APs (as long as you college provides a test of its own). This path has its risks, of course, so I would recommend relying on the university-administered tests only if you're clearing room for other APs you need/want to take.

Reading back, I hope I'm not overhwleming you here :( My intent is anything but that. Basically, just be prepared and plan ahead. Know what the requirements are for your major. Take as many AP classes as you can get your grimy little fingers on. Know who gives transfer credit and for what. And so on.

And of course, best of luck in your blooming college hunt :)

[Occhidiangela]

The reason I went into biomedical engineering is actually quite simple: I did lots of reading (Scientific American, etc.) my junior and senior years of highschool, and that is the field that really, really lit a fire underneath me. Picking something that you enjoy is absolutely critical to your success... 10 hour study days and 4 hours sleep on bad nights will absolutely crush you if you don't enjoy what you're doing.

Also though, realize that what major you choose to put on your college entry form your senior year of highschool does not straitjacket you *at all*. It is a common thing for people to change their major after their freshman year and the universities are quite supportive of it. Almost all the classes you'll be taking your first year are just pre-req stuff anyways, common to many different majors. Even if you change majors and end up taking a class you didn't have to, at worst you'll have a couple credits you can't use (which isn't a big deal) and at best you'll be able to write the class off as a "technical elective" (or whatever) and still gain some benefit from it.

That doesn't mean you can just dick around though :) One of my best friends was in mechanical engineering, took one class, hated it, and switched out (which is, like I said before, completely fine in and of itself). But now though he's "exploring" with a 12 credit class load of introductory psych, roman sports and games, and a botany class. The moral of the story? Be decisive, stick with your decisions, but if it turns out to be the wrong decision then pick up something else that you think you'd love quickly. You can't spend forever in college, so make the most of your years.

On a side note: take a class or two at your local community college the summer before your freshman year in some classes that give transfer credit to the university you're going to (check your college's website, it should have a very comprehensive list of transfer credit accepted from other college's). If you go into your university with a college-level class or two under your belt and a couple of APs, you will be a god among lost children. Also, I would recommend to take only the minimum number of years of a language that your highschool requires if you plan on going into engineering and instead taking some AP classes in their stead (in the University of Michigan's engineering program, there is no foreign language requirement - only a general requirement of 16 credits of humanities/social sciences outside of the engineering program - and my experience with individuals from other schools seems to validate this as a national norm). My four years of language allowed me to test out of French 1 and French 2, but I don't plan on taking a 300-level course (as French 3 would be) to get 4 of my 16 "non-engineering" credits when I can just as easily take a 100-level class. And I don't even like French. AP Bio, Programming, Chem, Calc, Physics, etc. allow you to skip past the boring introductory classes and get to the fun classes... well, hopefully they're fun if you picked your major right :)

I went in with a decent amount of AP credit, but could have avoided taking three of my least favorite classes at the university (calc 2, intro to biology, and physics 1) if I had taken two more AP classes (AP Bio and AP Physics) instead of two extra years of French (god what a waste that was - I'm going to tackle my counselors if I ever see them on the street for recommending four years of a language instead of the two minimum and two APs) and then taken calc 2 (AP'd out of 1) at one of the local community colleges in the summer. In case I'm not being overt enough, the intro non-major classes are generally boring and not fun or interesting. Try to avoid taking as many as possible IMHO :wacko: Also, you might want to familiarize yourself with what tests your university administers after you enroll (I believe that most universities give some). U of M provided a foreign language, chem, and math tests IIRC. Because I did well on the chem exam they provided, I tested out of intro chemistry which was the exact same effect as the AP Chem exam... so if you're confident in your testing-taking abilities, you may save yourself from having to take an AP class or two, allowing you to clear room for other APs (as long as you college provides a test of its own). This path has its risks, of course, so I would recommend relying on the university-administered tests only if you're clearing room for other APs you need/want to take.

Reading back, I hope I'm not overhwleming you here :( My intent is anything but that. Basically, just be prepared and plan ahead. Know what the requirements are for your major. Take as many AP classes as you can get your grimy little fingers on. Know who gives transfer credit and for what. And so on.

And of course, best of luck in your blooming college hunt :)
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Mith: Four years of language is far, far, better than two. Your counsellor did you a favor, one you probably won't see until about 10 years from now.

The one thing I would advocate most is to get started on a foreign language early. And stick with it. It expands the mind.

My Engineering curriculum had a total of three electives outside of engineering in four years. Mech Eng. That did not allow for taking Language to follow on to my two years of Spanish from HS. Given what my future would entail, I consider that a crime. (The Naval Academy graduates and commissions officers who will be all over the world.)

Some folks look at language as "a requirement." It is something far better than that: it is a different way to experience the world, a window into culture.

Granted, until you start writing in a language, and using it, it may remein dormant, but with even modest practice, it opens up a whole new world to you.

Occhi

[Savingsupertokyo]

I'm approaching the end of my junior year in high school, and I've got some serious decisions to start making in terms of my future... But like most kids my age, I'm completely undecided on what I want to do, much less which college I'd like to go to. I'm coming here because I've at least partially figured out what part of my problem is: what can you *do* with a certain degree?

My parents have always told me that they think I'd be a good engineer, but there are more kinds of engineers than I'd care to count, and each degree means something different, and different kinds of jobs?

I've also always been interested in Computer Science, and I've taken a programming class at my HS. I have, however, yet to see anything that clearly defines Computer Sci as something that I'd be truly interested in as anything more than a hobby, similar to gaming.

On the other side of the spectrum, I participate in Forensics (not THAT kind of forensics! The public addressterature interpretation type of forensics) in the Extemporaneous category. Being involved in this category requires a great deal of knowledge about politics, domestic as well as foreign policy, plus a good amount of current affairs knowledge. As such, it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that I might be more suited for something along the lines of Poli Sci.... But again, I'm not truly aware of what careers are really open to a poli sci major, which is a major stumbling block for deciding whether or not that might be an avenue I'd like to pursue.

So I guess what I'm really sort of asking is - how did you decide what profession/college to go into? What helped you make your decision? I'm obviously going to be doing a lot of thinking/considering in the next six months or so before I send out my applications, but I figure its better to start thinking about it now than in August. My guidance counseler has at this time been of little help, we can't ever seem to get together long enough to have a decent conversation about this, which is part of why I'm coming here. Guess I'm also half curious what the average Lurker thinks.

Baylan
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As someone spending my fifth year in college, and propbably another year and a half after that here is my advice. I was very bright coming out of highschool (I suppose I still am very bright) and I had good grades and excellent test scores. I headed off to Texas A&M to be an engineer. All I have to say about that is what a mistake. If you are not 100% absolutely positive about being an engineer, comp sci major or any other difficult math/science major then don't do it. Out of the thirteen credit hours I earned in my first semester, three of them count towards my current degree plan. All the other engineering classes are simply electives now. If you arent sure go into general studies and take the classes everyone has to take. Everyone needs a history, english, government (if you live in Texas) and basic math and science courses. Take something that you are interested in but have never taken. Maybe an economics class, maybe an exotic humanity.

Just don't decide to do something that you may not be committed to, it will come back to bite your ass when you want to graduate and you still have a year to go (like me).

[Chaerophon]

Things are very different here (Canada); however, I found my 'passion' (political theory/philosophy) by attending a local community college. A lot cheaper, prof's that cared more about their students than their publications, etc. After a year and a half, I moved on to a major university (Simon Fraser University, it's called) and, having developed a clear picture of what interested me for about a third of the price, was granted a clean slate on which to rack up a gaudy, post-'first-year' GPA that will serve me well in the years to come.

As far as careers go; I want to be a professor, so I don't know too terribly much about what a political science degree can get you. Law school, gov't bureaucracy, journalist, all come to mind. Somthing else to think of; what 'kind' of political science do you want to get into? Political Economy? American Politics? Comparative Politics? Theory? International Relations? Depending on what you choose, the avenues available may change a great deal. Arts degrees are more valuable than most people think...

[Chaerophon]

Hey Munk,

Is 20,000 really that big by American standards? SFU (where I go) has that many and we're not considered 'big', just average. University of Toronto has close to 70,000 students! Mmmmmmm... can't wait to get caught up in that bureaucracy.

[Munkay]

Hey Munk,

Is 20,000 really that big by American standards?  SFU (where I go) has that many and we're not considered 'big', just average.  University of Toronto has close to 70,000 students!  Mmmmmmm... can't wait to get caught up in that bureaucracy.
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70,000! Wow! :mellow: :wacko:

The running joke at Boston University is "BU is the first two letters of BUreaucracy" :P

We average 20,000 undergrad and 10,000 grad. I am certain we are not the biggest school, but are considered very large for a private school in the states.

Cheers,

Munk

[Savingsupertokyo]

Texas A&M is a close second in attendance behind UT-Austin. Both are right under 50,000.

[Assur]

[quote=Baylan,Mar 1 2005, 01:47 AM]

On the other side of the spectrum, I participate in Forensics (not THAT kind of forensics! The public addressterature interpretation type of forensics) in the Extemporaneous category. Being involved in this category requires a great deal of knowledge about politics, domestic as well as foreign policy, plus a good amount of current affairs knowledge. As such, it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that I might be more suited for something along the lines of Poli Sci.... But again, I'm not truly aware of what careers are really open to a poli sci major, which is a major stumbling block for deciding whether or not that might be an avenue I'd like to pursue.


Baylan

Hi

I'm a Political Scientist so I can recommend it, even though I started out studying law :whistling: Are you interested in a special region (East Asia or Africa, for example) or do you have a talent/interest in languages? If yes I would suggest combining International Relations (IR) with your favorite region/regional studies. There are lots of political scientists but if you have a specilization not shared by a lot of people you shouldn't have trouble getting a job. Be sure to check out the colleges rigourously, both for the quality of the college itself and how it is viewed in the political science community.

good karma

[Nystul]

Hey Munk,

Is 20,000 really that big by American standards?  SFU (where I go) has that many and we're not considered 'big', just average.  University of Toronto has close to 70,000 students!  Mmmmmmm... can't wait to get caught up in that bureaucracy.
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I'm not sure if any public universities in the U.S. have more than 50,000 undergrads anymore. IIRC, Texas A&M and Ohio State both had slightly more than that at one time, but these days "selective enrollment" is a buzzword at the big schools, which leads to slightly less students at the main campuses. Even with grad students, I doubt any single U.S. campus has 70,000 students.

[Raelynn]

My first suggestion would be to start thinking about the atmosphere you want to learn in at the same time as what you want to learn. A big mistake people sometimes make is going to the wrong type of school. If you don't like cities, take city schools off your possible list. You'll enjoy your education a lot more if you enjoy the environment of the school. Some things to think about are the size of the school, the location (i.e. urban, suburban, or rural), sports, greek stuff, etc. These kind of things can be just as important as what you actually want to do in life.

[Chaerophon]

I'm not sure if any public universities in the U.S. have more than 50,000 undergrads anymore.  IIRC, Texas A&M and Ohio State both had slightly more than that at one time, but these days "selective enrollment" is a buzzword at the big schools, which leads to slightly less students at the main campuses.  Even with grad students, I doubt any single U.S. campus has 70,000 students.
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Ahhh, I did mix my words there. U of T has close to 70,000 with grad students according to the latest Maclean's tally. They have a massive grad student population there, though. Easily the largest in Canada. Anyways, that's very interesting to know. We don't really have the 'public/private' dichotomy of the U.S. All of our universities are 'publicly' funded by your standards (although the private sector runs rampant throughout :) ).

[Mithrandir]

Mith: Four years of language is far, far, better than two. Your counsellor did you a favor, one you probably won't see until about 10 years from now.

Perhaps, but I find it hard to believe that four years of highschool-level foreign language will be anything more than a passing memory ten years from now, much less be remembered well enough to provide a solid base for further foreign language development. That's assuming I am ever even in a situation in which I would need a foreign language, and even more specifically, that exact foreign language I studied.

The one thing I would advocate most is to get started on a foreign language early. And stick with it. It expands the mind.

I would argue that the extra time afforded to me by either taking more classes in my major than are required (because I would be able to skip "pre-req" courses and thus open more slots for other courses and graduate at the same time as my other colleagues) or graduating early (and thus gain that extra year or so of work experience) would expand my mind just as much, if not more so, as a couple years of a foreign language that appears very unlikely to ever be applied.

That said, I certainly am not disparaging foreign language studies in general. It's just that, in my experience, it took up valuable course slots and provides little to no benefit to my field of study, and I thought it would be helpful to relate my concerns to the original poster (and anyone else reading this thread in much the same situation as I was).

[Munkay]

Perhaps, but I find it hard to believe that four years of high school-level foreign language will be anything more than a passing memory ten years from now, much less be remembered well enough to provide a solid base for further foreign language development.

I must back up Occhi on this one Mith. I agree that you will most likely forget most of the vocabulary without any practice of the language, deeming it generally meaningless in a few years. But there is overwhelming evidence that children brought up in bilingual households are much more adept at picking up further languages. Granted, that is some what of a platitude, but it is an important point. The actual structure of different languages does appear, in lack of a better phrase, to 'expand your mind' like Occhi said. The earlier you are exposed to a language, the faster you pick up other languages.

In defense of languages in general, you learn a lot more about your own native language when you study a foreign one. Grammar rules and structural rules in a native language are habituated by example. A new language forces examination of grammar, which in the case of Indo-European languages, are generally the same.

Perhaps language isn't the best use of high school time. But I can say from my own personal experience it is one of the only things (along with how to be organized and take good notes) I continue to benefit from in college.

[Rinnhart]

I'm approaching the end of my junior year in high school, and I've got some serious decisions to start making in terms of my future... But like most kids my age, I'm completely undecided on what I want to do, much less which college I'd like to go to. I'm coming here because I've at least partially figured out what part of my problem is: what can you *do* with a certain degree?

My parents have always told me that they think I'd be a good engineer, but there are more kinds of engineers than I'd care to count, and each degree means something different, and different kinds of jobs?

I've also always been interested in Computer Science, and I've taken a programming class at my HS. I have, however, yet to see anything that clearly defines Computer Sci as something that I'd be truly interested in as anything more than a hobby, similar to gaming.

On the other side of the spectrum, I participate in Forensics (not THAT kind of forensics! The public addressterature interpretation type of forensics) in the Extemporaneous category. Being involved in this category requires a great deal of knowledge about politics, domestic as well as foreign policy, plus a good amount of current affairs knowledge. As such, it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that I might be more suited for something along the lines of Poli Sci.... But again, I'm not truly aware of what careers are really open to a poli sci major, which is a major stumbling block for deciding whether or not that might be an avenue I'd like to pursue.

So I guess what I'm really sort of asking is - how did you decide what profession/college to go into? What helped you make your decision? I'm obviously going to be doing a lot of thinking/considering in the next six months or so before I send out my applications, but I figure its better to start thinking about it now than in August. My guidance counseler has at this time been of little help, we can't ever seem to get together long enough to have a decent conversation about this, which is part of why I'm coming here. Guess I'm also half curious what the average Lurker thinks.

Baylan
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Talk to your advisors! They're being paid to help you - exploit this!