Need Advice Changing My College Major

[devarsi]

I was pursuing a Comp Science degree, but there is a negative "unemployed applicant" to "job opening" ratio, support jobs are going over seas, and the science is getting so simple that my Grandma can build a PC- so I see the income possibilities fading fast..

So.

I'm considering an Integrated Studies major, combining Philosophy and Political Science, and getting into an academic field. I can think of nothing I would like better than to always be around teachers and students, the cycle of the school year, etc..

Has anyone had experience with an Integrated Studies major? Anything I need to consider that might not be apparent at first?

thanks ...

[liberalnurse]

1. Well, there is always nursing.....

As a registered nurse, your options of practice is unlimited. You mentioned school, you can teach nursing, allied health or work as a school nurse. Legal options; be a correctional nurse, workers compensation/medical management, legal nurse consultant. There are a million options and you never, ever are lost for work.

You can get an associates degree, Bachelors, Masters-Nurse Practitioner, PhD......Work as a legislative liaison with your state or national nusing association, be a lobbyist, work for AFL-CIO.....no limits here.....


A happy nurse:)

[thom1102]

8. Plus, the pay is really good,

and plenty of opportunity for overtime as well

scion of a nurse/college nursing professor

[saline]

2. how interesting...

I'm considering the exact same thing (comp sci to poly sci). Personally however I was considering law school and then a job with the EPA or something similar. I'm going to tag another question on to devarsi's, are there any DU lawyers with advice on getting into law school and what to do once there?

[short bus president]

3. I did Philosophy and Communication studies

unofficially, though, since the comm stud double major would've required an extra year of undergrad. <ptooey!>

You can easily go wrong with a philosophy degree, but it depends almost entirely on what you'd seek to do with it. It'll get you into law school, business school, med school (with the right science credits) - it's an all-around good thing to pick up. But if you focus in on something esoteric and meaningless, it'll net you nothing but the non-tenure-track blues after graduation.

[Superfly]

4. Electrical Engineering is the way to go

if you are a computer buff. My brother just landed his first job after the Army at $75,000, which represents about a $40,000 pay raise.

Stay technical!

B

[meegbear]

5. "Unemployment ...

it's not just for Philosophy majors anymore." Kent Brockman

If you're gonna change your major, do it because you want to, not because of 'a negative "unemployed applicant" to "job opening" ratio'.

I may be an unemployed computer person, but I've seen more computer positions advertised than ones for philosophers with a poli-sci background.

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. and if you're planning to get into education

on pretty much any leve... make it a triple major with education taking FIRST position. Try and get a job without a teaching certificate is a complete and utter waste of effort. Worse, assuming you get a gig in a classroom somewhere it'll take you a decade to earn two years salary in IT work (if you're lucky).

Not to disparage education, it's a noble field, but that nobility tends to fade when you have to eat at a soup kitchen twice a week.

[devarsi]

7. Thanks for the words of wisdom

My goal is to teach high school (PoliSci) while I work for a masters (Communications) and doctorate (Political Science), then teach college (in either field).

I don't think that college educators will ever be outsourced to India, but I could be wrong. Distance education could change everything. Still, with the computer experiencer I've picked up, maybe distance ed is where I'll go. Maybe I should have a Comp Sci minor, instead of major?

Still, I'm twice as happy as a starving college student than I ever was as a Microsoft Support desk jockey, so I need to listen to the inner voice, forget about the bottom dollar, and do what makes me smile, right?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. One of my former colleagues always advised

students to do what they loved. Somehow they would figure out how to make a living from it.

After seeing how many of my business major students ended up selling shoes at department stores or waiting tables, I have to agree.

There is no guaranteed job market, except for a few years at a time in certain fields.

One of my friends likes to boast that he has never been officially "qualified" for any job that he ever had, but he has been successful in three different fields.

I would also advise you to take advantage of your college years to explore fields of knowledge and leisure activities that you've never tried before. It may not seem like it during finals week, but you'll never again be as free as you are now.

[midnight armadillo]

10. I changed multiple times

I applied to college as a mech. engineer, did 3 months as an electrical engineer, switched to physics, and later added a second major in philosophy. I have since added a master's in physics and am working on the phd. I found engineering to be not terribly interesting, but I truly love physics.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to study something that interests you and will lead you to the type of career you desire. You can certainly make a go at an academic career with a computer science background, so if comp sci really excites you stick with it. On the other hand, if your interest in waning, go ahead and switch, but beware of the grass-is-always-greener effect :-) . Philosophy is a wonderful degree to get: you really learn to think carefully, and I've never regretted all that time spent writing papers and struggling with difficult texts. Symbolic logic was one of my all-time fav classes.