Archive for the ‘Choosing a Major’ Category

The Most Employable Majors: 5 Concentrations That Will Land You a Job Straight Out of College

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

jobIt’s true that technically, you don’t need to choose a major until your third year of college. But there are a lot of advantages to selecting your concentration before you even set foot on campus, while you’re still in high school. Choosing early gives you the chance to take relevant AP courses and SAT subject tests that will let you test out of lower-level prerequisites, saving thousands of dollars on course tuition. You can also take the opportunity to find relevant internships early in the game, which will make you look more attractive to employers when you’re ready to find a full-time job.

So, if you’re considering choosing a major now, you’ll want to think about what you’re good at and what you’re interested in—but especially in these difficult times, you’ll also want to think about what will make you employable. If you want a degree that will help you land a job straight out of college, consider one of these concentrations.

Biomedical Engineering. This challenging, but fascinating major combines the study of engineering and the human body to help students understand how science can help humanity. Biomedical engineers are responsible for working on innovative projects like creating prosthetic limbs and creating cancer warning systems. The career field is growing rapidly, with an estimated 11,600 jobs to be added within the next eight years, and the median salary is $ 77,400. If you’re a math and science whiz, this could be the perfect major to get you started in an exciting and high-paying career.

Education. It’s true that teachers don’t make a fortune, but getting every summer off is one of the greatest benefits around. Getting a degree in elementary education and a teaching credential means that you’re unlikely to ever be out of a job—schools are always in need of great new teachers. Check out the requirements in your state, or the state you plan to move to, to find out what’s involved in becoming a teacher, and what sort of wages you can hope to earn—in some areas, such as New York City, long-time teachers can earn in excess of $100,000 a year.

Information Technology. If you’re a computer whiz, a degree in information technology will help you get the paper credentials you need to move into the high-paying and fast-paced tech world. The industry is gaining prominence rapidly: according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 155,000 new jobs in the network systems and data communications field will be created by 2018. Play your cards right, and you may end up at a Silicon Valley start-up straight out of college.

Finance. If you’re good with numbers, a degree in finance could serve you well in the job market. You’ll have the option of going on to get your CPA license to become an accountant, or you can go into any number of financial careers, such as a financial examiner, a financial consultant, an insurance underwriter, or a money manager. Even though Wall Street may not be the hot spot it once was, there are still plenty of great jobs in the financial industry to be found.

Athletic Training. If you’re a sports nut, but won’t be recruited into the NFL anytime soon, a B.A. in athletic training is a great way to set yourself up for a physically oriented job, where you’ll be able to help people prevent or repair physical injuries. Athletic trainers may work in schools, hospitals, or with sports teams, and are highly in demand—athletic trainer employment is expected to rise by 38 percent from 2008 to 2018. If you love being on your feet all day, this could be the perfect major for you.

Get a Green Degree: 6 of the Most Eco-Friendly Colleges in America

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
College of the Atlantic. Photo by udall.

The Udall Legacy Bus Tour: Views from the Road/Morris K. Udall Foundation

If you’re focused on living a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle, you need two find a college that fits with your ideals. That means more than just offering great programs in ecology and environmental science. It means more than being surrounded by natural beauty. Most of all, it’s about finding a school that practices what it preaches, by focusing on clean energy, recycling, local eating, and other eco-friendly initiatives. If you’re a treehugger looking for a green spot to set down roots, look no further than these great options.

College of the Atlantic. This tiny college in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine is home to just a few hundred students, and boasts the stunning Acadia National Park as its backyard. The school is carbon-neutral, most buildings are made from recycled elements, and the campus’ food is all locally grown and organic. The school is most unique, however, in that it offers just one major: human ecology. Students are free to take courses in a variety of disciplines, like literature, arts, and sciences, but all classes include a message of sustainability and being aware of our impact on the planet.

Warren Wilson College. This small liberal arts school in North Carolina takes an innovative approach to the college experience, requiring each student to join a campus work crew and participate in outside community service in order to graduate. The school’s food and lumber come from its own gardens and forests, and vehicles run on biodiesel fuel. With an ongoing commitment to sustainability, Warren Wilson College is the perfect place for a student as interested in giving back to the world as learning from it.

Green Mountain College. Located in Poultney, Vermont, Green Mountain College requires all students to take a 37-credit Environmental Liberal Arts General Education Program, but the school’s commitment to the environment doesn’t end there. Students are also encouraged to take part in hands-on experiential learning seminars in the natural world, and to take part in the Food & Farm Project, where they can garden and farm to produce the food that the students and faculty eat. The school is also involved in developing ongoing sustainability projects, such as a biomass plant that will source about 20% of the school’s energy requirements.

Carleton College. Minnesota’s Carleton College has its very own wind turbine—the only college in the country to do so. The school is committed to local, organic food, and offers its students “single-stream” recycling, which means that they don’t need to separate the various elements to recycle them. Every February, the students participate in “Dorm Wars,” where they compete to see which building can reduce their energy usage the most, even if it meant outdoor camping in the middle of winter. The winning dorm reduced their energy usage by 22 percent, but the students all used the experience to focus on how they can remain energy-efficient all year round.

UC Santa Cruz. Along with top-notch programs in ecology, marine biology, and other eco-focused subjects, the beautiful UC Santa Cruz is committed to sustainability by fueling all of its energy needs through hydroelectric and wind sources. The school is surrounded by natural beauty, and the town has an eclectic mix of eco-focused independent shops, including an all-night vegan diner.

Oberlin College. Ohio’s Oberlin College, a small liberal arts school, has a strong focus on sustainability, and has developed campus-wide technology to help students, staff, and faculty live green. The college uses an online system to monitor water and energy usage in the dorms, which the students can use to control their carbon footprint, and the campus boasts a solar array and many LEED-certified educational buildings.

5 Unique College Majors (and the Cool Jobs They Can Land You)

Monday, December 7th, 2009

800px-Golf_player_Hawaii_2002If you’re planning to attend college in the next couple of years, you’re probably still wondering about what to major in. There’s nothing wrong with that—you have two years at college before you need to make a final decision. A major in biology could set you up for further studies at medical school, and a pre-law degree will help you master the basics of tort and criminal law if you’d like to become an attorney one day, but if you’re not sure where your path will take you, why not consider some of the more unique majors available? Here are some fascinating college majors from American universities that you’ve probably never heard of—and the cool jobs they can lead to.

Viticulture. You may be too young to drink wine, but that doesn’t mean you’re too young to make it! Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo, California, offers a hands-on Wine and Viticulture major, where students will learn all the basics about growing grapes and turning them into high-quality wine, using the school’s own 100-acre vineyard as a testing ground. Once you’ve finished the program, you’ll finally be old enough to try out your own wine—and will be prepared to launch your very own winery. Check out the program details here. http://cafes.calpoly.edu/departmentsAndMajors/majors/wineAndViticulture.asp

Professional Golf Management. If you’re a golf nut, but aren’t quite qualified to go pro, maybe you should consider running your own golf course. A degree in Professional Golf Management from Penn State University will teach you how to do just that, with courses in subjects like Turf Grass Management, Analysis of the Swing, and Golf Car Fleet Management. And perfecting your swing is part of the program: students must pass a golfing proficiency test out on the green before being awarded with a diploma and a membership to the PGA. Sounds like a good excuse to spend plenty of time out on the course (as scholarly research).

Food Science. Have you always loved both chemistry and cooking? A degree in Food Science from Cornell University provides a chance to combine these two passions, teaching you about engineering, microbiology, chemistry and other scientific fields as applied to everything that ends up on your plate. This is definitely not a lightweight major—you’ll need to take a series of courses in calculus, organic chemistry, and microbiology to even begin the program—but it’s a fascinating and rewarding field. If you think coming up with Ben and Jerry’s next flavor would be a dream job, this is your way in.

Bagpipes. In tribute to founder Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish roots, Carnegie Mellon University offers America’s only bagpipes major, complete with its very own scholarship. The program focuses on both the history of bagpiping and the performance itself—though bagpipes students are given a separate building to practice their craft in, as the instrument is incredibly loud. The university has only graduated a handful of bagpipes scholars so far, but if you’re a fan of the infamous instrument, this might be just the trick for you to score a scholarship to a great school—and receive plenty of high-paid invitations to perform at weddings after graduation. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09127/968364-298.stm

Criminology. If you’re addicted to TV shows like America’s Most Wanted and Criminal Minds, a degree in criminology (available at many colleges, including the University of Southern Maine) might be the best way to get into the fascinating and high-paying field of criminal profiling. Criminology courses in an undergraduate program typically include a mix of psychology and sociology classes focusing on the American criminal justice system, as well as an internship with a police department or government agency. Though you’ll need to complete a master’s degree in criminology to become eligible for most jobs in the field, a B.A. in this fascinating field is your first step on the way to a high-level profiling career with a police department, the FBI, or even the CIA.

College Rumors Get Ironed Out

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

MarkyBon/Mark Menzies

As a high school student, you probably have heard what college is like, but how do you know what to truly expect? The unknown is what sets your nerves on end and probably makes you break out in a sweat. Listening to what your fellow high school students are saying may not be the smartest route to take because you’ll have a hard time separating the facts from the myths. They’ve never been to college before so what they have to say is simply speculation. While you may have the high school system all figured out, maneuvering the waters of college is completely different. Probably one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to know what you want to major in before you step foot on your college campus.

Deciding What to be When You Grow Up

It’s time to set the record straight. You do not have to know what you want to major in on your first day of college. The beauty of the college system is that the first couple years your class credits go toward earning your associate’s degree, which allows you to take classes as part of your experiment to figure out what you want to be when you grow up.

Yes, there are classes that you are required to take to acquire this degree, but there is some leeway in your options. So if you want to dabble in psychology, you can take a class or two to see if this is something that intrigues you. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a lawyer so you take on some criminal justice classes to get your feet wet only to discover that you can’t stand this area of study.

The point is that you have the first two years of your college education to figure out what is you want to do in life. You don’t have to have all of the answers from the start. Take the opportunity to match your interests with your studies to see if it’s a career path that may be worth pursuing.