Posts Tagged ‘choose a major’

Does It Make Sense to Go to an Art College?

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

More than likely, you’ve heard at least one or two people state that going to an art college has many downsides when it comes to entering the job market.  This leaves many students wondering whether or not they should attend an art college at all.  Currently, this question has more weight and importance than in past years, and here is why.  The cost of education is soaring at a pace that is far out of step with virtually every other industry and is greatly outstripping the rate of inflation.  Of course, this means that student debt is higher than ever.  As many people are discovering, the promise of a college education serving as a “ticket” to a good job and at least a middle class income and existence isn’t necessarily a fact anymore.

So what does this mean for you, the high-school student considering pursuing an art degree?  Does it mean that you should forget your ambitions regarding your art and begin studying international finance?  Not exactly, but it only seems logical that based on the shifting reality of economic realities you need to consider how to handle your art school ambitions a little more carefully than past generations.

Can you still go to art school and then transition into a decent paying job in the corporate world relatively easily?  It depends upon factors ranging from what you studied in art school to how talented you really are (and not just how good you think you are!)  Harsh?  Not really, keep in mind that harsh is not being able to find a real and substantial job in a highly competitive job market.

If your passion is to attend art school, and you will be using direct federal student loans or private loans to make it happen, then it is necessary to create a resume that helps ensure your prospects of employment.  Is it smart to “marry” your art school degree with some sort of business degree or other degree that might give you the ability to apply for a wider range of jobs?  It would certainly seem that such a step makes sense from an economic perspective.  The other option could be working jobs that don’t necessarily reflect your education and waiting for the economic outlook for recent graduates to improve.

The key may very well be to think of ways that you can combine another degree with your art degree so that you are more employable.  This may not be what you want out of your college experience or your life, but neither is working a minimum or near minimum wage job with little or no hope for advancement.  If you take this route will you ultimately sell out your art ambitions?  That is, of course, up to you and how hard you work to find a way of creating a blend of skill sets that allow you to at least have your foot in the door of the creative world.

Don’t completely depend on guidance counselors for advice in this regard, but reach out to successful creative people and ask them for their opinions.  You will be surprised how many successful, creative people are willing to help a young artist that is confused about the next step.  Above all else, plan and demonstrate your creativity firsthand by how you build your own resume so that you are employable after art school!

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How to Make the Most Out of Your College Experience

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

You’ve no doubt heard people state that, “life is short,” and there is, of course, great truth in this statement.  But what does this mean for you as a college student or a high school student that will soon be venturing to college?  Clearly, you want to make the most out of your college experience. After all, no one is going to state, “I hope that I waste my time in college.”  Yet, this is exactly what many people do.  If you are not careful, you can definitely waste away your college years.

You’ve put a great deal of effort into the college process including steps such as taking SAT practice exams and SAT practice tests online and studying the different ways to handle financial aid for college tuition.  Getting into college is, of course, one step and it’s a big one, but it is far from being the end of the road.  Once you are in college, then what?

It would be easy to only focus on grades, grades and grades, and there is a degree of wisdom in doing so.  However, it is vital that you do keep a bigger picture in mind as well.  Most people are obsessed with grades for their ability to (at least in theory) translate into a “good paying job.”

Let’s just stay on the topic of the job for a moment.  Landing a great job, especially in a competitive field, can often come down to more than your grades.  Being able to show that you are a good candidate for a job is just as important.  If you lack social skills and don’t know how to present yourself, then you better have a skill or degree that is very much in demand.  A good deal of attention is given to good grades and their relationship to landing a great job while in college, but little attention is given to the importance of understanding how to interview for jobs.

The interview process isn’t just about knowing what to say or what not to say.  Often when employers make hiring decisions, they choose someone that they will have to spend a good time with.  As a result, if you don’t know how to present yourself and how to “interview well,” you could be in trouble.

Most certainly there are many jerks standing as gatekeepers between you and the job you want; however, you shouldn’t assume that if someone doesn’t give you the job that it is because they were deficient or a horrible person.  It might be true, but there could be other variables as well, such as a more qualified candidate or the fact that you need to improve your interviewing skills.

Grades are extremely important, but developing the skills you need to interview well is also essential.  You might not be a people person or have a magnetic personality, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work around these factors in your interview process.  Showing on your resume that you have accomplished something beyond going to school helps to distinguish you from the rest of the pack.  It shows planning and initiative on your part, and many employers will be excited to see this!

So much of making the most out of your college experience is to look beyond grades and to your life after college as well.  Building up your resume in ways that will set you apart from your competition should be seen as part of what college is all about.  Fail to do this and you might just struggle to find the right job even if you have the “right degree.”

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Three Warning Signs that it is Time to Change Your Major

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

Exactly when are you supposed to know that it is time to change majors?  Every situation is, of course, different, and it can be tricky to determine when is the best time to change your major.  Just as you spent a lot of time in order to find the right college, you likely also spend considerable time thinking about and selecting your major.  However, this fact could be part of the problem.

One of the main points you need take into consideration where your college major is concerned is that you may be emotionally attached to your major.  After all, few of us want to admit that we’ve made a mistake or taken the wrong path.  Yet, sticking with a major that isn’t right for you is an even larger mistake and one that will have consequences that go far beyond your last day in college!  Let’s take a look at some of the warning signs that you might have picked the wrong major.

Warning Sign Number One – You Hate Your Major!

This warning sign couldn’t be much more obvious.  If you hate your major, then you will want to think twice about continuing on your current career path.  A major you hate could lead to more than just hardships in the “here and now.”  Pursuing a major you hate could mean a career that you hate, and that could mean an unhappy life!  For those of you reading this article who truly do hate your major, now is the time to jump ship and find a major that you like!  Don’t wait until it is too late and you’re stuck.

Warning Sign Number Two – You are Considering Dropping Out of College

If at any time you are considering dropping out of college either because you don’t like your major or because your major is too difficult for you, then drop that major!  There is nothing magical about one particular major, despite what you may have heard from older people.  Any kind of college degree in your hand is better than no college degree, so drop your major if you have to do so!

Warning Sign Number Three – Your Grades are Lousy

If you are actually studying hard and your grades are still awful, then you have two choices.  The first is you can try and study even harder and look for outside help, such as tutors.  However, if this doesn’t help, then your second option is to find a new major.  Poor college grades are not exactly going to get doors swinging wide open in the job market.  A dismal GPA isn’t likely to impress anyone.  So if you can’t handle a given major, don’t hang your head in shame.  Instead, invest your time in finding a new major.

You have a long career ahead of you.  The last thing that you want is to be stuck in a career that you simply hate.  Switching majors and career paths isn’t the end of the world.  No one will die!  If your parents or others tell you that they are ashamed or disappointed, that is highly antiquated thinking that should rest firmly on their shoulders and not yours.

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Looking at Your College Picks from a Different Perspective

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

A great deal of work can go into deciding what kind of college or university you should select.  This is an area where people feel completely comfortable giving you advice… and a lot of it!  If you treat the process of selecting a college or university seriously, the odds are good that you will make the right decision.  With that stated, however, you also want to take in information from many sources and consider a variety of options.  Let’s take a look at two books that might change your perspective on the kind of college or university that is a good pick for you.  If you think that the only way to select a college is to find a college by major or select a college based on college dorm life, these books may just change your mind.

Cool Colleges by Donald Asher

Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming and Just Plain Different by Donald Asher isn’t aiming to please everyone and be for everyone.  The title makes this just about as clear as it could be.  If you are thinking that the “cool” colleges in this book can’t actually be that “cool”- then think again.

Author Donald Asher has hit a real home run.  The colleges that he discusses in this book are indeed quite, quite cool.  What is particularly impressive is the diversity of the colleges covered.  Everything from schools that don’t give grades to totally free schools to same sex schools are covered.

If you are a student that is looking for a different type of college experience, you really do need to pick up this book.  Viewed from this perspective, Cool Colleges is highly recommended.  Parents of students who are uninterested in college and talking about “not bothering” could benefit tremendously from reading this one!

Here is what makes Cool Colleges highly unique; it is an interesting read even for those who have no interest in attending college.  This book has the very rare distinction of being a good read for those without any stake in getting into college.  You might not think its a page turner, but there are just too many quirky and interesting facts in it to not find Cool Colleges at least slightly entertaining.

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope is thought provoking.  After reading this book, you might feel less motivated to attend certain expensive schools and turn more in favor of other options.  If you think that feeling this way is impossible, wait until you’ve finished this book.

There is no doubt that author Pope is very serious regarding her mission to change the way that people see higher education.  Now, if you are obsessed with going to a big name school so that you have all the prestige that comes with the “name,” well, you should probably avoid reading this book, as it might depress you a little.  However, for everyone else, this is an interesting read.  In fact, everyone who wants to get the most out of their educational experience will like reading this book.

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Are Only High Paying Majors Worth The Time?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

You’ve probably heard a good deal about the wildly increasing price tag of a university or college degree.  This is not to state that there are still not great deals in education to be found, but there is no doubt that these deals are far harder to find and require much more research than in days past.

All of this has left people wondering not just how to survive college or college dorm life, but whether or not they should attend college in the first place.  Additionally, many students are also wondering if they should only attend college if they are going to major in a career with a “big pay day.”  Increasingly, people are beginning to question whether or not college makes sense for everyone.

While there is no denying that the job market is far tougher than in the past, some other facts are also undeniable.  College graduates still earn far more than those with just a high school degree.  Those who go on and get professional degrees earn even more than those who earn college degrees.  Or stated another way, college still does pay.

Yet, the world is full of people with graduate degrees working minimum wage jobs.  This is a fact of life and a reflection of the current economic situation which is, unfortunately, likely to continue for some years to come.  So what is a student considering college to do?

No matter what kind of college degree you get, you will be more employable than those without a college degree.  This is just a fact. While you might be thinking twice about a degree without a big payoff, you’re still better off with a degree of some kind.

Not all high-paying degrees are right for everyone.  After all, a job that makes you truly miserable is one that you will not do forever.  Many people don’t actually stay with the careers that they are trained to do.  The reason for this is that once they enter the workforce and enter their chosen career, they hate it.  The money looks great on paper, but they discover after they begin the job that it’s not for them.  This is definitely a factor for every student to consider and here is why.  College degrees can be expensive, and professional degrees can be doubly so.  The last thing you want is to be stuck with a massive college bill without a career path to pay for it.

So on one hand you are better off with a college degree, but you also have to consider how much your degree will allow you to earn when you graduate and how much your college debt will be.  All of this underscores how important it is to have good advice and a knowledgeable mentor or two.  Also investigating all of your options is essential.

You can find the right college for your needs and one that will help you plot out your future career.  Just remember to plan well in advance, and weigh all of the choices before making a decision.

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