Not sure whether to study Biology, Architecture or English/Lit/Journalism

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Spic-N-SpaN

Active member
For college. I've got a couple ideas for careers, dream job would be to write for National Geographic or Outside Magazine or one of the skiing mags, not sure whether to actually pursue that or not. Bio I feel like is a good major because you can go the more environmental route studying ecosystems and stuff or you can go into health, and I think PT won't be a terrible job. Architects just seem cool, like artists that can actually make a living. I don't know if its something I'd be good at, it sort of seems like one of those ones you'd have to try to see if you have the temperament or not.

I don't know I'm a little lost.
 
Do not do architecture just because it seems cool. You won't make it. And most architects don't really make money with architecture. other than that advice, have fun!
 
Don't be an architect, be a city planner. Why limit yourself to one building when you can design a whole city!
 
The other option is Mech Engineering and try and get a job making/designing products in the action sports industry. I don't know why I forgot this one.
 
I think, after doing 3 years of college and being in my fourth, you shouldn't be so set one thing right away. Or, worded differently, being not sure is fine. Take a broad array of classes your first year. It's likely that you'll have to satisfy general requirements, so use that to your advantage by taking classes pertaining to those fields instead of something dumb. Like don't take history of abstract painters just to get credit, take like history of architecture or something, get the idea?

And I'm not saying you can't know what you want to do when you go in, or before. I'm saying being not sure is okay, and maybe even a good thing. You should have a variety of ways to learn about those things, so you should be able to find out eventually.
 
Don't be an architect, the field is over saturated, they make no money, at best you will design parking lots. If you get into one of the top 5 undergrad architecture programs I would consider it - someone has to design buildings. Also know that architects in the top programs work harder than any other major. You really have to love it. A better option to consider is engineering. Even at an okay school you will likely get a job - it is a hard major with a lot of math.

English/Literature/Journalism is setting yourself up to be a waiter unless you go to a very top program. The undergraduates who go on to write for NY Times, National Geographic, etc. have ivy league level degrees and they don't make much. Obviously, those who write for Skiing don't but these jobs are extremely scarce and if you don't go to a top school you have a high chance of not getting a good 'career' out of school. You may have to do a masters program, many go to law school and then don't get jobs either.

Biology is a much better major in my opinion. It is hard, you will be competing against pre-med students who are crazy. You will have a lot more job options in medical fields, research, at bio-tech companies, agriculture, food, etc. I think you can move into journalism in a biology related field especially if pared with a soft major like journalism or English. Also bio-tech is really really hot now.

Doing a double major would be helpful for you. I would also consider psychics, math, economics, finance, computer science, engineering, actuarial sciences - any math-related major seems to do pretty well compared to the liberal arts, 'soft' majors.

Many schools have post-graduate surveys posted on their websites so you can see what jobs people get based on their major or go to high lever education (which can be dangerous). Pick a major that you can succeed in but with the focus on getting a job you can actually get, you will somewhat enjoy, and make enough money to support the lifestyle you want to have. Don't pick a major cause it will make college better cause 40 years of work > 4 years of college.
 
You sound kinda like me when I graduated high school..

I wanted to get into architecture initially because I love to draw and design stuff, especially houses. But the catch is that for most arch programs you need at least 2 years of another study (science, engineering etc) with specific credit requirements before you can even apply. There were a couple schools that had very limited positions for architecture right out of high school, but in order to get on the list you basically need to be a genius/ art god combo which I wasn't; though I had a 90 average in high school.

After I didn't get in with any of those schools, I decided to go with the 2 years of a degree route and chose sciences with plans to focus on biology as a fall-back in case arch didn't work out. So I spent a year studying stuff that was irrelevant to what I actually wanted to be doing and watching my grades drop just for the hopes that in a couple years I would be able to apply to architecture, which in itself is a challenging/competitive field. Even the fall-back of biology started to look kinda shitty after I learned that busting your ass for 4 years to get a bsc just makes you eligible to be someones bitch in a lab for minimum wage and ~50k in debt.

In the end I decided it was too risky, and way too expensive to pursue any longer, so I dropped out and chose to pursue Power Engineering because its a high paying, hands on career with many job opportunities. I'm finishing up my first year (2 year course, leave with 3rd class certificate) and about to start my work term. Couldn't be happier with my decision.

TL;DR:

Not to try to crush anyones dreams, but unless you are very, very dedicated toward a certain career, I highly recommend looking towards trades, or career paths that have a good amount of job opportunities. If you can't make a living doing what you love, you might as well do something you don't mind doing so that you can afford to do the things you love.
 
aahhhc.

so are there any majors/career paths that don't suck? ie actually sort of an interesting and doesn't leave you crawling back home once you graduate?
 
there's too many old, smart people that have had lots of experiences in all job fields. or not old people that are still pretty good at what they do and aren't gonna lose their jobs any time soon. latch onto something that is new and no one knows yet. if you're going to do bio, pass on the ecology and stuff like that. head towards molecular bio and biochemistry, thats where the cool stuff is happening. be warned though, if your bio program will be anything like mine, you'll almost be a chem major too. you need to know both to make anything useful out of yourself.
 
If you're going to University, study what interests you most, that you can spend four years thinking about. If you want guaranteed income in a few years go to a technical school of some sort. It will be a much smaller investment, too.
 
My dad went to UF and UCF and has his masters in architecture. He's never done anything he's liked or envisioned doing, (like designing conceptual buildings) all he did was design banks for a small bank in NC and now he works at a high-level desk job in DC for the Architect of the Capitol. He hates what he does so take a fucking hint
 
or as a field tech, in consulting, in environmental restoration, environmental monitoring, animal keeper, wastewater tech, public outreach etc.

There aren't a lot of jobs, they don't pay a ton, they often have strange schedules and require you to move, and many of them are seasonal or temporary. Flexibility is key in this field - you may be working at night, or in remote places, you may work a couple weeks of 16 hour days nonstop. But at the same time you get the opportunity to see new places and try new things. Plus the people you work with tend to be people who share a love of the outdoors and lead active lifestyles.

If you pursue the environmental side of biology I'd recommend combining it with something like GIS or business to help you standout from the crowd and make sure you build up experience as you go (research and work, in both lab and field settings).
 
This is true. my cousin considered bio and his professors said most bio degrees are basically in preparation for a graduate degree. it's not really specific enough to be applied on its own. don't let that thwart you if you have a true passion though.

as for architecture, take their fundamental/intro design course before moving forward with it. it's a saturated field, but don't feel deterred by all pessimists in this thread--it's a lot of work, but the pay off for working hard and creating something you feel proud of is so great. even if you get a bad crit, you've learned something. a program with a 5-year master's program will give you a stepup from just a bs degree.

and don't go into it like george from seinfeld who always wanted to be the archetype of 'the architect'. if you don't want to work hard and truly want to design buildings cause you think you can design better ones, don't do it. it takes a lot of passion and gusto to keep going through all the harsh critiques and pompous attitudes of some 'design professionals.'

If you want to write, write all the time. keep a journal, think of big projects/stories you want to complete. take writing courses and read a lot. take on a mentor in the english department who will critique your work or visit your school's writing center if they have one.

Basically, take a wide variety of courses--arts, business, science, technology, they're all interesting--if you aren't sure. that's what's great about core requirements your first year. lots of people just blow through them for credits, but you should really use them as a jumping point. don't forget to party and have fun too or you'll really miss out
 
You can apply any major much more broadly than you might think. Unless you go to school for something very specific (engineering, premed, accounting etc), your major doesn't matter that much. Only 27% of college graduates have a job that relates to their major (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-college-grads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major/). As long as you're a good writer i don't see any reason why not having an english degree would stop you from writing for national geographic. They won't give a shit about whether or not you see Beckett as an influence on Barthelme, or if the embracing of irony in post-modernism has led to less accurate, truthful story telling in fiction, and whether or not that matters.
 
I majored in bio leaning towards health (with PA school plans)...

The track starts out the same weaher you want the environmental/ecological side of bio or the health related side, but they quickly diverge. Human bio is hard and geared towards getting into med school. Secondly, with your mention of PT, most people intending to end up in that career are taking a pt specific major- not bio.

If you end up majoring bio, at least to start college, you will get a good taste of the variety of avenues out there in your first year, but by they end of college you will likely have to gear your class content towards health, animal sci, plant, or environmental.

Search on line for "list of jobs I can get with an X degree" and see what interests you.

good luck
 
I am an ARCHITECT... I did not go to a top 4 school. I went to CU Boulder and skied a lot. I am employed. I started out with a dream job designing Custom homes on water front properties. I got laid off and worked construction, learned a ton. I got rehired designing Kohl's, Targets, and REI stores. I hated it. I was offered a job at a small boutique Architecture firm in Seattle. I now Design Nordstrom Corporate Offices. It's pretty cool. We have a Kegerator in our office. We don't take life too seriously. I go skiing on powder days. I have a lifestyle job which supports my lifestyle passions. SKIING. I don't make as much as my friends who hate their jobs, but I am happy.

Your Network is incredibly important in this industry. If you don't know any architects, don't become one.

That is all.
 
I guess what I should really ask myself is what am I passionate about? And I'm not really sure how to answer that question...
 
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