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Advice on choosing course at college?


Jc_39a

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I don't know which courses to choose and study, any advices?

Also do I need to think about what jobs I want to do and enjoy when I'm older so I know which course I need to do to get these jobs.

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Just come up with a list of jobs you think would be interesting. Then look up what courses they require and all the benefits and drawbacks of that job. IDK what country you are in but I found the BLS.gov website pretty useful for researching jobs

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I'm from the UK

Well im pretty sure the UK government has some kind of equivalent to the BLS. Thats where I would start if I were you.

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Do you have a dedicated student adviser? I'd check with them to see what good course focus would be.

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If you don't know what courses to take, then don't take any.

Enlist, tour the world when 'you know more about yourself' you will know the courses and career for your life.

With no passion for anything at this time you shouldn't waste four to six years finding yourself while wasting money in school.

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t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m

Start off with your General Education courses(these are the required courses you have to take), and throw in a course related to something that you might be interested in.

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Do something that will interest you.

 

Don't take this to offence but asking on a video games forum may not give you the best advice.

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If you don't know what courses to take, then don't take any.

Enlist, tour the world when 'you know more about yourself' you will know the courses and career for your life.

With no passion for anything at this time you shouldn't waste four to six years finding yourself while wasting money in school.

 

This is very good advice if you're conflicted about what to do.

 

 

Otherwise, I'll just leave you with simple advice: Choose a STEM subject.

 

For employment prospects, you can't do a lot better than a pure, technical discipline in this day and age. I in no way want to demean "softer" subjects, which can be very rewarding, but unless you're very talented in said subjects, getting a job is a nightmare. As such, I'd say that STEM subjects are the best choice if you're not sure where your aptitude lies.

 

The best thing right now is to really think about what you're interested in and read up on it. If you find, after reading up on the subject, that it's really compelling, then pursue it. If, however, the subject is not what you expected, then read up on something else and act accordingly.

 

 

UK careers advice is pretty sh*t, so I really don't fault you for coming here for advice. Best of luck, mate.

 

EDIT: Apologies for atrocious punctuation and grammar in this post.

Edited by elanman
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EphemeralStar

I agree, it's not good to take courses unless you know what you plan on doing. Only certain classes may count towards what you chose to do later on and it's possible that you might waste your money by just choosing random things beforehand. I'm not sure how it works in the UK, but it is possible to take General Studies here, if you really aren't sure and want to try things out. Some of the classes are required for programs in the future because most programs require you to take two electives (e.x. philosophy, psychology, languages, etc) and an english class. It would be best to research which college/uni you want to enter and see what programs they offer. If one strikes your interest, try looking for the contact information of the person in charge of that specific program and ask them more about. It would be a good idea to research what types of jobs you can get by completeing certain programs, the chances of you landing a job and what you can expect to get paid.

Edited by EphemeralStar
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You can go about it one of two ways. Either you pick something that guarantees you financial security (STEM subjects like elanman mentioned), or you pick something that you truly enjoy and have a drive to pursue at the risk of unemployed or underemployment. In the end you need to decide for yourself what you want. Maybe what you want isn't even something that requires a college degree.

 

Also, please note that you don't need to enlist in the military to see the world. There are a host of other jobs that afford you the same perks bar the signing your life away part, jobs in international transportation, tourism, international aid and import/export for example.

Edited by Raavi
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If you ever go around a college on an open day, take note that what they're showing you, is a glorified version of the reality, try to get to a student, who has not been trained to say all the right things, and paid to take you on a tour.

 

And whatever you do decide to do, make the most of it, have no regrets and enjoy. College years might seem like sh*t when you are there, but as cliche as it may sound, they're the best times of your life, so enjoy it.

 

Good luck buddy.

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Frank Brown

I assume the U.K. has Liberal Arts, General Studies equivalents, yeah? Why not take that? Knock out all of your 'core' classes (math, science, history, etc.) and decide while you're there. Or take weasel's advice and join the armed forces.

 

Do you have any idea what you'd like to do with your life? A broad idea is the best way to start, even "Help People" is a good beginning.

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t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m

Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

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Yeah man, take a hard look at everything and decide based on what you think you will enjoy. It'll help if it's something decent that you can find paid employment in, too.

 

I didn't know what I wanted to do in my final year of high school so I basically applied to whatever my parents told me to apply to.

 

Now I'm stuck in my third year studying law. Final semester of my third year ends mid-April so basically...I have one more year left before I graduate. Who knows, maybe I will enjoy it once I actually get out in the workforce but studying it....I hate it. Partly due to the professors but what can you do? Have to deal with it.

 

At least having a legal education will probably get me a decent paying job. And I can just work an office job not necessarily act as a legal representative on behalf of clients.

 

Dem license fees doe and continuing education....I'm the kind of person that likes doing things, not opening a book and reading about them or listening to 3 hour lectures on them.

 

Once I graduate with my Paralegal Studies degree (in the province of Ontario in Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada - same as lawyers - and are able to represent clients in certain fields - so far family law is barred for paralegals but they're trying to open it up as more and more people are turning to paralegals rather than lawyers - and courts, Small Claims Court is completely open to us, for example) I might look into law school to then become a lawyer or I will get a Masters Degree (L.L.M. to be more specific) in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

 

Mediators in A.D.R. matters make around $3, 000 per session. And they legit just sit there and act like a therapist/referee. Had about two classes in the last two semesters on A.D.R. and I actually enjoyed the simulated mediation we did.

 

So paralegals are a growing field in Ontario and there's money to be had. You can pursue further legal education, so it opens doors. You can work for a company's legal department or you can get your P1 paralegal license and practice either solely or within a law firm.

 

I know one woman, she got her paralegal degree at the same school I am going to (it's considered the best school when it comes to paralegal education...I have no idea why but I'll believe them), now she works for a huge Canadian company's legal department and gets to fly around Canada and sometimes the world negotiating contracts for them and other things like that. She makes over $100, 000 a year. It's by no means a guarantee that everyone will end up like this, but you definitely have the means to and the doors are open should you have the desire to do so.

 

Another guy I know has a cushy government job working for the municipality along with a group of other paralegals. They basically go to tribunals, for example, when a property appraiser working for M.P.A.C. (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) does an appraisal on a property and the business or residential property owner challenge it at the Assessment Review Board. Great pay and benefits as well as career opportunities.

 

So my suggestion to you is, maybe look into niche fields that are growing and there is a lot of demand for them. Most people are going into computer science, design, etc so you'll be hard pressed to find employment, I reckon. At least decent employment considering the surplus of people in this field and I imagine it's quite broad whereas what I am doing is specialized.

 

Sorry for the long post and I know that in the U.K. paralegals are probably nothing like this so it's of no help to you but I guess I just wanted to base my post off my own experience when I suggest to you to go for something that is expanding and specialized rather than something like a business degree, where once you graduate you need to find a direction.

Edited by Audiophile
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I cucked Alex Jones

Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

You should always let a picture on the internet advise your choice of major.

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Frank Brown

 

Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

You should always let a picture on the internet advise your choice of major.

 

 

Well, f*ck. I'm low tier.

 

Going to commit seppuku. Later.

Edited by Vlynor
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na89340qv0n34b09q340

Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

That's a 4chan image from a couple years ago. 4chan users are a bunch of cynical snobs, and they really f*ck up your expectations about life if you actually listen to them.

 

Ignore the image and choose courses that work for what you want to do with your life, OP. :)

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Frank Brown

 

Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

That's a 4chan image from a couple years ago. 4chan users are a bunch of cynical snobs, and they really f*ck up your expectations about life if you actually listen to them.

 

Ignore the image and choose courses that work for what you want to do with your life, OP. :)

 

 

Oh, that's from 4chan? I don't think you can trust the fedora squad to judge the necessity and value of each major.

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 dice

If you don't know what courses to take, then don't take any.

Enlist, tour the world when 'you know more about yourself' you will know the courses and career for your life.

With no passion for anything at this time you shouldn't waste four to six years finding yourself while wasting money in school.

 

If you don't know what course to take, at least try one, so you get some experience and don't waste a whole year. If it isn't for you then you can still quit after 2 months and do f*ck all.

Edited by dice
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Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

 

Well, I'd say this is more offensive than accurate.

 

 

People like Sivis, Mel and such who have an active interest in, and work very hard in studying, the likes of sociology, political science and similar subjects should get gainful employment in a related field. Sadly, many conflicted teenagers wrongly see these subjects as easy options and choose them blindly just for the sake of it, resulting in failed A-Level sociology exams. Worse still are students who manage to coast through high school like this and end up at university with the same attitude--they f*ck about, leave with a poor degree in the humanities and blame their employment crisis on the subject rather than what they put in.

 

Of course, being told that any degree will guarantee you a job is also very damaging, but I don't like to demean reputable fields simply because I am not learned in them. I mean, it would be like an English student claiming that mathematics is easy as "it follows rules" and "is detached from the ineffable human condition" or some sh*te (this is only a hypothetical by the way--all of the humanities students I know have more humility than that; I wish I could say the same of my colleagues).

 

I mentioned STEM subjects in particular in my first post simply as, right now, these subjects are valued highly in the UK. We need mathematics teachers, technicians, chemists and such simply because our education system failed to produce enough of them during the transition from O-Levels to GCSEs. I mention mathematics teachers in particular because woeful mathematics curricula and a pervasive, nationwide "fear" of the subject is one of the reasons for which we're in this mess today.

 

In a final analysis: It's not fair to belittle a subject about which you know nothing. Oh, and I don't see languages anywhere on that table, but modern foreign languages are always invaluable (the fact that we teach them in such a half-arsed way in UK primary schools is another failing of our education system).

Edited by elanman
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STEM is constantly evolving, political science always stays the same. As long as you keep abreast of what's happening in the world you never actually need to learn anything new. I'm semi-joking here.

Computer science, specifically forensics and security, is the next "big" growth area IMO. I think anyone with an interest in computers and politics could do a lot worse than studying it. Much of it is vocational too- if you're in the UK and you've got a CREST Certified Security Tester qualification you can have world+dog queuing outside your door to offer you £50k-a-year jobs regardless of what your degree is in, or to be totally honest what formal education you have.

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You should focus on working at a wishy washy not for profit where you might not get paid well but you will be helping to save the planet.

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Found this image.

enhanced-7070-1392747755-12.jpg

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

Computer science is mid tier?

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Found this image.

 

[snipe]

 

Seems mostly accurate, though in the end you should pick a major that you know you will enjoy.

 

This is a highly subjective list. If you go to a low-tier university and pick a degree just for the sake of picking a degree, yeah then you'll most likely end up working some piss poor job, as you should. But if you excel in your chosen field and/or go to a high or top-tier university, your degree becomes all the more valuable. This is where passion comes in, if you enjoy what you're doing chances are, you'll have the drive to thrive and trust me, it shows. If you're going to lectures of a subject you couldn't care less about and/or despised throughout your high school tenure on the other hand, you're much more likely to either simply fail due to absence of interest or get through by the skin of your teeth.

 

Semi-regardless of your chosen major, if you have a presentable GPA Undergrad; B.A / BSc isn't the end of the line. To the contrary, if you have ambition and the financial means it is only the beginning. You can do your LSAT, GMAT, MCAT and apply to Law School, Business School or Medical School even (provided you have completed the necessary course load), with most of these degrees.

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Frantz Fuchs

Don't mean to hijack your thread, OP, but I'm in a similar situation. I know I want something to do with Maths/Physics. Initially I wanted to do an Aeronautics/Astrophysics degree, but I assume you'll have to move to the US for that as they have the biggest space industry. So I'm thinking Mechanical Engineering instead. Any advice.

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Don't mean to hijack your thread, OP, but I'm in a similar situation. I know I want something to do with Maths/Physics. Initially I wanted to do an Aeronautics/Astrophysics degree, but I assume you'll have to move to the US for that as they have the biggest space industry. So I'm thinking Mechanical Engineering instead. Any advice.

 

Whilst it is true that there are quite a few more US universities offering highly regarded Astrophysics/Aeronautics programs, there are also a number of UK universities offering the degree or a similar one. University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh UCL and Cambridge just to name a few.

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Frantz Fuchs

 

Don't mean to hijack your thread, OP, but I'm in a similar situation. I know I want something to do with Maths/Physics. Initially I wanted to do an Aeronautics/Astrophysics degree, but I assume you'll have to move to the US for that as they have the biggest space industry. So I'm thinking Mechanical Engineering instead. Any advice.

 

Whilst it is true that there are quite a few more US universities offering highly regarded Astrophysics/Aeronautics programs, there are also a number of UK universities offering the degree or a similar one. University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh UCL and Cambridge just to name a few.

 

 

Getting into Uni isn't a problem, it's the job prospects. There are some good aeronautics firms in UK like BAE systems and Rolls Royce, but still, it's pretty limited.

 

What I meant to ask was, out of Maths, Physics/Astrophysics and Engineering, which one has the best job prospects 10 years from now (in UK)?

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kipakolonyasi

i picked language and literature and i'm regretting it ever since. if that helps.

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I cucked Alex Jones

i picked language and literature and i'm regretting it ever since. if that helps.

Maybe it's because you didn't learn anything?

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