I don't know where to go with my academic career?

Question

I'm a college freshman and I am about to sign up for my second semester classes. I'm going towards a BS in Psychology, but I don't think one can get a very good job and salary with that degree after graduating. The Psyc Dept. in my University just keeps emailing about helping handicapped children and working in jails etc. Thats not what I want. The field is interesting, yet doesn't have great jobs. I also like Biology and Law. Yet I just read lawyers are having a difficult time finding work and many get out of law school. I was considering Biology and medical school, maybe neuroscience which is a blend of Psyc and Biology/Chem, but I hear people trying for Medical School and not getting in, or people failing the MCATs and not passing. Plus my Dad said he couldn't really see me as a doctor, but I don't think he understood it was more about the brain and it's functions and not cutting ppl open. I like many fields. I hate Math tho, Idk what classes to pick or wut to do with my life! HELP!

Answer 1

The one good thing about a Biology/Neuroscience degree is that you can always find a job doing something with that degree.. Department of Wildlife, zoos, fisheries, dam's, watersheds, nonprofit groups, etc. etc etc... the list is truly endless.

Neuroscience is an amazing field - and you don't have to go into medicine to use the degree at all. Check out this page and see the various things the professors are researching:
http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/

You are still very early into your collegiate career. I started out as a Biology major, then took a Neuroscience class (ironically) and HATED it, so switched over to Art History - from that I ended up with a BA in Art History and found a passion in my second BA in Religious Studies.

Take some more classes in what you are interested in - take some outside your interests and see if they interest you as well. That is the beauty of the first year or two of college - the ability to really experiment and find what you like.

I now work in a manufacturing firm, go figure, and make really good money. One day I will go back for a MA in Religious Studies and then on for PhD in the same field..

The good thing about just simply having ANY Bachelors is that just having a education garantees you will make very good money. Many jobs just require that you have an education, they don't care in what field.

Answer 2

I'd suggest concentrate upon taking a wide range of general education subjects and finding out what you can be enthusiastic about. There is no point in doing a degree in something you hate just for potential future job prospects if you graduate with a mediocre degree (or even can't graduate at all). Better to do something you love and do it well instead. For a large number of jobs, the thing employers are looking for isn't a specific major but rather being able to show you can think critically, analyze material, stay the course and speak and write well.

My best friend in college did the most useless degree imaginable. He did superbly at it though and now has a high powered (and well paid) financial management job in Japan. He has still never taken a single economics or business class.

The only caveat to this is if you intend to go onto a professional degree such as Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science you will need to take biological sciences/pre med before going to grad school. However, if you hate maths, know that all of the sciences - and thus Pre-med - will require math courses that are possibly beyond your comfort zone [As an example, UCLA med school requires a year of college level physics, math and biology and two years of chemistry].

Answer 3

It really depends on how far you want to go with college. If you are willing to work towards a masters or doctoral degree, you wont have too much trouble finding a decent job, especially if you pick an area of psychology like I/O that is really in demand and pays very well. I would suggest you take some classes from all around the board, since you are a freshman, I'm sure you've got quite a few general education credits to fill in anyhow. See what you like and dont worry about being able to find a job, that'll work itself out when the time comes.

Answer 4

Sounds like you might want take pre-med course, then go to medical school and become a psychiatrist. Don't listen to your Dad if you really want to go into medicine. p.s. You can't avoid math and science in pre-med.