What to study at college/university?

[Radical]

"Success is a journey, not a destination."

Therefore, does it really matter if you don't have your whole life planned out? I don't think so. Life is a journey; so why not stop worrying about the future, and just enjoy the ride?

[Dave Kaminski]

Originally Posted by Radical

"Success is a journey, not a destination."

Therefore, does it really matter if you don't have your whole life planned out? I don't think so. Life is a journey; so why not stop worrying about the future, and just enjoy the ride?

Definitely a good point, but it's better to put things in perspective with this instead of abandoning purpose. If you're not sure where you want to go, then it doesn't matter what you do because you'll get there, right? It's better to mold your life around the values you choose that you believe in because you'll never really be disappointed if you take a comprehensive view and you'll always be working towards something you genuinely care about.

[CStrunk]

Most notable Economics Professors and Ph.D candidates have backgrounds in Mathematical Sciences and Statistics. I did a bit of research into the field last year (my freshman) as to what Major I should choose. Right now I’ve settled on a dual degree program (graduate with two diplomas). The first is a B.S. in Management with a concentration in Financial Engineering, and the second is a B.A. in Math with my concentration being Calculus, ODEs & PDEs, and analysis. Then I have a minor in Economics. The reason why I’m taking so many math classes is that the minimum required for graduation is very low and it’s such an important skill. Both math and comp science are pretty hard. Nobody wants to do things that are hard, so they pay other people to do it for them. There’s a demand there, so somebody has to fill it and cash in. Also, I spoke with the undergrad Economics advisor and she said that a minor and major are worth the same.

As far as starting your own business, take some introductory Accounting classes and maybe some other management courses. That’s where you’re going to get the skills you need. There’s even a program at my university which is Entrepreneurship! On top of the core management classes (Finance, Information Systems, Accounting – Financial and Managerial (or Cost), Operations Management, and marketing) you need to take a course called “Entrepreneurship”, “New Venture Financing”, and “Product Management”.

I think that Economics is the wrong place for an entrepreneur. You’re going to want to either go undergrad in a business program or get your M.B.A. from a program that has an Entrepreneurship concentration.

Just my opinion on people who want to go to University and learn about how to run their business. You need a strong desire to do that though. Like other people said, major in something interesting. If you’re not interested, you’re wasting time.

[JoeBlogs]

Originally Posted by Radical

I am planning on studying economics, as I think this fits well with the subjects I studied at A-level, and would provide me with knowledge to get a good career or start up a business.

Whatever you do don't base your choice solely on what you've studied at A-level or what you think will get you a well-paid career.

Choose something you are interested in and will hopefully enjoy. It may be that the subject you enjoy is what you studied at A-level and does indeed get you a good career - in which case great! You're very lucky.

I studied maths, physics and computing at A-level, because I could, not because I wanted to. I was always good at technical, mathematical subjects and so got pushed into it a bit. Even though I was also good at art and writing essays...which I enjoyed more, but which didn't lead to as "good" careers...

So I chose engineering.

And hated every minute of it.

[sunshinelady]

Originally Posted by Radical

So, the general consensus is study something you're passionate about, and expand your social circle as much as possible?

To be honest I'm not really passionate about economics, but then again I'm not passionate about any subject. Then again I wasn't passionate about the subjects I studied at school and 6th form. However, I worked hard and got good grades.

Overall, I don't think I am that passionate about academic things, although I have always done well academically. Regardless, university is something I want to experience. I am lost in life at the moment, and I have nothing to lose.

I don't want to spend 3 years studying my ass off only to end up with some "Micky Mouse" degree. That's why I want to do something that would be considered valuable by a prospective employer.

If you really not passionate about anything you study, better leave the university...
Isn`t there anything you are really passionate about? like a hobby?

To be successful and happy in life it is NOT necessary to study, a lot of famous and rich people had a bad education but became rich because they had one thing in common: being passionate about what they doing and never give up. Failure is necessary on the way to success and no reason to give up.

Right now I don't have many friends, don't have a girlfriend, and could only get a mediocre job - even with the good qualifications that I have.

So the main reason behind going to university I guess, is because I don't know what the fcuk else to do.

I guess you should ask yourself honestly what it is that you really want to achieve and do in your life and write everything down on a paper. It is important to write it down for yourself to recognize it...

[Radical]

Originally Posted by sunshinelady

II guess you should ask yourself honestly what it is that you really want to achieve and do in your life and write everything down on a paper. It is important to write it down for yourself to recognize it...

I'm not that passionate about anything at the moment. After 6th form finished I really have become lost.

Anyway, I can't be bothered to write the list on a bit of paper, so I'll just write it here.

• Have a good education.
• Have a good set of friends.
• Have a wife that I really love and who really loves me.
• Travel to different places around the world.
• Have my own business that benefits people in some way, but also deeply interests me.
• Have a nice house, surrounded by beautiful landscape.
• Have interesting hobbies I can pursue with my wife.

[sunshinelady]

Radical,

everybody have special skills, desires, hobbies, something you love to do and are good in doing it....think about that...how strange it may be, you could do that as your business because mostlikely that is what others are waiting for...

(sorry have to leave now)...you can send me a private message if you want to...

[Radical]

Originally Posted by sunshinelady

Radical,

everybody have special skills, desires, hobbies, something you love to do and are good in doing it....think about that...how strange it may be, you could do that as your business because mostlikely that is what others are waiting for...

(sorry have to leave now)...you can send me a private message if you want to...

Yeah, I'm sure I have plenty of special skills, and I do have hobbies (golf for instance). I'm just saying nothing brings me much joy at the moment. Maybe I'm a bit depressed? Maybe that's because I'm concentrating on the wrong things, or maybe life seems a bit overwhelming at the moment?

[andrew]

Originally Posted by Radical

life seems a bit overwhelming at the moment?

I think it will always be, esp on our road to PD. And at our age, we have the whole world at our feets, and there's just so much we can do, we don't know where to start. So my advice is to just do something. I started a business that hasn't taken off yet, but in the process have came so far.So as my inital goal is still a bit off, I've acomplished a lot for myself.

Somebody can look on the outside and say "oh you don't have a job, you're unemployed and taking only a music class at school, you're just waisting your life", whilst I know that "I have come far in my physical fitness, personal growth and evolution, learned so many things about business etc, created future opportunities for myself, became better with women, made new friends, and started a whole new life on the other side of the country."

So I really don't care what they think; I know I'm on my way to greatness, and so should you, regardless of what you choose to study.

[MichaelL]

Originally Posted by Calculusaurus

Physics majors get into better business grad school programs than the economics majors do. Not as many apply, but physics will make you think, it will give you a new way of looking at the world and requires an incredible cognitive force to tread through. I'm basically committing public suicide by saying this, but economics is often a load of BS. Arbritrary, meaningless esoteric knowledge might make you sound like a well-toned intellectual in your 400-level ECON course, but does little in making you really THINK.

Assuming what you say is correct (that physics students get into better bus. grad. schools), it does make a bit of sense. The MBA was initially created so that engineering graduates could get a solid grounding in management, and engineering isn't so far away from physics, so perhaps the people at the application office are trying to get the programme back to its roots. Also they might get let in so that there is more diversity in the group of students studying, this is quite important as some people do the MBA just for networking oppurtunities, so a more diverse group of people = more networks in different areas.

My physics understanding is reletivley low (Just finished high school this year, and I did physics this year), but it was mainly just a lot of plug-and-chuging numbers into equations, perhaps the higher levels get you to 'think' more, I don't know.

Also, a lot of academia is generally just a load of 'BS' and random knowledge -- including physics.


Personally, I'm trying to make some decisions about what to do at Uni next year. I've been pretty set on this whole commerce thing for a while now, and figure I'll do it. Had up until recently been considering doing a LLB (law degree - here in NZ law is a undergrad degree) and a BCA (Commerce degree, similar to your (America's) BBS). However, I don't want to be a lawyer and the only papers I'm really interested in the law degree are the higher stage commercial law papers, which I wouldn't touch until my 5th year. So I've been thinking about dropping the law and picking up a BA with some general interest subjects like polisci, philosphy and then economics (as a lot of the course can be crosscredited from the BCA would make it an easy major to attain). But yeah, guess I have some thinking to do...

[Doku]

Originally Posted by Radical

So, the general consensus is study something you're passionate about, and expand your social circle as much as possible?

Yes. Unless you want to be a hermit, you can not get anywhere without help. Employee? Gotta get the boss to hire you. Employer? Gotta have people want to work for you. Business owner? Need customers. An old proverb: "Many hands make light work."

Originally Posted by Radical

To be honest I'm not really passionate about economics, but then again I'm not passionate about any subject.
<<SNIP>>
Overall, I don't think I am that passionate about academic things, although I have always done well academically.

You don't need to be passionate about academic things to be successful. Ansel Adams? Pablo Picasso? Steven King? Pick anything that you are interested in, and you can make money. Mountain Biking? Go work for Trek, or a bike shop, or start your own company. Golf? Go work for PING, or compete with them. Art? Be an artist, run a gallery, work as an appraiser, etc. Pick anything at all that you are interested in, and you can make money with it.

Originally Posted by Radical

Regardless, university is something I want to experience. I am lost in life at the moment, and I have nothing to lose.

Actually, you do... School is expensive. Unless you're independantly wealthy, that's a lot of money to blow just for the experience. Find some frat boys, and buy them all the beer they can drink if you can hang with them. MUCH cheaper than actually going to college if all you want is the experience.

Originally Posted by Radical

I don't want to spend 3 years studying my ass off only to end up with some "Micky Mouse" degree. That's why I want to do something that would be considered valuable by a prospective employer.

Pick the employer/career first, then pick the degree based on that.

Originally Posted by Radical

So the main reason behind going to university I guess, is because I don't know what the fcuk else to do.

Worst reason of all to go to school. All you are doing is wasting a ton of time and money.

[cftwo]

There's a lot going on in this thread, but quite a ways upthread, you mentioned philosophy. I have a BA, MA, and PHD in Philosophy - and oddly enough, that was "Plan B" for my life. Plan A focused on marriage and family - the universe has had something else in mind so far. But I chose philosophy because it fascinated me. My dad thought I might like it and I avoided it for a while because of that, but I took one course and was hooked. I really like the way we examine abstract ideas, and pick them apart and put them back together, look at the logic behind them, and (believe it or not) think about the real world. You learn good logic and problem-solving skills (as you do in other fields as well), but it isn't so readily applicable to a "real-world" job. I work in higher ed administration right now - thanks to the skills I picked up at part-time jobs along the way. I also teach part-time, which allows me to do the philosophy I enjoy.

If I were in my last year of high school, I'd be headed to college again, even if I didn't know what I wanted to study. The American system allows for an "undeclared" major more easily than others do, though. You take some "general education" courses and figure out what you want to do. It does buy you some time. But if someone has a talent elsewhere, I wouldn't insist they go this route. My cousin is a gifted carpenter - and college would have been a terrible choice for him. He can make a decent living doing what he enjoys without a college degree. With your goals of a good education, your own business and a nice house, I'd suggest you go to college and look into a business degree/program. There are some newer programs out there in non-profit management, if you want to go that route (though there's not a lot of money there).

[RT Wolf]

I'm in much the same position as you, Radical.

I decided to take a year off from my studies to pursue personal development and do a few jobs. In the past few months alone, I've learned and grown more than I would have had I gone back to school.

I tend to take a different view to university. I want to get it to stop doors from closing. Ten years from now, no one is going to ask where I went to school, but having a degree really stops certain doors from closing. The job thing doesn't matter that much to me, because I'm an entrepeneur, regardless. I guess it's a matter of choice. I want to have more choices available to me and that's why I want ot have a degree.

Then there is another question: what to study. This one I'm still dealing with. I am exploring different subjects (like I said in my last post) and about to attend some classes for courses I'm not in. I will eventually try to go for as broad an education as I can while still graduating early. I feel taking extra courses will challenge me in my PD pursuits.

The other thing is to make school less challenging or draining. It is expensive, in both money and time (and if you add in the opportunity cost, you're getting a much higher number than just your costs), so what can you do? Make it cheaper, if only by comparison. If university is only 50% of your income versus 100%, it's cheaper by comparison, so, make more money. If it only takes up 35% of your time rather than 50%, you're less inclined to question it.

If I had to get right down to it, I would say that the reason I'm going to university is to have a bit more time so I can do PD without the pressures of a real job and/or business. I happen to be really very skeptical (/pessimestic) about the value of university educations in practical terms (not job opportunities, but actual value of the learning) but that's cause I'm me.

University does tend to teach you to think better (critical reasoning and problem solving skills). Of course, they hold no monopoly on that, and I'm working on it myself.

All I can say is that university (or college or whatever) is definitely something to try out. You can always quit after your first year. Just do it (seems to the PD motto, doesn't it?).