Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2011 15:54:10 GMT -5
I didn't choose either of my undergraduate majors because of the salaries that might eventually follow ~ I chose them because that was where my interests and aptitude lay. But I do think that before students (or their parents) spend huge sums of money on an undergraduate degree, they should consider a cost-benefit analysis of how much the degree is costing them vs. what salary can be expected (especially if student loans will need to be repaid.) Since I took out student loans for my graduate degree ~ and chose to attend a private university ~ I did consider my future earning ability when deciding to continue on with my education. Find something you love....and then figure out how to make a living doing it Pretty simple and basic rule of life.....too bad so many are never taught it by their parents/grandparents
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achelois
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Post by achelois on May 25, 2011 15:59:06 GMT -5
Isn't it so much easier to find something that pays well and decide to like/be interested in THAT?
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on May 25, 2011 16:00:20 GMT -5
;D
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Post by illinicheme on May 25, 2011 16:17:36 GMT -5
Isn't it so much easier to find something that pays well and decide to like/be interested in THAT? That's kind of what I did. I loved photography, reading, writing, music (played clarinet and piano), history, and chemistry. One of these things was an obvious career path choice! My brother chose to be a pilot because he loves flying. I think overall he's happy, but he confessed to me once "Sometimes I wished I had picked something more challenging. I could have easily pursued flying as a hobby."
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 25, 2011 16:33:28 GMT -5
I've heard tens of millions of people say the first part, and then they say "and the money will follow."
It's bullshit. No one pays me to sit around drunk and watch re-runs, and no one ever will.
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kiskis
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Post by kiskis on May 25, 2011 16:55:39 GMT -5
Hey, I'm a statistic!
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haapai
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Post by haapai on May 25, 2011 22:52:04 GMT -5
Does anyone have a link to the AP article or the study on which it is based? I'd love to get more insight into the methodology behind this study.
If the methodology isn't fatally flawed, this study could be far more useful than those fanciful career guides and Robert Half surveys. Knowing what people with your undergrad degree make instead of what they make if they stay in the field is a big step in the right direction.
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haapai
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Post by haapai on May 26, 2011 0:22:47 GMT -5
I found the link in the why college might be a good idea thread. cew.georgetown.edu/whatsitworth/There's some neat stuff in the first two pdf links and I'm hoping for a by major breakdown in the actual report.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 5:32:32 GMT -5
Isn't it so much easier to find something that pays well and decide to like/be interested in THAT? Not really. You couldn't pay me to learn to be an accountant - IMO the discipline is tedious and boring (no offense to the accountants on here). Engineering may be cool, but I have no aptitude in chemistry and I barely learned anything in HS physics. I am good at writing, speaking, analysis, and some persuasion. I'm in a Masters degree program right now and looking at things to parlay that degree into (some average pretty decent money to me), but in HS I was pretty much told that if I like law to go for that. No other areas were discussed (I planned to go for it, but it didn't pan out).
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achelois
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Post by achelois on May 26, 2011 7:41:45 GMT -5
Jenny, you are assuming that you have complete freedom to choose you career.
When I went into nursing, I had absolutely no interest in it but needed a job that paid well, that I could learn somewhere locally in a short time(two years for AD), where I could find a job locally and which had somewhat flexible hrs.
Nursing fit those criteria so that is what I did.
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Post by commentator on May 26, 2011 7:46:07 GMT -5
Am I the only one who thinks all those "studies" are a waste of time, money and complete BS just to give something to do to people who don't know what to do with themselves? Lena No, and you aren't the only one who is wrong when making such a general statement.
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Post by pig on May 26, 2011 8:01:25 GMT -5
I can say one thing is certain, the US leads the world in talking about our feelings, and feeling good about ourselves. Is it any wonder why we do not have a competent workforce and we have to look to India and China to get real work done.
SF you continue to espouse rubbish. We produce plenty of techies to meet our needs it's just that they can pay some Indian half of what someone in the US should rightfully expect to make in those fields.
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The J
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Post by The J on May 26, 2011 8:35:01 GMT -5
And not to sound simplistic, but the world needs social workers and teachers too. Teachers I agree with. Can't teachers have their SLs forgiven? Social work is a govt fabricated job category. We do not "need" social workers. The most common function performed by social workers in NY is preventing and stopping child abuse and neglect. I'd say it's an extremely important job. And it's no more of a government created job function than teachers or police.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 8:47:12 GMT -5
I'd love to live in a world where we don't need social workers. No child abuse, elder neglect, or mistreatment of the disabled . . . it would be great!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 8:48:22 GMT -5
Knowing what people with your undergrad degree make instead of what they make if they stay in the field is a big step in the right direction. Law schools are famous for using misleading statistics on this topic. One school was known to hire graduates for temporary jobs right around the time they had to deliver employment rates to the annual college guides.
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Post by pig on May 26, 2011 8:50:31 GMT -5
The most common function performed by social workers in NY is preventing and stopping child abuse and neglect. I'd say it's an extremely important job. And it's no more of a government created job function than teachers or police.
I would have disagreed with you about 10 years ago but I've seen it first hand. They do indeed serve the community.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 26, 2011 9:31:07 GMT -5
And not to sound simplistic, but the world needs social workers and teachers too. Teachers I agree with. Can't teachers have their SLs forgiven? Social work is a govt fabricated job category. We do not "need" social workers. The most common function performed by social workers in NY is preventing and stopping child abuse and neglect. I'd say it's an extremely important job. And it's no more of a government created job function than teachers or police. Don't forget about the ones that work with those kids once they have been abused, or the ones who work with the abusive parents to try to stop the pattern. There are also crime victims service coordinators, health care patient navigators employed by hospitals, and hospice counselor/coordinators. I've seen firsthand the work they do, and most do a fantastic job.
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The J
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Post by The J on May 26, 2011 9:32:14 GMT -5
Yeah, I was kind of lumping those in with the preventing/stopping part.
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qofcc
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Post by qofcc on May 26, 2011 10:49:49 GMT -5
The most common function performed by social workers in NY is preventing and stopping child abuse and neglect. I'd say it's an extremely important job. And it's no more of a government created job function than teachers or police.
Since my Dad had the accident I've been working with several people who have the title of Social Worker:
The person at the hospital who helps families coordinate the paperwork from the car insurance & health insurance companies
The person at the hospital who helps the families find appropriate medical providers and arranges for transportation for them to be taken there on a stretcher and ensures that they have the information needed to be safe upon discharge
The person at the nursing home who helps the residents understand their living options and who are rehabilitated transition into assisted living or back to their homes
These jobs aren't what I would have normally thought of as "Social Work", but I've been very grateful for their help.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 26, 2011 11:33:37 GMT -5
I believe there are ranges you can fit your natural abilities and your interests. Like, I knew a guy that loved running soundboards for concerts and stuff. He wasn't really able to break into that business, but now has a decent living helping people do voiceovers for commercials and set up sound equipment for business conferences. Not exactly the rock-and-roll lifestyle, but still a great use of his time and talents. Not a complete departure from his hobby, but a much more practical, lucrative and stable way to make a living.
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sil
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Post by sil on May 26, 2011 11:44:15 GMT -5
Is anyone on this board a social worker? I dont mean this to be insulting, but I'm genuinely curious why this job title needs a 4 year degree, and in many cases a masters? To me, this is an essential job and unfortunately we need more social workers every year, but I'd think the biggest requirements should be a clean record, a stable mind and willingness to get continuing counciling, and a big heart. Why not make it a certificate program or a job that can be obtained with an Associates' degree?
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qofcc
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Post by qofcc on May 26, 2011 11:51:59 GMT -5
Is anyone on this board a social worker? I dont mean this to be insulting, but I'm genuinely curious why this job title needs a 4 year degree, and in many cases a masters? To me, this is an essential job and unfortunately we need more social workers every year, but I'd think the biggest requirements should be a clean record, a stable mind and willingness to get continuing counciling, and a big heart. Why not make it a certificate program or a job that can be obtained with an Associates' degree?
I would liken this to Administrative Assistant jobs. They range from someone who does a bit of filing to someone who is the right hand person to a top executive. Not all social worker jobs require a 4 year degree. My DD is taking a civil service exam for one next month and it requires a 2 year degree or 2 years experience.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on May 26, 2011 13:47:52 GMT -5
Jenny, there is some truth to your to your belief, but accounting is really more than just the debits and credits. I tend to look at financial and other data as a big puzzle. The challenge is to figure out what the data can tell you. For example, I figure that over the last few years I prevented about 20 people from being victims of unexpected layoffs. How? I identified a hidden trend in the orders my employer was receiving that I believed indicated that our business would experience a significant and extended downturn. So as people left the company for other opportunities, we did not fill the open positions. As a result, we did not have to lay off a large group of employees when business did drop off.
Being the numbers and money folks, accountants get involved in many parts of the business that are not directly accounting. As the economy softened, I worked to convince our management that we should focus on being the easiest supplier for our customers to do business with. Part of being the easiest was having the shortest order to delivery lead time. Shortened lead times have increased our sales volume by about $1,000,000 a month. I have used equipment output patterns to determine when equipment needs maintenance. I have had a key role in the selection of equipment used in the manufacturing process, based on my experience working in restaurant kitchens. I have developed innovative solutions to challenges facing manufacturing engineers regarding land utilization, ensuring production continuity, equipment arrangement and placement etc. I have guided Materials Managers through the process of effectively reducing inventory levels to free up $5,000,000 in cash. I have played key rolls in the development and implementation of three computer systems that were used for many years by multiple locations of a Fortune 200 company. I have identified opportunities and initiated actions that have saved my employers millions of dollars in material costs.
Fundamentally, being an accountant has made it possible for me to have an impact on any part of the business I chose to get involved in. After all, it's the accountants who are most likely to have the most complete and in depth understanding of all aspects the business. Why do you think almost no large company CEO will talk to the Wall Street analysts without the CFO at their side. The CFO's understanding of the business and its operations puts them in the best position to explain the business opportunities and issues to the analysts.
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Post by pig on May 26, 2011 13:51:36 GMT -5
It's bullshit. No one pays me to sit around drunk and watch re-runs, and no one ever will.
Isn't that what your husband does?
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 26, 2011 13:55:14 GMT -5
You must have my marriage confused with someone else's. My husband is a hard working, smart man, who has a great career, helps around the house and is very active with our children.
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Post by pig on May 26, 2011 13:58:09 GMT -5
You know me Wasting, I'm always confused. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on May 26, 2011 14:10:45 GMT -5
It's bullshit. No one pays me to sit around drunk and watch re-runs, and no one ever will. I give my wife half my check to do that. She doesn't watch many re-runs or drink, but she could I suppose.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 26, 2011 16:36:13 GMT -5
Totally. I went to school for journalism because my dream was to be a fashion writer (okay, still is, but whatever). My sophomore year in college (I went to one of the schools quoted in the article. Go Owls!) I was encouraged to pursue editing because I was fantastic at that. That same year I also fluked into a part-time job editing a small scientific journal. I had much more interest in fashion (still do), but I found that there was more writing/editing work in science and medicine, so I pursued that. I had (have) to two things going for me: I didn't take out a lot of money and graduated with less than $20,000 in loans and I live in an area where there are a lot of writing and editing opportunities (medical-related) so I never even had to think about relocating to find work.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 26, 2011 16:39:44 GMT -5
SMART and DEBT FREE!!! Ding ding ding, we have a WINNER!!!!
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haapai
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Post by haapai on May 26, 2011 17:03:25 GMT -5
It definitely tells you a lot more about how people that majored in this before you have done for themselves. The methodology is a lot less susceptible to the non-response bias that a lot of cheerleaders for a particular major or program would probably prefer to leave in.
The big downside that I see is that it ignores age and experience. The data is not broken down for age or graduation cohort. The median income reported may be what someone who graduated 15 years ago makes now.
Did anyone spot a major that has absolutely no wage premium over that of a high school graduate? Some of those majors sure seemed close.
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