What's the college major that's most "useful" in the real world?

[czech09]

Accounting or Finance.

 

[NatePo717]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus
Mech. Engineering.

:thumbsup:

 

[aswedc]

Originally posted by: czech09
Accounting or Finance.

Best jobs in accounting require grad school, don't need to major in accounting as an undergrad. Best jobs in finance hire the best students from any major, at a disadvantage against liberal arts grads with higher GPAs.

 

[bobdelt]

Originally posted by: Xanis
I would guess Business... But you should be doing what you love, not what's "most useful".

Thats such BS. There's a lot of useless majors out there. The world does not need 10 million useless econ, soc, and film majors, for the most part they aren't practical. The jobs people get with those degrees have nothing to do with what they learned in school.

In some states you dont need a masters in accounting. And with the ones that do, the accounting firms will typically pay for you to get it. (not just tuition, but will actually give you some salary too)

 

[bobdelt]

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: Flyback

Originally posted by: aswedc

Originally posted by: Flyback
Ever notice the most successful people aren't business majors?

what?

What do you mean what? How many MBAs are in the top 50 on the Forbes 400 list?

I'm talking about undergrad. The question would be, "How many BBAs are in there?"

You have to define business? A general business degree is too broad, one should focus on finance, or accounting, or go into engineering as in manufacturing companies the engineers are going to be the one calling the shots.

 

[tfinch2]

Basket Weaving

 

[SoLiDus88]

electrical engineering or comp science degree. take the bare min required to graduate with that major and place all your electives in business oriented classes. technical people with business sense = win.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Most broadly, probably some sort of business or a hard science.

 

[Farang]

No offense to engineers who enjoy their work, but that seems to be the dumbest major for most people to get into. They see the starting salary and their eyes light up. In reality the salary of an engineer isn't hard to obtain in other disciplines, and it is really quite pointless to go that route just for the money or for its percieved "usefulness."

Take my brother for example. He graduate with a business degree. He had the brains to be an engineer but business suited him better. First year out of college, he has already earned a $56,000 comission on top of a $26,000 salary in the commercial real estate business. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be making well above six figures within three years. Meanwhile engineers are flatlining at around $60,000.

My other brother majored in mechanical engineering. He went on to get is MBA and is now working for Intel. His starting salary was $80,000. He will not top out like engineers usually do, instead his salary will rise higher and higher.

I guess what I'm trying to say is finance/economics/business degrees are much more useful than anything technical. Myself, I'm a political science major, but that is just because I'm not too interested in my starting salary and have other priorities.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Farang
No offense to engineers who enjoy their work, but that seems to be the dumbest major for most people to get into. They see the starting salary and their eyes light up. In reality the salary of an engineer isn't hard to obtain in other disciplines, and it is really quite pointless to go that route just for the money or for its percieved "usefulness."

Take my brother for example. He graduate with a business degree. He had the brains to be an engineer but business suited him better. First year out of college, he has already earned a $56,000 comission on top of a $26,000 salary in the commercial real estate business. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be making well above six figures within three years. Meanwhile engineers are flatlining at around $60,000.

My other brother majored in mechanical engineering. He went on to get is MBA and is now working for Intel. His starting salary was $80,000. He will not top out like engineers usually do, instead his salary will rise higher and higher.

I guess what I'm trying to say is finance/economics/business degrees are much more useful than anything technical. Myself, I'm a political science major, but that is just because I'm not too interested in my starting salary and have other priorities.

FYI, at Intel and other high-tech companies I interviewed with, managers and engineers have the exact same pay scale up to the VP level. Also, it was not uncommon to have an engineer managed by someone making far less than they did.

I realize engineers get bashed a lot on AT, so I'm just saying it might not be *quite* as bad as some are making it out to be.

Plus you can always go back and get an MBA if engineering doesn't turn out to be your thing.

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: Flyback

Originally posted by: Amol
[I'm talking about undergrad. The question would be, "How many BBAs are in there?"

Relax--I was ragging on him. A business degree is pretty decent or engineering like others have said.

Tell us your interests and it will make things easier.

Well, like I said in the OP, this isn't for me. I'm just trying to see what ATOT thinks.

I enter college in the fall and I'm thinking of doing something in business while fulfilling pre-med reqs.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: Farang
No offense to engineers who enjoy their work, but that seems to be the dumbest major for most people to get into. They see the starting salary and their eyes light up. In reality the salary of an engineer isn't hard to obtain in other disciplines, and it is really quite pointless to go that route just for the money or for its percieved "usefulness."

Take my brother for example. He graduate with a business degree. He had the brains to be an engineer but business suited him better. First year out of college, he has already earned a $56,000 comission on top of a $26,000 salary in the commercial real estate business. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be making well above six figures within three years. Meanwhile engineers are flatlining at around $60,000.

My other brother majored in mechanical engineering. He went on to get is MBA and is now working for Intel. His starting salary was $80,000. He will not top out like engineers usually do, instead his salary will rise higher and higher.

I guess what I'm trying to say is finance/economics/business degrees are much more useful than anything technical. Myself, I'm a political science major, but that is just because I'm not too interested in my starting salary and have other priorities.

FYI, at Intel and other high-tech companies I interviewed with, managers and engineers have the exact same pay scale up to the VP level. Also, it was not uncommon to have an engineer managed by someone making far less than they did.

I realize engineers get bashed a lot on AT, so I'm just saying it might not be *quite* as bad as some are making it out to be.

Plus you can always go back and get an MBA if engineering doesn't turn out to be your thing.

Actually I feel that engineers are given way too much credit on ATOT and that is why I posted what I did, but I suppose we have different perspectives on that

My main point was that the first brother I mentioned, the commercial real estate salesman, is going to be much better off as a business major than as an engineer. So it really depends on who you are and what career will fit you best. I was mostly bashing people who choose engineering solely because on the paycheck, when in fact you're probably giving up a higher salary (in the long run) by becoming an engineer. So unless you have a strong interest in engineer it is foolish to enter the field. The same goes for an other major, really, so it all comes down to what career track fits your personality best.

 

[DVK916]

I say Statistics, it teaches you something that is used in all fields.

 

[bonkers325]

depends on what your definition of useful is

but generally speaking, engineering is the most useful because the whole world is in the process of upgrading decades old infrastructure systems

 

[pradeep1]

pimpin

 

[potoba]

architecture

 

[esun]

If you're talking about having a job directly out of college that pays pretty well, engineering. Those are what my school's statistics say anyway.

 

[udonoogen]

don't choose majors because they are easy. i would suggest staying away from psychology and the arts. imho, not very useful majors. i say this as a psychology and cognitive science double major. unless you love it and plan on getting advanced degrees (phd in clinical psych, for instance) ... don't do it. i work in biotech research now and wish i majored in biology, engineering, or something like that. that said, what you study as an undergrad *may* only help you get your first job. after that its all experience, who you are (personality-wise), who you know, and how hard you work.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: udonoogen
don't choose majors because they are easy

...unless you know you're going to grad school and just need window dressing in the form of a high GPA for your application

 

[Chaotic42]

For day to day usefulness? I'd think Education or Psychology, just because they would give you an insight into other people, which is pretty useful.
For getting a job? CS maybe? I'd go for Chemistry if I had to do it all over again.

 

[KingLeo]

Hustleology

I'm guessing Engineering

 

[daniel1113]

Engineering, specifically Civil Engineering, along with a degree in business or accounting. You're pretty much set for life, both inside and outside the workplace, with that combination.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Accountant

 

[timosyy]

_________ Engineering. (Fill in the blank)

 

[Phokus]

My CEO majored in history with no advanced degrees and he made 25 million last year i think.