The second part of my post was meant to be an answer to the general question/theme of the thread, I hope it didn't come across as bragging. I know Duquesne (I can even pronounce it properly). I met some of their faculty members at a conference and heard great things about the school. I know that it's really tough to find a conventional professional job when all you've got is a Liberal Arts major. I actually waited tables for a year (quit the job I took after graduation and couldn't find anything else). It's hard, but there's no reason you can't take a part-time job, work on your GRE (or whatever test), possibly take some extra classes at a CC or an undergraduate school that offers part-time enrollment, and build up some classes, or something tangible you can point to on a resume or application that'll help you get your foot in the door. You're certainly not crazy for expecting more out of your degree. But you may have to reconcile yourself to the fact you may have to dig ditches for a while 'til you get where you want to be. I think the key is to figure out what you can do to at least have SOMETHING on your resume under 'current occupation' that allows you the flexibility to continue to upgrade yourself as a job-seeker. I know that I'm a much better student in my grad program than I ever was as an undergrad because busting ass in the service industry made me far more appreciative of the chances to study. I'm sure that you'll find the same appreciation when you figure out which grad program is right for you. Good luck.
In college? Engineering or Finance. Don't ever do accounting. Do Finance instead. You'll easily pick up accounting stuff if you are a finance major as it is mostly "by the book." It is the dryest subject in the world, unless you want to be an accountant then by all means go for it. Finance degrees give you a lot more flexibility in the business job world though. They also give you a much better sense of running and analyzing a business if that's what you want to do.
Mmmm, BS nurses maybe in the field for 10+ years probably make as much as a new grad engie. Anesthesia nurses can make some really good cash though...masters degree starting at 120k into the 200's depending on what you want to do.
I'll also throw in dental hygenist. My girl does that right now. She temps all over the place because she doesn't want to commit to anything specific. Always keeps her schedule as full as she wants it, and gets paid around $35/hr.
Lol. That and grad school is free for engineers. Full of win. BS Biomed engr here and went to med school right afterwards. The amount of debt I'm in is staggering.
Engineering jobs are very cyclical. You have to be both good and lucky to avoid layoffs every few years. The economy goes south, first thing a company does is fire a bunch of engineers. Best jobs tend to go to students from the best schools. Business is okay, though where you go to school matters TONS when it comes to business majors. Majoring in a hard science like Chemistry is always good. Some foreign languages can be very lucrative. If none of those strike your fancy, do liberal arts and work your way up. For instance, if you want to do sales (lot of money in sales), who cares what your degree is in. I'd hire a music major before a comm major. Comm pretty much sucks hind tit.
thx! an engineering doesnt guarantee squat. i graduated during the dot com bust. i ended up working in an ice cream parlor for a little more than minimum wage. but an engineering degree is very flexible. it has allowed me to apply to medical school. many of my friends from school ended up going to law school and business grad school w/ their engineering degrees. out of the different engineering fields i think the most flexible are: 1. electrical 2. chemical/petroleum 3. mechanical
I would discourage any from going into the semi industry. It is extremely cyclical and it is moving out of the country.
I think BS in Biomed is pretty useless. Many people I know had trouble getting a job with a BS Biomed degree. You learn a bunch of discipline, but you don't get at any one of them.
During the oil bust in Houston of the 70's/early 80's lots of chemical and petroleum engineers couldn't find jobs. I remember reading about several civil engineers going back to school for other degrees. I worked with a civil engineer in a pharmacy - he couldn't find a job as a civil engineer several years before that and decided to go back to school to become a pharmacist. One of the strangest combos I saw was a gynecologist who also had an electrical engineering degree. One place there always seems to be a shortage, especially now as the elderly population gets bigger is healthcare... nurses, doctors, etc. With the right abilities/credentials, you can run around the country working gigs whenever you want pretty much from what I understand.
Exactly. The healthcare industry is continue to grow due to the increasing population and the baby boomers retiring and there's always gonna be a need there. I'm applying for healthcare management program at San Diego State, I hope I get in.
This is true. You can sign with a travel RN agency and go wherever you want, get paid extra because you're willing to travel, and get room and board AND a stipend on top of your salary. I'll probably start at 50-60K (depending on where I live....Houston, for example) and will be making far more than that within just a couple of years. I know RN's who work when they want and essentially tell the hospital 'call me when you're offering double-time and a half.' And the hospitals will do it, too. I know one girl who got her RN from community college. Not a BSN but still an RN. She got hired right out of school for some medical research company and they started her at 80K. I also know RN's who work as little as possible....just enough to be as comfortable as they want. One RN I know was a school nurse. He'd just work at the school and travel during the summers. He was as happy as anyone I've ever known. You can work whenever and wherever you want, in multiple areas, and your job will always be in demand. Nursing school's a b****, though. Just FYI....
Very true. Out of the 80 that graduated with me at UT I only know about 5-10 that actually went into the biomed industry (excluding grad school bound people). Some went into standard engr jobs: NASA, oil companies, GE, P&G, etc. The biotech work is there, but they only want you if you have at least a Masters, otherwise an undergrad BME degree is truly useless, lol. You're better being a ChemE/EE undergrad then BME grad.
IMHO I think Computer Science degree can provide a lot of flexibility and rewarding career as well. Since software is now being used in many different industries you have some flexibility of choosing what kind of industry you would like to work in. Yes, there is some threat of outsourcing but if you are good at it you can do very well in the field.
this doesn't seem right.. i am a junior in engineering at ut with a 3.5 GPA and I am making more money than your friend as an INTERN working with conoco? I don't see how Conoco would pay me more as an intern than your friend.. I am sure your friend is making more than this
yeah so lets say you get a bio degree but dont get accepted into med school? now what? a nursing degree would be good right now but the thread is talking about most flexible degrees. atleast w/ engineering you have skills that can be used to get a well paying job. and if you dont want to stick w/ engineering, you can use your degree to get you into other fields.
