A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement Forum
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A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
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- Posts: 154
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
This is why I am currently torn between two schools. Full Ride at good regional vs. sticker at t30.jarofsoup wrote:A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker.
- Veyron
- Posts: 3595
- Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:50 am
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Since you love it, it makes sense. Just realize that after loan payments you won't be making any more (probably) than the job you would otherwise find in three years of looking. For the record, I was employed but my job pays shit.jarofsoup wrote:How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
-
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- Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:41 am
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Loan payments would be killer. But I am 24. From what I understand as long as you pay the debt of quickly and dont let the interest build up you are ok.Veyron wrote:Since you love it, it makes sense. Just realize that after loan payments you won't be making any more (probably) than the job you would otherwise find in three years of looking. For the record, I was employed but my job pays shit.jarofsoup wrote:How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
-
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 6:04 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
jarofsoup wrote:How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
The opportunity costs will vary from person to person, relative to an economy. So, it doesn't really make sense to talk of an opportunity cost generally. But three years is a lot of time for anyone. You could spend that time training to go into some other profession. I'm not giving advice here, just making a comment.
As for staying away from the humanities, it is hard for many to see what makes life worthwile other than the arts and humanities. Aristotle said that man is in essense a rational animal. Marx said that man is in essense a money maker. Surely, Aristotle was right here, or at least closer to the truth. There is of course nothing wrong with going to a trade school, such as law school or med school, but a humanities undergrad is what makes the rest of life worthwhile. People will disagree.
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- pjo
- Posts: 610
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:14 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
I actually agree with both of you on this fwiw. I did my UG in philosophy. While I really did enjoy it, and it definitely helped me grow intellectually and as a person imo, as far as a return on investment…it sucked. Frankly, if you have the opportunity to inherit some form of business or something lined up after you graduate, I would actually argue that you should at least minor in the humanities (because I really think it helps you think in new ways); however if your primary purpose for attending college is to find a job you should be in accounting/pharmacy/nursing/engineering (and that’s it). The only ppl I know with jobs had those majors, and I mean at any school (granted I don’t personally know anyone at the ivies). O and OP, I live in a similar small town. I’ve been lucky enough to have a decent paying internship every summer; however, it seems like every night when I’m out at home I see someone who graduated the year before me from my high school, because they had to move back home and waiter/waitress.sumus romani wrote:jarofsoup wrote:How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
I am also working towards a paralegal certificate, which may be a big waste of time.
A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker. But jobs statitics for college graduates(B.A./B.S.) are horrible. 15 million people are unemployed in the US. They are forcasting a double dipper a recession or even a depression.
Personally I would take on the debt of law school if it led to the possibility of me finding work afterwards. Going to law school opens new doors. You can intern during the summer and you have an advanced degree with a difinitive skill set. I love the material and everything about law. My numbers aren't great a 3.25/157 but I can get into somewhere on the T-100 and that is good enough for me. I am also probably going to retake a bunch. But debt is a very personal chioce, and I have the means to get it paid off.
People also mention a "opportunity cost." In this market is there really a "opportunity cost." They are projecting that college graduates will have lower salaries for a longer period of time than any other generation.
I am sorry if this is a rant, but it is just my perspective and what I am seeing. I am from a small town in California and everyone who went off to college is comming back home to live. No one can find work.
I am a little bummed.
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
The opportunity costs will vary from person to person, relative to an economy. So, it doesn't really make sense to talk of an opportunity cost generally. But three years is a lot of time for anyone. You could spend that time training to go into some other profession. I'm not giving advice here, just making a comment.
As for staying away from the humanities, it is hard for many to see what makes life worthwile other than the arts and humanities. Aristotle said that man is in essense a rational animal. Marx said that man is in essense a money maker. Surely, Aristotle was right here, or at least closer to the truth. There is of course nothing wrong with going to a trade school, such as law school or med school, but a humanities undergrad is what makes the rest of life worthwhile. People will disagree.
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Last edited by xyzzzzzzzz on Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- pjo
- Posts: 610
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:14 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
a 4.0! haha, wow I've been on TLS too longxyzzzzzzzz wrote:jarofsoup wrote:
I only see one option get into law school and try to ride it out and hope in 4 years the economy is a little better.
(I am not writing this to piss anyone on this forum off. I just want to know where people are at.)
This is what I have also realized. For all those people that are still in college. INTERN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STAY AWAY FROM THE HUMANITIES.
The bolded is a bad bad idea. No offense, but what job did you think a humanities degree would get you?
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
I loved my majors literature and history. I loved the humanities But I was being short sighted. I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
It helped me learn how to write but to express myself, but employers do not care about this that much.
It helped me learn how to write but to express myself, but employers do not care about this that much.
- bankruptedcasino
- Posts: 95
- Joined: Wed May 26, 2010 5:24 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
- NoleinNY
- Posts: 1031
- Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:58 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
^^^^ Credited a thousand times over (well, maybe minus the economics part, depending on what your program focuses on...)
In retrospect, I should've added IT as my second major.
In retrospect, I should've added IT as my second major.
- paratactical
- Posts: 5885
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
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Last edited by paratactical on Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
TITCR I always wanted to back to my alma mater and hit incoming freshmen in the face when they sign up for humanities majors.bankruptedcasino wrote:For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
Then I would stand over them and say, "That is what life is going to do to you when graduate. Now get a real degree."
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- Matthies
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
There are tons of lawyer who graduated the same time you did last year saying the same thing. Look I don't mean to be a douche here but finding a good job is a learned skill, and what 90% of us, myself included, think that entails is actually worthless. Go to law school if you want, but between now and then educate yourself on how and how not to find a job, or you will be posting the exact same thing except replace "good college" with "good law" school. Going to law schoo, becuase you want to be a lawyer is a good thing, going to law school ITE economy, with a flood of lawyers becuase you are not great at finding a job is just a recipe for being in the same postion in 3 years but with more debt. Your odds of having a job at graduation are lower than your odds of not, so figure out how to sucessfuly look for jobs between now and then.jarofsoup wrote:How many people on this forum are employed?
I graduated from a good college in June 2009, with decent grades, good internship experience, and I have not been able to find even a shitty job out there.
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Take the full ride.lfgsuperman wrote:This is why I am currently torn between two schools. Full Ride at good regional vs. sticker at t30.jarofsoup wrote:A lot of people on this forum tell people do not take on debt. And only go to the top few schools for sticker.
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
I would only disagree to say that Liberal Arts degrees are great IF you plan on getting some kind of graduate/professional degree on top of that.bankruptedcasino wrote:ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
-
- Posts: 146
- Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:21 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
It's not all doom and gloom, buddy. I graduated this Spring in Poli Sci and have a great job at a 501c4 organization. Did it fall in my lap? No. I worked throughout college in lower positions at the same org, interned for meager pay, and networked. All it takes.bankruptedcasino wrote:ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
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- romothesavior
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
I strongly disagree. The problem isn't that lib arts degrees aren't marketable, its that most lib arts students don't know how to market themselves. Their heads are in the clouds and they don't think about things like internships, networking, etc. I can tell you that I could without a doubt have a job right now if I hadn't gone the law schools route, either in a politician's officer who I interned for or at a Fortune 500 company that I interned for.bankruptedcasino wrote: ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
-
- Posts: 718
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:50 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Sure some people are fine with them. But they provide no real value other than being a degree. The point is that they are not as useful degrees as other degrees.romothesavior wrote:I strongly disagree. The problem isn't that lib arts degrees aren't marketable, its that most lib arts students don't know how to market themselves. Their heads are in the clouds and they don't think about things like internships, networking, etc. I can tell you that I could without a doubt have a job right now if I hadn't gone the law schools route, either in a politician's officer who I interned for or at a Fortune 500 company that I interned for.bankruptedcasino wrote: ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
-
- Posts: 4086
- Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 5:27 pm
- gdane
- Posts: 14023
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:41 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Amir N wrote:It's not all doom and gloom, buddy. I graduated this Spring in Poli Sci and have a great job at a 501c4 organization. Did it fall in my lap? No. I worked throughout college in lower positions at the same org, interned for meager pay, and networked. All it takes.bankruptedcasino wrote:ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
Its not all it takes. Not one bit. For people like me who had to work during UG to support ourselves, working for meager pay or no pay wasnt financially possible. I wouldve loved to intern for a congressman or a non profit, but I had bills to pay, including tuition, and working for no pay or little pay couldnt be done. Amir, you are an anomaly. You might have a great job because of your Polsci position, but many dont. Also, getting those internship positions is no easy task. So, please understand that working in lower positions at the same org, interning for low pay and networking are not "all it takes".
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Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
+1gdane5 wrote:Amir N wrote:It's not all doom and gloom, buddy. I graduated this Spring in Poli Sci and have a great job at a 501c4 organization. Did it fall in my lap? No. I worked throughout college in lower positions at the same org, interned for meager pay, and networked. All it takes.bankruptedcasino wrote:ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
Its not all it takes. Not one bit. For people like me who had to work during UG to support ourselves, working for meager pay or no pay wasnt financially possible. I wouldve loved to intern for a congressman or a non profit, but I had bills to pay, including tuition, and working for no pay or little pay couldnt be done. Amir, you are an anomaly. You might have a great job because of your Polsci position, but many dont. Also, getting those internship positions is no easy task. So, please understand that working in lower positions at the same org, interning for low pay and networking are not "all it takes".
- agentzer0
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:51 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
there are only a few credited undergrad majors for employability:
1) CS - king of the hill
2) Math - because it means you can do 1
3) Physics/Engineering - because they mean you can do 2 , which means you can do 1.
If you go to a top undergrad, business is ok, you won't learn shit but those departments do a good job of finding their kids jobs.
1) CS - king of the hill
2) Math - because it means you can do 1
3) Physics/Engineering - because they mean you can do 2 , which means you can do 1.
If you go to a top undergrad, business is ok, you won't learn shit but those departments do a good job of finding their kids jobs.
- bankruptedcasino
- Posts: 95
- Joined: Wed May 26, 2010 5:24 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
Fair enough, you're probably right on most UG's not being able to market themselves effectively.romothesavior wrote:I strongly disagree. The problem isn't that lib arts degrees aren't marketable, its that most lib arts students don't know how to market themselves. Their heads are in the clouds and they don't think about things like internships, networking, etc. I can tell you that I could without a doubt have a job right now if I hadn't gone the law schools route, either in a politician's officer who I interned for or at a Fortune 500 company that I interned for.bankruptedcasino wrote: ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
But I would compare majoring in the humanities these days to attending a TTTT law school at sticker. Sure, it's POSSIBLE to get a good job out there with a humanities degree but it isn't LIKELY. And if that's the path you want to take (humanities degree), you should do the things that romo mentioned - which is internships in the fields you want to work in and networking.
Also, remember that a large number of UG's these days are incurring debt to obtain a BA. When the economy wiped out many of their parents' jobs (and, thus, breadwinning) they had to take out student loans to continue in their degree.
- Rikkugrrl
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:30 pm
Re: A Double Bind:Law school v. Debt v. Unemployement
All these majors share a common trait: They're heavy either in math or science. What if you're really bad at both? I can promise you I wouldn't have even been able to keep my scholarships, let alone accumulate an eye catching GPA, had I gone through with my original plan of being a dentist. I got Cs in all my science and math gen eds and I worked really, really hard for those Cs. In contrast, I've tutored math majors who complain about the English gen ed requirement and struggle to write passing papers. People have different strengths and need to mold their career paths to their strength. I wouldn't recommend a law career to someone who made a 130 on the LSAT anymore than I'd recommend a science major to someone who struggled to pass Bio 101.bankruptedcasino wrote:ATTENTION UNDERGRADS! TITCR!!jarofsoup wrote:I would pick a major like finance, business, economics, biology, chemistry, engineering. Something that gives you skills.
The only majors worth pursuing in college in the New Economy ... EVEN IF you're planning on going to law school:
*A skill or trade (Business, Engineering)
*Pre-med
Take it from me. I graduated four years ago with a PoliSci major when they were handing out jobs like candy. My interviewer for my first job said, "It's okay you majored in PoliSci. All we're looking for is the degree."
Fast forward three years later. My brother graduates college with a Sociology degree. No interviews. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Takes PT retail job to cover student loans and lives with mom and dad. Interviewers ask, "Why sociology? Why didn't you want to major in a skill or trade?"
If working the fryer at Burger King with your Bachelor of Arts sounds like a grand idea, then please continue on with your worthless Roman Literature degree.
For the rest of you UG's that are smart: immediately head to the registrar's office and change your major.
I will agree that their strengths are generally worth more than mine. Anything in the sciences is a better major than the humanities IF you can get good grades in those subjects. But what about the people who can't? Should an English major who barely passed his math gen eds change his major to business (which has a heavy math component, at least at my college)?
Edit: sorry about the heavy editing
Last edited by Rikkugrrl on Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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