A Major Change

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I'm about 75% sure that I will be changing my college major. I've realized that, because of the experience of the first couple of classes of a class I just dropped that covered various preliminary aspects of software engineering, and because of the programming projected I am working on by contract currently, I no longer am interested in working with computers or software as the main part of my career. My major is currently computer science. At one point, I was even looking at graduate schools in Information Science and Library Science that I might go to after I got my computer science major. To do those things, you don't even need a computer science degree. With actual work with computers or software out of the way as a reason of mine for pursuing CS, all that seemingly remains is the notion that, with a computer science degree, I will be on the leading edge of the job market and will consequently obtain a well-paying job just short of instantaneously after my graduation.

What is it then that I am considering changing my major to? My college doesn't offer many options, since it is primarily an engineering and business school. (Renown, in fact, in those areas. And ice hockey.) I'm looking into either mathematics or English. I'm really a better English student than a mathematics student, but I am capable of doing both. My papers have been praised by English professors, and, though for most of those grad students in the tutoring lab, to be fair, my Pre-Calculus class was old news, one tutor who was a teaching aid for Pre-Cal I helped solve a few problems where she had incorrect or inadequate answers.)

Oh, and I've already checked the other majors at my school. Poly Sci I don't have enough prerequisites to finish in 4 years, and I don't know if I really would enjoy that. Sociology and Psychology are out because they are useless to an extent in getting a job pre-graduate degree in those subjects. History I don't find enjoyable for some reason. Art History is turning out to be more boring than I thought in the Intro class I'm taking right now; finding jobs with an art history degree would be harder than for English or Mathematics. Art, I have no remarkable talent there, and starving's not fun.

Anything in engineering is out because I don't like engineering. Engineering students scare me with their frightening projectile fascination. And even if I did like engineering, I would not have the necessary prerequisites.

Ideas, anyone?

My tendency is to advise you to go into math specializing in statistics or applied math. The reason I state this is because smart guys who are good at math can still pull in decent salaries. "According to a 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, starting salary offers for mathematics/statistics graduates with a bachelor’s degree averaged $43,448 a year." As well, I have heard that the job market for statistics majors is better, possibly because they don't have to compete with everyone who happens to have good English ability, which often is groups from a lot of majors and includes a lot of people. I should be honest and come forward with my biases, I do tend to be better at math myself and like it more, as well I definitely push for the better financial option if all else is equal.

Also, psychology isn't necessarily useless if you go into Industrial organizational or developmental/school related. We are having greater need for more child psychologists in our school system and I/O psychologists are often employed by corporations for helping them improve things for workers. It may be more ideal to have a masters for psychology though. You also have not mentioned business or econ in your assessment of what you want. I assume you have not overlooked them but b-majors do tend to do better on the job market than other graduates.

I'm glad you noticed that. Prior to my original post, I had decided not to consider business majors as options for me to switch to. However, sitting for the accounting exam (since accounting involves math, which I'm somewhat good at) after I graduate with a Bachelor's degree is something I have not ruled out.

Well, I have decided to rule out a mathematics major as a result of more research into it. My college requires a two semester Physics sequence that would have made it difficult for me to finish in four years. Also, the mathematics major has some upper-level classes that I don't know that I would be interested in yet might have had no other choice but to take as my required electives; for example, geometry and numerical analysis.

What I'm going to do now is continue to pursue computer science. But if things go differently than I hope they will, on the grades side of things, I'll switch to an English major with a Technical Writing minor. The good thing is that if I did that, there would be no intellectual loss for me, since English is something I enjoy, and writing for and about technology is something I enjoy. You might say this is my back-up plan for a college major.

If my past grades in computer science classes are any indicator (two A-plusses and an A so far), I should not have very much difficulty. (To continue doing this is something I call "Plan A".) The required math minor is what I'm concerned about, because I am behind in math due to missing courses at my high school. Had I been able to take them, I feel this concern would have been lessened greatly and I be spending more time concentrating on my major than worrying and making back-up plans.

geography and political science are interesting

I am now 99% sure I will be changing my major to something different. Not Mathematics.

Political science sounds the most interesting to me, though I had excluded it before because I thought I didn't have enough credits. But now that I have found that with my computer science major, I would have had definitely to take an extra semester anyway, I'm less concerned about taking some classes over the summer or doing an extra semester for a different major. I have spoken with several political science majors in the past few days, at school and online, and found them to be interesting and like-minded people and very appreciative of their chosen major. So, I am making the necessary rounds towards a political science major. I have not ruled out an English major yet, but someone said, "So you like analyzing and writing about literature?" My answer is no. I would use the English major for technical writing or freelance jobs, but the technical writing cognate is independent of the English major and could be alongside, for example, a political science major. A further question could have been, "What do you plan to use your English major for?" Not English. Political science, on the other hand, might have some actual use.

Good luck!

Like teaching political science? I am just messing with you, there is some evidence that suggests that political scientists do better than other social sciences. If you are interested in technical writing then just take a technical writing class.

Good luck with poli sci.

This isn't entirely true, from what the guy staying on my couch has said. (He's on vacation, he isn't out of a job.) He works at a hospital, in a situation similar to that of lab technicians working under a chemist, but with psychology as the field. He only has a B.S. (hah...only...) in psychology.


What do you enjoy? If you don't enjoy your career (after college) then I hope it is paying a tremendous amount so you can attempt to buy happiness. If you can find a subject / field you enjoy, go for it. Thinking about jobs this early in the game only limits your options. Is it important? Sure. Should it be the make-or-break point? No.

Thank you for wishing me good luck as I decide what to do next.



I am aware of such evidence.



My college happens to have a top notch technical writing office as a part of its English department. They offer a technical writing cognate, which is somewhat like a minor except that broader range of courses is required. It includes more than just the two standard technical writing courses and the required technical writing internship credit, but also some computer science, information systems, linguistics, and business media courses, among others.

I haven't decided yet for sure whether I want to do the technical writing cognate. But even as a minor is not necessary for a Political Science major--instead, you can take a set number of upper level courses in a variety of subjects--the technical writing cognate is something I think would boost my job opportunities. Due to the local presence of a high tech economy (there are industrial, engineering, software, military enterprises), a job in technical writing would not be hard to come by; I am on the technical writing department's e-mail list and hardly a week goes by without at least a couple of well paying technical writing job offers posted, and they are looking for interns.



The latest statistics I saw (on a page promoting a mathematics major, incidentally) show psychology majors at last in salaries, among other majors, including liberal arts majors. (http://www.math.duke.edu/major/whyMajor.html). But of course there are some very good job opportunities out there for Psychology majors, to an extent, as your friend has found. (Lab technician is not bad at all; at least, it's a job I wouldn't mind as long as it isn't too physically involved.)



Technical writing, public administration, law, politics (metropolitan to regional), and technology interest me. What I choose as my major I want to reasonably reflect my interests and still provide some good job opportunities. As well, by switching to a political science major I would be triangulating my education on my interests.

Last edited by hyperbolic on 26 Feb 2007, 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You're welcome!