# Majors for a financially stable future



## Tyler (Sep 9, 2012)

I've been wanting to go into the major of Music Production for the past 2 years or so. With my Freshman year of College, I'm starting to focus mostly on if it will be a stable job even though it is something I love. The problem is, I don't know anything else I would potentially be good at.. at all.

This may be in the wrong section, but I see it as a lifestyle. Anybody's ideas what to do, or what to look into?


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## Tiger (Sep 9, 2012)

Not a lot of info to go on...only thing I can advise is major in anything other than music production because that is a worthless degree.


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## troyguitar (Sep 9, 2012)

Music and financially stable future are not generally things that go together


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## mniel8195 (Sep 9, 2012)

see one of your school counselors


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## Bevo (Sep 10, 2012)

Search the for tests that can guide you through what your good at, I did it years ago and it really said allot about my skills... your councillor will know about it.

Also look into your interests and look at the job boards to see what is available and how much they pay.

My personal experience with university students and fellow co-workers with university degrees is pretty negative. Of all the people I know or have met, less than 10% are working in the field related to the degree they studied and payed for. Only doctors, lawyers and engineers are working in that field.

In my case I went to College part time and got training and licences then later got my Real Estate degree part time, total education cost is less than $10K.
My co-worker has a BA 4 years of Uni and makes less than I do.


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## Tyler (Sep 10, 2012)

I'll have to go to my counselor. I love recording, and really cant see myself teaching or having to go far into a science/math (my worst areas). I'm not too sure where I'll end up.


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## Tiger (Sep 10, 2012)

You're better off taking the money you'd pay them and buying a bunch of nice recording gear and learning through trial and error, experience, and books with online resources.

Music production degrees are a joke, people think they can sign up for a class and a studio will hire them with their degree. Not trying to rain on your parade, I just know a ton of people that went through music production degrees, blew tens of thousands, and now have next to nothing to show for it besides how to use Pro Tools.

The military can give you some ideas.


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## troyguitar (Sep 10, 2012)

Military is indeed probably the most financially stable future you can get. It seems like we will never ever cut military spending no matter what so you're pretty much set as long as you don't get killed/maimed.


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## Bevo (Sep 10, 2012)

Great point!

My uncle was in your boat and signed up, he was in for 20 years and came out skilled and with a great opportunity to take those skills to the next level.


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## Tyler (Sep 10, 2012)

Im personally not really into the military. Thats just me though

I do feel as if I should major in something, not going to a university at all would seem as if it would be harder to stable myself


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## Aevolve (Sep 10, 2012)

Engineering.




Look around for things that interest you though. My primary interest is music and guitars, but I'm also a sucker for physics and astronomy. I decided to go to school and pursue a degree in something more lucrative than guitar.
Now, I play guitar in my dorm while I work to get my degree in Physics with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aerospace Engineering.

Getting a more technical degree can potentially fund your entire musical future (and let you buy more gear  ). Just make sure you search around for something you either have interest in and/or you're good at. 

Remember- most schools don't require you state a definitive major until your 2nd year or so, so you have time to decide.


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## Tyler (Sep 10, 2012)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Engineering.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks! Yeah Ive always been good in Communication/English as well as computer/techy stuff. I'll have to do serious looking but Im sure there's something that can go hand in hand with guitar playing/recording


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## Alex6534 (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm currently doing a degree in web design/interactive media, plenty of opportunities for employment when I'm done. I'm still doing music on the side, but at least this way I know if I do pursue a career in music after my degree that I'll have the experience/knowledge to pick myself up and get a decent enough paying job.


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## anibawl (Sep 15, 2012)

Certain degrees in the Medical field can turn out well. I just got my license for LPN Nursing, and have 1 more semester to go to become an RN. Hopefully things go well, but with it I can work for certain Agencies with a contract. Work a few weeks here and there, make enough money to NOT work a few more weeks and be fine. The pay is good, and the degree (after prereqs is about 2 years). There's a pretty big deficit in the US on Nurses so in terms of stability, it definitely is. 

The only negative side is that since you are working with mostly females (I am male) there is a lot of drama. I'm sure there is politics in every profession, but it wasn't what I expected. 

Anywho: my 2 pennies.


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## bob123 (Sep 17, 2012)

engineering. 

arbitration.

anything medical.

anything aviation.

law.



pretty cut and dry really....


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## peldikuneptun (Sep 17, 2012)

+1 to engineering or computer sciences. can't go wrong with that.


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## Semichastny (Oct 13, 2012)

Look at degrees based on job availability and salary. You may not find something that you feel as passionately as music for, but trust me the "I would rather be poor and doing what I love" line of thought will not end well.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Oct 13, 2012)

joining the military is like flushing your life down the crapper.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Oct 13, 2012)

Why is that? I think if you had no idea what to do it would be fun for a bit.


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## JPhoenix19 (Oct 13, 2012)

Check out IT. Specifically, what I'm hearing is that the field of cyber security is hot. What I'm told is that employers are more focused on certifications than on secondary education. So your A+, Network+, Security +, MSCE certifications are what's most important, for what I understand. That said, there are many IT-related degree programs that look like they are quite easy to get into- many of them available online. I'm currently involved in IT in the Air Force and this is all the info I'm receiving regarding taking my experience into the civilian workforce.

It's also worth mentioning that a background in computers can help in music production since most production nowadays is based on computer systems.


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## Edika (Oct 13, 2012)

Depends on the country's military. If you were in my country you should be really desperate to join the army. Or brain dead.

I will echo the choices in engineering, aerospace stuff, anything related with industrial processes and/or programming. Law is probably a good choice but I have no experience.
Don't go to Physics or Mathematics unless you do very applied stuff that would be "useful" to the job market.

However you may have a better shot at having a more stable financial future but you first got to love what you do and be good at it. Prepare yourself for a lot of a negative answers from companies. If during your studies you have an opportunity to work with something not directly related to what you do, follow it because you never know when that skill or knowledge might come handy. You have to have a lot of social contacts in the field and good references otherwise it might be even more difficult to find a job in this field. If you take this route meet and cooperate with lot's of people and try to pick a topic that will have you do your dissertation in a company. It also will require a lot of your time and you may not have a lot of personal time for other things like "hobbies". 

So if your heart is not into it you are better of with music productions.


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## JPhoenix19 (Oct 13, 2012)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> joining the military is like flushing your life down the crapper.



Not really.


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## ThePhilosopher (Oct 13, 2012)

Actuarial Science or Statistics would be good choices depending on your math skills; there's going to be a load of hiring in the next 7 or 8 years in these fields as people age out of the workforce.


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## SirMyghin (Oct 15, 2012)

I am an engineer. I actually had a job before I was done with school. 

Take that for what it is worth, a I have a lot of peers who could not find work, but a lot who found it easily. The deciding factor was 'how far are you willing to move'. All those who were willing to move around had no issues.


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## Lagtastic (Oct 15, 2012)

JPhoenix19 said:


> Check out IT.




One of the few fields that remains hiring in decent amounts during a recession. Many niche fields of IT are expected to grow dramatically over the next ten years, most notably Network Security, VoIP support/design/troubleshooting, and Virtualization specialists. 

After college, I grabbed a few low level certifications, and got a job at 45k within a month. You can move up from there very quickly if you are an intelligent person who is willing to put in study time on your own outside of work hours. As I type this I am sitting here studying towards a CCIE Cisco certification. I've been at various levels like desktop support, server admin, Exchange consultant, enterprise level networking, etc. If you are interested, shoot me a PM with some questions, I can give you trends that companies like Dell, HP, various ISPs, & Cisco are headed over the next 5-10 years.

There is great money in IT if you are willing to put in the time learning massive amounts of material and honing your troubleshooting skills. I'm not talking about fixing people's piddly little PC and printer problems either, you need to look beyond that to go after the big money.


PLUS: Many IT jobs (like mine) are work from home. I play a good amount of guitar during work hours, and have TV on in the background, or random internet crap on a secondary monitor, almost all day.


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## SpaceDock (Oct 15, 2012)

I have to agree and disagree with a lot of what is said above.

Military. Most of the guys I work with are ex military, many of them had to start over afterwards or left because of low pay and lack of freedom but if you can get them to pay for your Ed through officers programs its great.

Engineering. Very good if you are very smart. My company usually hires imports from oversees unless its a group lead and those guys are top notch. There isn't much room for an average engineer.

IT or computer tech. Great if you find stable work. Most of my comp eng friend change jobs every couple years with big down time in between. One of the girls I know with a computer science bs works as an admin for my dept and makes shit after a decade there.

In the end the one thing that always holds true about the working world is.....it's not what you know, but who you know. 

Most people will not work in their field, it's not really about academia in the working world, it's about working relationships and the ability to work harmoniously with those around you for the common goal. Buddy nepotism is more prevalent than I ever would have believed in college.

My advice, study what you enjoy, get a degree, build relationships that will carry you.


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## Fluxx (Oct 18, 2012)

If you're inclined for sciences like chemistry and biology, a lot of medical fields are rewarding and leave enough time to have music be a big part of your personal life.

I'm in my last year of my Pharmacy degree, and I did a microbiology degree before this one. I'm very happy doing what I do, and already have work lined up for when I graduated with one of the largest pharmacy retailers in Canada. It's a stable job market if you're willing to move to the work, the pay is very good, starting at about 85% of the total earning capacity, and longevity of the field is looking very good with health care becoming more prominent in the minds of westerner's and the aging population here.


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## Origin (Oct 18, 2012)

Accounting.  Seems obvious, but damn is it ever a constant field.


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## brett8388 (Oct 24, 2012)

Something to do with energy - petroleum engineering, etc.


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## ras1988 (Oct 24, 2012)

Engineering: A bit biased here because I was an engineering major but you learn a little bit of everything and with some finance/econ classes you are utterly dangerous.

Nursing: In areas with health care shortages this is great. Dated a nurse and she made quite a bit including overtime. Worked 3 days out of the week too.

Not law not now anyway, far too risky. I am going for a law degree but more along the patent/IP stuff where there is demand for a certain skill set and relative security/ease in getting a job.

Business and finance are always good just set yourself apart with a strong math and computer science (programming) background and I think you are set for the most part).

Not bio/chem unless you get more than an undergrad degree: Have a lot of friends who became lab techs with those degrees who are waiting for grad school because the pay is a little poopoo.


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## abandonist (Oct 27, 2012)

I have a degree in broadcasting.

I'm a chef and own a restaurant.

That should tell you something.


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## tacotiklah (Oct 27, 2012)

Origin said:


> Accounting.  Seems obvious, but damn is it ever a constant field.



I should add that accounting is a very tedious and time consuming thing. Not a lot of difficult math involved, but you have to be precise as fuck with your numbers or face hours trying to find your mistakes. I'm learning this in my ACCT 111 class this semester. 

But with the economy down-turning, a lot of people that got the boot from their old position are looking towards starting their own business. You should look into this as well. Grab yourself a business degree with emphasis on entrepreneurship, management, or marketing, and there are plenty of opportunities to do well for yourself.


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## Bevo (Oct 27, 2012)

I just interviewed 5 people this week for a Property manager position in our company. 4 had masters, bachelors or degrees from University that do not relate to the job.

The number 1 candidate graduated HS got his RPA or property manager degree part time over 4 years. His experience and history make him way more useful and ready to work than the other higher educated guys.

Its really important to get into a role and build on your strengths within that role. An example could be Car wash guy > Car mechanic > Garage manager > Garage owner. In my case it was Car mechanics > Boiler service tech > Boiler maker/service tech > Builiding operator > Builiding operations manager > Property manager and from here I am looking at Director of property or operations then up to the VP level which is the natural progression.


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## TheManWhoWalksAlone (Jul 24, 2013)

How about Psychology? Is that yet another useless degree in The Capitalist States of America these days? I've been considering that one.


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## larry (Jul 24, 2013)

worst case scenario here.

i'm in a 2 year music production program at a local college now. I also have a 2 year IT degree and have classical guitar credits as well. I find, i'm not into IT which makes it more difficult for me to even begin plowing through training materials for any certs.. also, I just don't have the ability to sell myself in the field. I've tried and failed. clearly in my case, a career in IT is a long shot. 

so i'm going to finish out the music production program and transfer over to a local university to continue on to a major in jazz and theory until I've earned my masters'. this will qualify me for tenure at a state college or university as a professor in my field of study. though, work is not guaranteed.

i'm pushing on because I know I can internalize the curriculum and apply it; thusly giving myself a fighting chance at a career I can live with and enjoy. but that's all it does. ~8 years of school give or take --all for eligibility. that's it. I may walk away with nothing more than a piece of paper and very well rounded chops, but still have to find a job. 

my advice to the op: better take those tests and talk to a few counselors about a marketable degree. if you have the capacity to get a degree in something more lucrative than music, then play it safe. otherwise, you can gamble with your time like i'm doing now...


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## wilch (Jul 24, 2013)

Steer clear of IT degrees if you want to use your degree on a "stable job". Anything and everything will and can be offshored with IT.

The bar is also always constantly moving.

I started in IT and am currently in IT doing SOE development, and it's not what it use to be. Frustrating to say the least, and living in the first world, you can be sure that job stability isn't always there.

Do something with finance. Accounting, anything finance. There will always be a need for accountants or brokers *in country*. Stability, money, and a job that won't be offshored... it's all there.


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## The Reverend (Jul 25, 2013)

After many late nights researching degrees, job market predictions, and just how much money I think I'll need to be content, I decided to switch my major to Psychology. I went from Video Game Design to Music Performance to Geology to Petroleum Engineer to Psychology. I looked at things like my natural ability to perform, my interest in the fields, earning potential, and long term stability. I'm actually still on the fence, too. 

It's important to look at things like earning potential closely, as the numbers can be pretty deceiving. People see something like an average P.E. making 90K and think that's what you'll be getting right off the bat, which is not really true. I also looked at forums for people who were actually involved in the industry and what they had to say. Some had no luck finding work, some did, and many said it was all about who you know. I was mostly concerned with how they liked it, how the industry worked, and whether or not they regretted majoring in what they did. Things like game design and Geology had a lot of unemployed or unsatisfied people, so I nixed those. Music Performance was a wash, and I'm simply not smart enough to be a petroleum engineer. I settled on Psychology because I felt that the pay was in the zone I wanted and because it offered some flexibility in career choices.


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## vilk (Jul 25, 2013)

If you really love music, you should try majoring in something that isn't music, so as to find a good job that gives you enough money to get awesome gear and take vacations/ have good work hours etc. anything in IT will land you a good gig pretty quicklike. Probably the biggest regret in my life is going to college and not studying something that will get me a good job. I wasted 4 years and way too much money. well, I did have a lot of fun, so not really wasted. I guess you could call it the longest most expensive vacation ever. But seriously IT and computer programming dude it's the future.


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## wilch (Jul 25, 2013)

baron samedi said:


> If you really love music, you should try majoring in something that isn't music, so as to find a good job that gives you enough money to get awesome gear and take vacations/ have good work hours etc. anything in IT will land you a good gig pretty quicklike. Probably the biggest regret in my life is going to college and not studying something that will get me a good job. I wasted 4 years and way too much money. well, I did have a lot of fun, so not really wasted. I guess you could call it the longest most expensive vacation ever. But seriously IT and computer programming dude it's the future.



If you live in India, and want low pay, then yes, I agree, it's the future.


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## Seanthesheep (Jul 28, 2013)

SirMyghin said:


> I am an engineer. I actually had a job before I was done with school.
> 
> Take that for what it is worth, a I have a lot of peers who could not find work, but a lot who found it easily. The deciding factor was 'how far are you willing to move'. All those who were willing to move around had no issues.



couple questions regarding engineering...

right now Im doing a BSc for earth sciences. Im looking to switch into a mineral engineering program. problem is that its a really small engineering field and like 4 schools in Canada offer the program, so more likely than not I may end up moving cross country just to go to school. I personally dont mind that but is engineering really that stable? and does the schools name matter? I know for more common degrees like Accounting and Architecture the schools name a reputation doesnt mean shit for the most part but what about engineering? same deal?


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## Randyrhoads123 (Jul 28, 2013)

wilch said:


> If you live in India, and want low pay, then yes, I agree, it's the future.



Tech support for Dell isn't really IT or programming, dude. There are a ton of different jobs to be had in the tech industry that all require highly skilled people.


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## wilch (Jul 28, 2013)

Randyrhoads123 said:


> Tech support for Dell isn't really IT or programming, dude. There are a ton of different jobs to be had in the tech industry that all require highly skilled people.



I'm not talking about tech support. Tech support/call centres went to India a very long time ago. The writing was on the wall for that a long time ago.

I work for one of the largest IT corporation in the world, and I'm not in support. So I've seen the change first hand.

Project Manager, Programmers/Coders/Developers, Solution Designers, Architects. They are all being outsourced around the world to India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Anything that doesn't require you to be in-Country to do your work, will move to the cheapest geography. More so in the case of IT, because hey, we already have the infrastructure to handle it.


Success in IT is fleeting, and you're always asked to do more for less. I'm not complaining, it's the nature of the industry.

I do well in this industry, I've been working in it for over 10 years. But there is no way that I would recommend it to anyone that is currently attempting to decide what to do for the rest of their life for a "financially stable future".


If you think "highly skilled labour" has anything to do with it, you're sorely mistaken.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/hp-layoffs
http://au.businessinsider.com/ibm-laid-off-employee-says-company-is-blowing-it-2012-4
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...job-cuts-by-2000/story-e6frg90f-1226471459169


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## The Reverend (Jul 28, 2013)

Seanthesheep said:


> couple questions regarding engineering...
> 
> right now Im doing a BSc for earth sciences. Im looking to switch into a mineral engineering program. problem is that its a really small engineering field and like 4 schools in Canada offer the program, so more likely than not I may end up moving cross country just to go to school. I personally dont mind that but is engineering really that stable? and does the schools name matter? I know for more common degrees like Accounting and Architecture the schools name a reputation doesnt mean shit for the most part but what about engineering? same deal?



Do your research, brother. I don't know about Canada, but I know that schools in America that offer pretty specialized degrees generally have some type of relationship via internships or something with the industry. It can make all the difference. Sir Myghin probably knows more, but it's not uncommon for people to graduate with advanced degrees and be unable to find work due to lacking experience they'd gain through internships. It seems that if you're good enough, you'll get job offers before you even graduate.


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## Seanthesheep (Jul 29, 2013)

The Reverend said:


> Do your research, brother. I don't know about Canada, but I know that schools in America that offer pretty specialized degrees generally have some type of relationship via internships or something with the industry. It can make all the difference. Sir Myghin probably knows more, but it's not uncommon for people to graduate with advanced degrees and be unable to find work due to lacking experience they'd gain through internships. It seems that if you're good enough, you'll get job offers before you even graduate.



yea, here almost every school has some sort of work placement which ive already figured is the key to getting a job right out of school, but I mean it seems like every school claims to have tons of people with job offers coming out of school. like my school claims to have lots of people get hired as early as 3rd year into the program without work placement but you know that just doesnt sound right


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## The Reverend (Jul 29, 2013)

Seanthesheep said:


> yea, here almost every school has some sort of work placement which ive already figured is the key to getting a job right out of school, but I mean it seems like every school claims to have tons of people with job offers coming out of school. like my school claims to have lots of people get hired as early as 3rd year into the program without work placement but you know that just doesnt sound right



Yeah, I hear you. If I were you, I'd dig into the matter some more. It's imperative that you know exactly what you're getting into before you waste a lot of money (like I have ) in classes and stuff you don't need. Look up job listings for the career you want, and find out what they're asking for in their requirements. See if you can find a forum or website where people actually in the industry are talking about their experiences, i.e. if they got offered jobs while still interns, etc. 

I almost never trust what schools say because at the end of the day they just want your money. I've heard of schools saying that they have a high job placement rate while not necessarily telling you that their graduates ended up getting jobs outside their degrees.


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## Chuck (Aug 1, 2013)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> joining the military is like flushing your life down the crapper.



This is false.


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## wannabguitarist (Aug 5, 2013)

Accounting with a minor that put a lot of emphasis on analytical writing (political science, etc) or economics 

Being charming would help your job search as well


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## SpaceDock (Aug 5, 2013)

To those of you interested in psych degrees... I know many who did their bs in psy and they all do phone support now, lol. If you go down that path, same as any other health or counseling career, you must get phd or doctorate level to really do what you are thinking they do.


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## texshred777 (Aug 5, 2013)

Don't overlook trade jobs. A good friend of mine makes $90k doing HVAC work. It also didn't put him 30-100k in debt to learn it. 

Just food for thought.

With that said I'd also put in a nod for accounting. If you go that route, go to grad school.


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## wannabguitarist (Aug 26, 2013)

texshred777 said:


> Don't overlook trade jobs. A good friend of mine makes $90k doing HVAC work. It also didn't put him 30-100k in debt to learn it.
> 
> Just food for thought.
> 
> With that said I'd also put in a nod for accounting. If you go that route, go to grad school.



I've heard a lot about how a MACC doesn't really give you much of an advantage over an undergrad degree in accounting other than making it easier to hit the 150 unit requirement to take the CPA. Getting the CPA is key; there are multiple paths to get there and I'd say whatever one allows you to as little school as possible is the right one to take. Work experience trumps education like most fields.


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 26, 2013)

Semichastny said:


> Look at degrees based on job availability and salary. You may not find something that you feel as passionately as music for, but trust me the "I would rather be poor and doing what I love" line of thought will not end well.



It sounds a lot better than the reality of things. Realistically we'd all rather be doing what we love, but if the world actually worked that way I bet very little would get done...

That and the people that say that sort of thing are always the friends I have that just talk about how they're struggling but happy and they usually say it in a voice that suggests even they aren't convinced... 

Money isn't everything. But knowing certain needs are taken care of certainly is a load off my mind.


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