What was your college major ???

D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
I made many bad decisions in College that have not worked out well for me.

I wanted to go into Medicine or Engineering but i realized the math was too overwhelming for me and I greatly lacked the work ethnic to ever get into medical school or though it.

My family said I should majored in Accounting but I tried a course and found it so utterly boring and repulsive that I could not open the book.

Computers ??? I dont like them..

I ended up majoring in History and had a stupid general science minor so maybe I should have did the trade school option
This board has a ton of very brilliant and insightful people and I am not one of them
 
D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
This board has so many people with such exciting and high end degrees that are fun to read about.
I grew up a rich boy and in High Society but now i live a meager existence and try to get by day to day. I had the good life for 18 years. I went from riches to non-riches. I wish I went the other direction from poor kid to rich adult as that story is something I greatly respect
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
dgold44 said:
This board has so many people with such exciting and high end degrees that are fun to read about.
I grew up a rich boy and in High Society but now i live a meager existence and try to get by day to day. I had the good life for 18 years. I went from riches to non-riches. I wish I went the other direction from poor kid to rich adult as that story is something I greatly respect
Click to expand...

Will you become rich once again with inheritance? That is what matters - money in old age.
 
Vanhool

Vanhool

Hall of Fame
dgold44 said:
I made many bad decisions in College that have not worked out well for me.

I wanted to go into Medicine or Engineering but i realized the math was too overwhelming for me and I greatly lacked the work ethnic to ever get into medical school or though it.

My family said I should majored in Accounting but I tried a course and found it so utterly boring and repulsive that I could not open the book.

Computers ??? I dont like them..

I ended up majoring in History and had a stupid general science minor so maybe I should have did the trade school option
This board has a ton of very brilliant and insightful people and I am not one of them
Click to expand...
You still have options. My nephew was a history major and now he is a lawyer. I've heard those guys can make good money sometimes ;)
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
First year masters in Biomedical Sciences, specializing in human movement sciences. Not really sure how I feel about it. I think its interesting and it suits me well, though it's not really been motivating for me that I've gotten so far with how little I've done for it.
 
D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
Thanks.. I am a general science minor lol

I could maybe teach 4th grade Science or what ever that entails lol

Some organic chemistry and quantum mech I guess
 
D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
Vanhool said:
Haha. I'm kinda old and my brother is 10 years older than me!
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My nephew is 5 yrs old. I meet him last summer and the kid "spit in my face". We were wrestling around and I was shocked as nobody has ever spit in my face before. Luckily the spit help to kill some bacterial acne on my pores so I was not too mad
 
Vcore89

Vcore89

Talk Tennis Guru
stringertom said:
Lots of famous actors, comedians and authors chose history as their majors, not to mention politicians and industry leaders.
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My boss' boss is a history major! She is a chain-smoking accountant! The company chairman has a Social Science degree [but he had a PhD].

My elder sister's boss [Consul General] is a History major.

Conclusion, just get that piece of paper when in doubt...who knows, it might be the ticket to [Fortune 500] chairmanship!
 
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SystemicAnomaly

SystemicAnomaly

Bionic Poster
Got a 2-year technology degree back in the 70s and then worked as an electronic technician for some 5+ years (primarily at Atari; hence the logo/avatar). Went back to school and got my BS in Engineering Technology from Cal Poly SLO in the early 80s. Appeared to be quite a demand for "technologists" in the 70s and early 80s.

Not so much in the 90s onward. Cal Poly SLO dropped their ET program in the late 80s. Shoulda seen the handwriting on the wall. There are still a few institutions around with a 4-year ET program -- but the demand appears to be quite a bit less than there once was.

Also took quite a few computer programming classes & had planned to get my Masters in Computers Science. Never quite followed thru. Got burned out on school after discovering that significant visual issues (convergence insufficiency) limited how much time I could tolerate sitting in front of a computer monitor.

Reflecting back, shoulda got my Masters in History.
 
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Disgruntled Worker

Disgruntled Worker

Professional
You're asking for life advice from strangers on the internet who have no clue who you are and what you do for a living. You really think your degree is the issue here?

The bottom line is liberal arts degrees aren't particularly valuable in today's technology-driven world. Don't like math? Unfortunately you'll most likely need it if you ever plan to get a reasonable job nowadays.

But again it's about mindset. What 30-something adult asks for life advice from an internet forum? Stop pretending like your liberal arts degree means something and go out there and work. Doesn't matter what it is. Just do it with pride and intensity and learn how to save.

You're like my aunt. She always thought she was "too good" for waitressing or manual labor. She thought that a stupid piece of paper would be her ticket to success. She was wrong. And you're wrong if that's your mindset.
 
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Vcore89

Vcore89

Talk Tennis Guru
stringertom said:
Walter White has blazed the trail for you!:eek:
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But WW is a high school chem teacher with a degree from CalTech hence the 99.1% Bllue!

Gus' 96% is not to be compared with this::D
232
 
D

Deleted member 733170

Guest
What do I know!?

If I was to have my time again I would probably elect to do philosophy (so I could hold my own in debates with Sysphsus and Sureshs), or history specialising in something arcane like Arab history from the birth of Mohammed until the Moors were kicked out of Spain or Japanese or Chinese history.

I did Business Studies which was a very superficial and dry subject. I had to unlearn most of what I learn't in order to be semi successful in the world of financial trading.
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
dgold44 said:
Thanks.. I am a general science minor lol
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I like that major. More Universities should offer it. It seems to me that while majoring in one field of Science is good, we need more people who have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geology, all in some depth. This will avoid breeding Ph.D. idiots in Physics or Chemistry who don't have a clue about evolution and repeat false religious doctrine, and become the perfect "experts" for right-wing politicians to quote. I am constantly shocked about how much truth (i.e., evolution) I know which so-called Professors in non-biological science fields don't know. Heck I know more evolution that many doctors and surgeons.
 
Disgruntled Worker

Disgruntled Worker

Professional
YetAnotherFedFan said:
What do I know!?

If I was to have my time again I would probably elect to do philosophy (so I could hold my own in debates with Sysphsus and Sureshs), or history specialising in something arcane like Arab history from the birth of Mohammed until the Moors were kicked out of Spain or Japanese or Chinese history.

I did Business Studies which was a very superficial and dry subject. I had to unlearn most of what I learn't in order to be semi successful in the world of financial trading.
Click to expand...

I learned more about life and how to succeed and be a man from working retail and delivery than I did in all the years I had in formal education. People don't care about what happened 60 years ago. It's in the past. They care about getting laid, enjoying their free time with novel things like sports and drinking, and making money.

The goal is to turn one's interests into profit, especially if those interests are lucrative like health care or science and math. The idea that a person is too good for a certain line of work is self-destructive, plain and simple. And too many lazy people subscribe to it in America.
 
D

Deleted member 733170

Guest
sureshs said:
I like that major. More Universities should offer it. It seems to me that while majoring in one field of Science is good, we need more people who have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geology, all in some depth. This will avoid breeding Ph.D. idiots in Physics or Chemistry who don't have a clue about evolution and repeat false religious doctrine, and become the perfect "experts" for right-wing politicians to quote. I am constantly shocked about how much truth (i.e., evolution) I know which so-called Professors in non-biological science fields don't know. Heck I know more evolution that many doctors and surgeons.
Click to expand...

You have a point here. I personally find nothing more nauseating than listening to a Professor of Economics from Harvard spout off about policy recommendations for the future while at the same time justifying their mistakes of the past.

They truly are awful people who are all cosy with the establishment, while at the same time the establishment heaps praise on them because of the seat they hold. A marriage of mutual sycophancy indeed!
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
YetAnotherFedFan said:
You have a point here. I personally find nothing more nauseating than listening to a Professor of Economics from Harvard spout off about policy recommendations for the future while at the same time justifying their mistakes of the past.

They truly are awful people who are all cosy with the establishment, while at the same time the establishment heaps praise on them because of the seat they hold. A marriage of mutual sycophancy indeed!
Click to expand...

I am not talking about Economics in which there can be many viewpoints. I am talking about ignorance of Biology among Ph.Ds in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Medicine. Yes, medicine too.

As far as wrong predictions by Economists go, it is unavoidable. It is not an exact science. That should not prevent them from crunching data and making predictions, because a lot of that is for mundane things like budget planning. Basically, it is an attempt to be scientific as far as possible when using imperfect data. Only the sensational wrong predictions get publicized.
 
D

Deleted member 733170

Guest
sureshs said:
I am not talking about Economics in which there can be many viewpoints. I am talking about ignorance of Biology among Ph.Ds in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Medicine. Yes, medicine too.

As far as wrong predictions by Economists go, it is unavoidable. It is not an exact science. That should not prevent them from crunching data and making predictions, because a lot of that is for mundane things like budget planning. Basically, it is an attempt to be scientific as far as possible when using imperfect data. Only the sensational wrong predictions get publicized.
Click to expand...

But the point we surely agree on is that academics are used by the political establishment to give 'authority' to policy initiatives and agendas!?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
YetAnotherFedFan said:
But the point we surely agree on is that academics are used by the political establishment to give 'authority' to policy initiatives and agendas!?
Click to expand...

So what? It is also true for everything ranging from health epidemics to the construction of bridges. Academics are always consulted and should be. Since there are many possible economic policies, there are many different academicians who can be quoted. If the academician thinks he has been wrongly quoted, he can complain.
 
D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
Disgruntled Worker said:
You're asking for life advice from strangers on the internet who have no clue who you are and what you do for a living. You really think your degree is the issue here?

The bottom line is liberal arts degrees aren't particularly valuable in today's technology-driven world. Don't like math? Unfortunately you'll most likely need it if you ever plan to get a reasonable job nowadays.

But again it's about mindset. What 30-something adult asks for life advice from an internet forum? Stop pretending like your liberal arts degree means something and go out there and work. Doesn't matter what it is. Just do it with pride and intensity and learn how to save.

You're like my aunt. She always thought she was "too good" for waitressing or manual labor. She thought that a stupid piece of paper would be her ticket to success. She was wrong. And you're wrong if that's your mindset.
Click to expand...

No it's NOT my point as I was only curious of people's majors !!!!
 
D

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
sureshs said:
I am not talking about Economics in which there can be many viewpoints. I am talking about ignorance of Biology among Ph.Ds in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Medicine. Yes, medicine too.

As far as wrong predictions by Economists go, it is unavoidable. It is not an exact science. That should not prevent them from crunching data and making predictions, because a lot of that is for mundane things like budget planning. Basically, it is an attempt to be scientific as far as possible when using imperfect data. Only the sensational wrong predictions get publicized.
Click to expand...

Science is fun until it gets too hard for me like playing a 5.0 player
 
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F

FedMex

Rookie
I've worked in the bastions of Wall Street (equity research) for the love of learning and proving myself, but nearly 90% of the folks on that floor wanted more and were frustrated waiting for their chance or the high earners were unhappy remembering how much they made before Spitzer (the good times) and overloaded with Hamptons real estate. many were liberal arts majors.

I've also live in silicon valley and went to a top MBA with the "brightest of the brightest", which was bull crap. i'm still looking for the perfect work/life balance and time to do what i want where i don't feel owned. There are very few people in society who don't answer to someone or something. learning how to be happy is needed at all levels of success, regardless of your major. what's the study at? after $75K it all sort of equalizes in terms of happiness. in any case, change your mindset regarding the past (i picked the wrong major), remove your limiting beliefs, model successful people or create an identity, a 5 and 10 year plan and you''ll find more purpose. remember that who you read and hear about are the success stories so don't let those bring your down (or non-reality, all roses Facebook or Instagram accounts).

two years ago i was at a stanford computer sciences alumni reunion and they were celebrating how almost every student is taking 2 to 3 computer science classes. now, i hear hennesy (outgoing president) is worried about how many liberal arts majors are switching to computer science and they are losing their well roundedness and don't want to be seen as the CS trade school of ivy leagues (even though they are not ivy league). who would've known 5 years ago, much less 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

there are too many uncertainties in life to worry too much about the past. the only thing to do is reflect, learn about what you didn't know about yourself then and course correct. sorry for the life philosophy talk!!!
 
movdqa

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
dgold44 said:
This board has so many people with such exciting and high end degrees that are fun to read about.
I grew up a rich boy and in High Society but now i live a meager existence and try to get by day to day. I had the good life for 18 years. I went from riches to non-riches. I wish I went the other direction from poor kid to rich adult as that story is something I greatly respect
Click to expand...

I went from single-parent minority poor to comfortable over many decades. My wife is from third-world single-parent poor and that's a lot tougher than being poor in the US. You definitely appreciate nicer things when you grew up without them and you always worry about going back to that. I'm not that far from retirement in a software engineering job with IS and CS degrees and I'd still like to work in the field past retirement age or volunteer in helping to cure cancer [curing things or freezing them is going to require more and more math and computer science].

There are many times when I wish that I had grown up in more of your traditional American middle-class lifestyle, with two parents but you have to play the hand that you're dealt. We've just finished a grueling release after about three years of effort and get to reflect and do some fun stuff before diving into the next release. I'm taking a little time off for recharging for the next couple of years.

It's tough learning new stuff as you get older but we should all be learning things here and there. It keeps the mind younger. You're a pretty bright guy and you keep trying but having to deal with the nuts and bolts of making a living is challenging for a lot of people these days. The quality of people on these boards frequently amazes me but it shouldn't. There are a lot of qualities in succeeding at tennis that help in succeeding at life. It takes effort over the long haul, long-term thinking and planning and working on a lot of different areas and a lot of people don't like to do those things.
 
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