Having had immigrated from South Korea, my parents' had limited means of earning income, so they, as well as many other South Korean parents, decided to run a dry cleaning business. I do have an older sister who graduated with economics at Indiana University but because of our ten year age gap, I wasn't able to watch first-hand as she went through the process of choosing a major and finding a job.
It is definitely a huge concern about how my decisions I make now will impact my future in regards to reducing my income risk. My choice to attend a good engineering school was partially motivated by my desire to get a professional job with a high salary so that my parents could retire early and to build financial security. I know that graduating with a degree in the college of engineering could alleviate some of that income risk.
By huge surprise, I actually got accepted in the College of Engineering with a computer science major. Honestly, being the naive high schooler I was, it was unaware to me how difficult CS classes would be. The reason why I chose this major was simply because of CodeAcademy. I found it fun to complete the tasks and therefore I developed a huge interest in coding. Also, there was the fact that computer scientists are in high demand and Microsoft, Google, and Apple recruited many students from this school. Working at a company like this would easily help me fulfill my goal of my parents' early retirement in no time.
However after completing my first semester of difficult CS and math classes, my academic status already put me at probation. This was probably due to a combination of the countless hours of machine problems, homework, lack of time management, and too many distractions. After the first semester, I was already contemplating switching to a different major but my parents stressed to me how I needed to work harder and reminded me how I would definitely get offered a job right after I graduate. Thus, even though I hated my major, I stuck with it. I was actually off probation for a semester...but then I was back on it. And this time around my GPA was so low that I was on the verge of getting kicked out from the university, which really would put me at risk in the future. But after talking to my advisor, I was graciously given the chance to stay at U of I but I had to switch to a different college. And thus, here I am in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The reason why I chose economics as a new major was because it was too late to get into the College of Business with Accountancy, which was my original interest. So majoring in economics had to suffice in order for me to graduate on time, not have to pay more tuition and put myself more in debt. However, having taken several other economics courses, I've developed more enthusiasm for this major.
Also with intention of reducing my income risk, I decided to concentrate in public health by taking some community health classes to set myself apart from other economics majors. My sister had informed me how health care administration was a good field to go into. Other approaches I took to manage income risk include internships and networking. By leveraging the people network through family members, I could vastly increase my chances of a good first job.
It was disappointing to have lost so much money my freshmen and sophomore years from the engineering tuition rate which is quite a bit more than other colleges. This could have saved my family a couple thousand dollars in loans and reduced some income risk in the future. However, better late than never right?
Even as a senior, I still cannot give a precise answer when people ask me what I plan to do after college. Yet, I believe that everyone will figure out their way at some point. Another approach may even be to go to graduate school, but before that, I would definitely evaluate the benefits and risks.
My younger son is now a CS major after starting in ECE. He has described it as "super competitive" so I have some sense of what you went through.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, I think the College of Engineering relishes the brutality of the first year experience because it enhances their reputation, even if quite a few students wash out. It is particularly hard on women. But they also have the luxury that students who drop out of Engineering can and do transfer elsewhere on campus. The route you took, in other words, is a fairly common one.
It does mean you've had to play more catch up than most other students who planned to study economics from the beginning. Health administration is an interesting angle at compensating for that. I have a classmate from graduate school who dropped out after the first year and then went into a program of bio statistics. That too is a niche area where you can make your mark. He has done quite well for himself since.
The situation is harder for you than when I was your age, because the the uncertainties in the macro economy put more pressure on doing something where you can be successful early in your career. Ultimately I believe it more important that you find a good match between your inclinations and what a job requires. But there is also substantial data that says if you don't find employment say within a year or two after graduation, that your lifetime income will be lowered because your human capital from college will have depreciated. It's that fact that creates the urgency for finding a job at present.
Thanks for the comment, Professor Arvan.
DeleteYes, I could definitely see the College of Engineering "relishing the brutality of the first year experience." It makes sense due to the incredible amount of overwhelmed freshmen you see on just the first week of school. Economics is definitely a better fit for me--not saying the amount of work is lighter, but it's something I'm more passionate about. The idea of programming for a living...not so much.
Also, I was never aware of the fact that there is data proving that if we don't find a job shortly after graduation, then our income could be lowered. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about after this coming spring.