undecided majors is such an issue in United states at least.
after second yr of coll, some immigrant students may still be very unsure of what they want to take on as their major to pursue.
they could accumulate a good 980 some credits in sophomore yr and still wont know what to decide on, as their major.
to seek opnion, is it common if anyone knows and whatdo you think should be done, from preventing the students from wasting undirected time like this attending classes, they do not need, if they wont pursue that major for which they are intended.
giving them career advice is kind of challenging at times.
any resources about alternative and dual careers esp. in fields with strong math and sciences high school grades and college credits?
If a student has a strong aptitude in Math or Science, then one good option could be teaching. Considering there are thousands of job opportunities all over the country, entering the teaching field (specially at the school level) is relatively easier.
opportunities at school levels are not as easy unless one wants to teach in the inner city schools, where many people dont want to got due to crime and violence.
If a student has a strong aptitude in Math or Science, then one good option could be teaching. Considering there are thousands of job opportunities all over the country, entering the teaching field (specially at the school level) is relatively easier.
Jayzee bhai... but you being a teacher yourself - wouldn't you say that you need more than just an aptitude for the subject matter... you may be a master in your subject domain but still turn out to be a lousy teacher.
Coming back to Dush’s question regarding majors and indecisiveness of many students until later in their studies,
Over the years, based on my own experiences and after working with University students… undergrads, grads, continuing ed. – you name it…
I’ve come to think that majors and concentrations are way too over-rated in our educational system.
How many times have you as a person wanted to be doing something different at various points in your life… I’ve personally done very different stints over time and continue to keep wanting to try out something else every couple of years.
Some of the most interesting people that I’ve come across in my life have a broad liberal arts education where they’ve had the opportunity to take courses in subject areas that were of interest to them.
The truth remains that the decision we make about our major… is really based on our own idealist perspective of what a certain line of work “might” offer us… but how many of us really knew what it was going to be really like doing that work.
I for one, am all for embracing a big picture perspective and not force majors down anyone’s throat.
I know that my post above is more idealistic than practical – especially in the context of our current education system. I’ll reply to this post again with my take on how to possibly overcome the hurdles in declaring majors and getting on with your life... a more self-effacing opinion if you will...
very nice points everybody.
teaching is a noble profession, indeed and a very hard one too.
yet, as Umar said, being inter disciplinary and yet have adequate grasp of own field of speciality is a good thing.
liberal arts and humanities are spanning, now a days, different physical and social sciences. and thus, sometimes, one can in fact benefit own major, by learning about other majors.
this is what perhaps high school students need: a sense of direction but an assurance that with their core subjects of excellence, they need to also figure out where their true aptitude lie.
so that when they are about to invest their college years in undergraduate studies, they are grounded in a major that they would like learning about.
hopefully, the major they choose will enable them to learn about other majors as well, through elective courses.
it is really shocking to see so many good and excellent in cademics - high schoolers, who have no sense about what to choose when they enter college.
if they can be advised in a proper way, it will really be immensely helpful to them.
looking forward to the comments, Umar bhai.
and every body else.
Dushwari, as you know Umar is a heavy-weight in this field, so you are getting very good advice.
X2, since Math and Science were mentioned specifically, thatswhy I suggested teaching as a good career choice in those 2 fields. You are right, there are more opportunities at inner-city schools, but I have myself worked with atleast 3 fresh Math graduates (with bachelors degress) in the last couple of years. All of them were able to secure teaching jobs in decent school districts.
Umer, I can relate to where you are coming from. Life is all about change and experiencing new things. Fortunately, both me and you get those chances more than others thanks to our winter and summer vacations.
Also Umer, I agree that teaching is a combination of aptitude, knowledge, skill, and confidence. Some people have a lot of knowledge, but they can not become good teachers.
X2 and Dush, are you in the field of teaching as well?
Jayzee,
it is indeed true that in inner city areas, teaching opportunities are available for math and sci majors.
i find that parents from immigrant families are happy if their boys and girls get to be find decent living today. but what i fear is that in less positioned youth, due to lack of guidance, they will lower their motivational spirit and settle for something mediocre due to multiple factors that come with being a young immigrant. you asked: my field is high academia and research, as well as youth counseling. but it is multi focused due to the social justice and advocacy as well as employment and coll readiness model of the grant program, for which i am responsible. non profit educational and youth development field is one way that this generation of 1st, 2nd generation and new immigrant youth can be prepared with full support for their easy adjustment and competitive strengths.
are you in teaching field full time?
best,
Dushwari
jayzee i am not a teacher, but my wife is, and it is hard to land in good school districts and good schools, and until you are tenured that just means you are the first on the list to be let go if budgets are slashed.
securing jobs is just the start of the battle, getting tenured is a whole different story.
i concur with Fraudia bhai, tenure track in higher academic is not easy.
even with lot of authorship, as well as with a PhD. lots of rigging before you get there. but in the process, one becomes very resolved too.
from a track record of service to vry very careful relationship with the hiring committee in the univesity where one has been teaching and popular with students as well as fellow faculty, and coming on merit per job responsibility and qualification... all factors in.
Umer, I can relate to where you are coming from. Life is all about change and experiencing new things. Fortunately, both me and you get those chances more than others thanks to our winter and summer vacations.
errr... not really Jayzee bhai... there's no such thing as time off - esp. in a University career. You're always working towards something... tenure-track ; tenure ; professorship ; chair etc.
I haven't had a full weekend off in almost 6 years now. If there's no teaching, then there's research, consulting etc.
Khair, yes... some professions have access to more opportunities than others.
Coming back to the idea of a well-rounded education... sometimes I wish our education system allowed for multiple mini-majors. For instance, if I take a course at the University that instigates my interest, I might want to follow up with a couple of more courses in the same domain. I should be able to do this in multiple domains though... and in the end, if these domains fit under an umbrella category, then that becomes my major.
Many Universities these days are allowing students to create their own designated majors which in itself is a step in the right direction. The problem however is that for this to work, most Universities require students to do the requisite paperwork at the latest by the middle of their second year. So its really a catch-22... on the one hand, you want students to customize their own programs, but on the other, you're giving them no time to gain experience and make an informed decision.