Accounting/auditing (sounds boring but one needs to break through the sterotypes; needed everywhere); nursing and allied health fields (schedule won't be as flexible but you location flexibility is good); teaching, for all the anti-union hype, is really a poor paying job with only average benefits and comes loaded with overhead.
here is a sampling of my entire group of friends from college, a few years later.... 1.) Liberal arts = post grad restaurant worker. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY ON LIBERAL ARTS unless you KNOW that your are headed for graduate studies 2.) Engineering - all of my engineering buddies are bringing home new cars to new homes. Engineering pays. I went mechanical, but the computer science guys make like 20g's more straight out of school.. food for thought. 3.) Teachers are overworked and underpaid. Its a noble calling, but you will get the same pay and bennies without student loans working for police / fire departments. 4.) Business & management.... really hit or miss. Some of my business friends are killing it, some are still slinging dinners. Make sure you study a nitche area or you will just be another salesmen... and there are a lot of hungry salesmen out there... 5) Trade schools - lead to a better life than you may think. We will see a swing in the next few decades where skilled trades start making a LOT more money. Im not talking laborers though, you need to pick a trade and push through an apprenticeship if your going this route. Stay in state, dont rip off your parents. Be careful about borrowing too much $ to pay back later... because later comes soon, sooner than later, if you follow...
Totally agree with #5. I was reading some things last week about how the US has way too many college grads in 'useless' majors and trades are the way of the future. It's all about getting a job when you get out which is not what most schools will tell kids. Grad school is even worse since with the exception of very few majors, grad school adds a huge debt burden with very little return.
The medium age of long haul truckers is something like 65 years old, and its a super important industry. I know a 25 year old trucker who comes home to a 3 story house and a garage full of harleys, there is some incentive for those lack-luster jobs out there. Keep an open mind and a numb ass.... I also know a hvac tech that takes home more than most engineers.
i'm finding all this talk of material possessions, houses, etc...very interesting. i guess it's just a matter of priorities, but i'm quite happy to make a bit less $$ (& do...i'm a 3rd year teacher), but live a bike ride from my local break. sure, it's gonna take longer for me to be able to afford to buy a home rather than rent, & that home will be more expensive than a similar home inalnd, but the trade-off is that i'm a bike ride from my local beach & can surf whenever there's waves...i don't need to "drop everything" to get in the water regularly. i'm saving up for a house, have a decent quiver of boards (& can afford to buy/sell almost at whim), a solid little jeep that gets me where i need to go, & get to travel pretty frequently––all goals i set for myself when i was a senior in high school. the added bonus is that, as a teacher, i can influence kids' lives for the better & make a difference in their lives. it's a simple life (relatively), but a happy one.
I go to salisbury. its only half hour from ocean city. md. sounds like your interested in something medical. they have a really good nursing program if your into that. i personally am doing exercise science and then going on to a physician's assistant program somewhere, probably UMES which is ten minutes down the road.
live right there pretty good smaller college lot of surf spots close by and mountains arent far either
unless your parents or someone else is paying I wouldn't go . student loans will pretty much ruin your life aka credit score . In highschool you have all this pressure to go to college and get started on a career but what do people really know at 18 .. not much but they expect you to make choices that directly affect your life . if i was you i would go wait tables and bartend for 4 or 5 years till i knew what i really wanted to do , then i would go to school because after 25 i think you are considered an adult student and your tuition is reduced a fair amount . ..I am not saying don't go to college i just think people should remember that they have their entire lives to work and find a career.
My father once gave me a little piece of advice about money= "the financial world is like a sh!t sandwich, the more bread you have- the less sh!t you have to deal with" that being said, This kid asked how to get PAID and stay in the water. You have, in as many words as possible, justified one possible answer to half of his question. (better come up with at least 20% on that house because PMI will get you....)
the problem is that getting married will complete screw that plan. 99 percent of women want to be comfortable and don't want to live on bare bones.
Computer Science / Computer Programming degree. If you're good with math and logic, expect 60-70k a year starting. Work anywhere you want. Every company I know has some technical employee, whether it be a programming or just networking type guy... but they work when they want, how they want and at their own pace. Upon graduation you could pretty much throw a dart at a map and go get a job there.
watch out for environmental science and marine biology..theres way too many people going for these degrees than there are careers..and I agree about trade school. I know where i live if you call the plumber or electrician he never comes on time, and actually comes around half the time, and thats simply because he doesn't have to. You can pretty much make as much as you want in those jobs, which is nice, but the work isn't for me. Right now as a Freshman in college i'm majoring in marketing, but because of how many people are in marketing i'm either going to double major in finance or communications, then get my real estate license just so I can be a bigger threat or have a fall back plan; pretty much you want to make yourself as unique as possible in the field of business so you are more attractive to future employer's... Honestly I'm probably going to get a job thats barley in my field of (soon-to-be) expertise from a connection or something. You can't always plan out your life..you just gotta keep paddling... was that corny? yeah it was.
Ok. I asked because I think your starting salary might be a tad high. Big software companies may offer that but many local software shops start substantially lower for people with no experience. It's still a good field and will have rapid salary growth if you are in the right area.
CS guys do make more right out the gate, which is nice for paying down student loans and getting yourself into a house... but mechanical / electrical / civil can PE and make considerable higher salaries in the long run.
I don't plan on working for a small software development company. Most of the ones that I have talked to and asked said on average people are starting at their companies for $60-70k
