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What degree should i get?

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
Well my plan is so far is as follows: I've just finished high school well still have grad-prom stuff left but thats it. Anyway since this is quebec we have this messed up system where high school goes to grade 11 than you go to cegep aka college for on avg 2 years. However I want to move out of quebec asap so my plan is to do 1 year of cegep or college (same thing) than move to vancouver and go to UBC. SO anyways I'm not to sure what to go into in UBC but right now I think whats most interesting to me is getting like a degree in Human Kinetics or something like that but would that be any good for careers? If so what type of career/job? I also love economic stuff and bussiness stuff so i;m not to sure what to do first but i plan on getting more than one degree. Anyway any advice would be a big help.
 
J

JRB

Guest
I think I like sport the best, but regular isn't bad. I really don't like the invisible solid though.
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Actually CEGEP is a pretty good idea. I think it's a very good system. crapload better than how they do it in the US.

And "Human Kinetics" sounds awfully specialized. Is that a Bachelor's program or just a DEC?
 

ito

Mr. Schwinn Effing Armstrong
Oct 3, 2003
1,709
0
Avoiding the nine to five
If you don't know what to do become an English major. Read some cool books, write a bunch of papers, and stare at all the hot girls who have become English majors with you. When you get back to the dorms you can laugh at the sad saps who sold their souls for a BMW and a degree in business or economics and have to look at the same hags all day. Liberal Studies is the way to be :thumb:.....wait, you want to make money? Economics 101 it is then, but don't worry, I hear the babes get better once you end up with some cash :D.....no I'm not that pathetic, but being in lib studies has it's perks for sure.

As a first year student you will be exploring alot of different majors. Unless you want to be an engineer you can spend the first year or two figuring things out. If you think you want business then take the intro courses and talk with the upper classmen. If you end up not liking it, you still have plenty of time and the little bit you learned could end up being useful. Just explore, unless you really know what you want it is best to take some variety.

I have no idea what human kinetics is, but the name is kind of interesting, definitely explore it. Don't worry too much about making money, you'll find a carreer to fit into as you go along.

The Ito
 

jaydee

Monkey
Jul 5, 2001
794
0
Victoria BC
Strangely enough, the truth is that a very low percentage of university grads go on to have long careers in the area they got their degree in, unless it's medicine or engineering. It's just kind of a kick-start to get you motivated, teach you how to learn, and get the paper that lets you get your foot in the door somewhere. But it doesn't hurt to go for some area that: a) you are interested in, and b) has at least a remote possibility of giving you a job on graduation. When I went to school, everybody wanted to take marine biology. Nice idea, but unfortunately Jacques Cousteau wasn't hiring.
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
special O said:
sounds kinda like kinesiology...?
Yeah basically i want a degree in kinesiology.
Also yes I think the cegep system is better except the fact that ONLY quebec uses it so it's annoying if you want to leave quebec to go to uni. Either way it's still better cause you can choose more the classes you want.
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
jaydee said:
Strangely enough, the truth is that a very low percentage of university grads go on to have long careers in the area they got their degree in, unless it's medicine or engineering. It's just kind of a kick-start to get you motivated, teach you how to learn, and get the paper that lets you get your foot in the door somewhere. But it doesn't hurt to go for some area that: a) you are interested in, and b) has at least a remote possibility of giving you a job on graduation. When I went to school, everybody wanted to take marine biology. Nice idea, but unfortunately Jacques Cousteau wasn't hiring.
Yeah it's true cause, my dad is a marine biologist yet has no degrees in it. Well I just sort of need to know roughly what i want to do in UBC cause I have to make sure i take the right courses in cegep.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
JMAC said:
Yeah it's true cause, my dad is a marine biologist yet has no degrees in it. Well I just sort of need to know roughly what i want to do in UBC cause I have to make sure i take the right courses in cegep.
I'd recommend going down the Econ road. Being a generally liberal arts track it should be reasonably easy after a year or two to transition to some other major if you decide not to be an economist (well, other than Engineering).

-S.S.-
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
JMAC said:
WI also love economic stuff and bussiness stuff so i;m not to sure what to do first but i plan on getting more than one degree. Anyway any advice would be a big help.
The only business degree worth getting is accounting. Thats not to say that you can't do well with another degree. However it is the only degree that puts you straight into a profession that you may or may not stray from your entire life. It also teaches you pretty much everything about all the other business majors since you have to know how to account for what they all do.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
The only business degree worth getting is accounting. Thats not to say that you can't do well with another degree. However it is the only degree that puts you straight into a profession that you may or may not stray from your entire life. It also teaches you pretty much everything about all the other business majors since you have to know how to account for what they all do.
What he neglects to tell you is that Accounting is one of the top 3 most BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING jobs in the entire world. And if you become one you'll WANT to stray as soon as possible. ;)

Just take a couple accounting classes and see. :D

-S.S.-
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
Well whats an MBA good for?
Also what type of job can i do that'll make me >200 000$/year :rolleyes: :p
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
You mean like being a sales person at a store? Probly not but please explain. ;)
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
JMAC said:
You mean like being a sales person at a store? Probly not but please explain. ;)
No - but selling *stuff* - pharmaceuticals, software, etc..... the bigger the better. But you gotta want to be a sales dude.

Have you looked lately how much money these big corporations make? They do it by *selling* stuff. ;)

-S.S.-
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
SkaredShtles said:
What he neglects to tell you is that Accounting is one of the top 3 most BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING jobs in the entire world. And if you become one you'll WANT to stray as soon as possible. ;)

Just take a couple accounting classes and see. :D

-S.S.-
Sorry you are wrong there. Some of the CLASSES are boring, thats because the information is tedious. However aside from the entry level jobs it is not boring. Being an auditor was the most fun I ever had at a job. Its like being a consultant only with real power.

Also last time I checked (like a year ago) accounting majors were still the highest paid entry level jobs out of college. (business school wise)
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
Yeah thats true even if you're not some big corporation this guy who owns this pool/hot tub store in our town makes huge $$$$$ every year he's driving new porsches and mercedes. I know his accountant and she says it's insane the amount he makes in a week. She has to work full time just for him. It's crazy cause it's a small but very wealthy town and it's a small store. I just don't understand cause eventaully everyone has a hot tub or 2. Hmmm
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Well whatever you decide, make sure you base it on your interest and not how much money you think you'll end up earning. Because if you don't have some vague interest in your career, you're not going to end up being terribly happy...

And I have a number of friends with a bachelor's in engineering and went on to do MBA's...that makes for a nice combination.....
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
Sorry you are wrong there. Some of the CLASSES are boring, thats because the information is tedious. However aside from the entry level jobs it is not boring. Being an auditor was the most fun I ever had at a job. Its like being a consultant only with real power.
<snip>
Whoa. You need :help:

:D

-S.S.-
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Oh and, I know it seems like it, but if you're just finishing sec 5, really don't feel like you truly have to decide what "you want you want to be when you grow up". I started John Abbott with the full intention to go into medicine. But a couple of semesters into it I decided it didn't interest me enough. So I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do.

But then my last semester (I took 5 semesters at abbott) I had to have my mom register for me because I was in Lake Louise all that summer. And this was in 1989...before on-line registration. And my mom being my mom.... she signed me up for a dumb-ass complimentary course. Forestry. I was so pissed. (I couldn't tell her that because she had done me a favour).

But anyway, as dumb as the course was, the machinery we were learning about was so cool! Which is how I decided to do Mech engineering.

So all this is to say, don't feel like you have to decide what you want to do TODAY. HOWEVER, giving yourself options is better. If you think you might want to do something science related, then go into Pure and Applied right away. It's WAY easier to switch from Pure and Applied down to Social, than to go the other way around.

This Human Kinetics thing sounds like you need Biology. So maybe investigate the Science programs. in a couple of years you might decide you want to do something even more broad than Human Kinetics that involves Biology. Who knows? Just don't chop yourself off at the knees early in the game.
 

pixelninja

Turbo Monkey
Jun 14, 2003
2,131
0
Denver, CO
JMAC said:
Yeah basically i want a degree in kinesiology.
Please god, no. Not another kinesiologist in this world.

I accidentally went to a kinesiologist once. My shoulder was bothering me (from skiing accident the previous year), so, being new to the area, I go see this guy who I've never seen before. I tell him about my shoulder, and all this guy does is start rubbing my forhead and asking me if my shoulder feels better. I understand the concept of our bodies being an integrated system, but come on! I f'ed up my shoulder skiing! What the hell does my forhead have to do with anything??? Freakin quack...
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
pixelninja said:
Please god, no. Not another kinesiologist in this world.
<snip> I tell him about my shoulder, and all this guy does is start rubbing my forhead and asking me if my shoulder feels better. I understand the concept of our bodies being an integrated system, but come on! I f'ed up my shoulder skiing! What the hell does my forhead have to do with anything??? Freakin quack...
Don't go to an acupuncturist, then. He'll start sticking needles in your satchmo and asking you if you headache is any better.......... :eek:

-S.S.-
 

Mocha

Monkey
Jun 14, 2002
254
7
Vancouver Island
JMAC said:
Well my plan is so far is as follows: I've just finished high school well still have grad-prom stuff left but thats it. Anyway since this is quebec we have this messed up system where high school goes to grade 11 than you go to cegep aka college for on avg 2 years. However I want to move out of quebec asap so my plan is to do 1 year of cegep or college (same thing) than move to vancouver and go to UBC. SO anyways I'm not to sure what to go into in UBC but right now I think whats most interesting to me is getting like a degree in Human Kinetics or something like that but would that be any good for careers? If so what type of career/job? I also love economic stuff and bussiness stuff so i;m not to sure what to do first but i plan on getting more than one degree. Anyway any advice would be a big help.
I was planning on taking kinesiology when I first started university. I wanted to be a personal trainer, but then got a job in a gym and realized that wasn't what I wanted to do. Honestly, I think if you want to make any money in that area, you would either have to:

1. Get, at the very least, a masters (and maybe a minor in business) and open your own gym;

2. Use the Human Kinetics degree as a base, get really good marks, and go on to be a Physical therapist, Occupational therapist, or Chiropractor. Those programs are tough to get into, but you'll end up making a decent living.
 

Benton

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
118
0
SLC
Honestly, DO NOT even worry about it at this point. Once you get to college your opinion will change. Pick a school that will give you a wide variety of options. College is a formative time and you most likely will find and become interested in things you've never heard of before. I had my heart set on Cellular Biology when I went to school. Realized the Bio Department at my college was not the environment I wanted to be in, and ended up majoring in Engineering. Take your first year at college to try a variety of different things, including phsyics and physiology and biology if that's what you're into. Then begin to decide. If you can't decide you can always do a double major.
 

math2014

wannabe curb dropper
Sep 2, 2003
1,198
0
I want to move to BC!!!
Mate,

If you want cash, go into finance/economics. End of story. It is highly usefull to be extremely proficient in mathematics while in this area, you can outpower many competitors that way.

just my too cents.
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
MMike said:
Oh and, I know it seems like it, but if you're just finishing sec 5, really don't feel like you truly have to decide what "you want you want to be when you grow up". I started John Abbott with the full intention to go into medicine. But a couple of semesters into it I decided it didn't interest me enough. So I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do.

But then my last semester (I took 5 semesters at abbott) I had to have my mom register for me because I was in Lake Louise all that summer. And this was in 1989...before on-line registration. And my mom being my mom.... she signed me up for a dumb-ass complimentary course. Forestry. I was so pissed. (I couldn't tell her that because she had done me a favour).

But anyway, as dumb as the course was, the machinery we were learning about was so cool! Which is how I decided to do Mech engineering.

So all this is to say, don't feel like you have to decide what you want to do TODAY. HOWEVER, giving yourself options is better. If you think you might want to do something science related, then go into Pure and Applied right away. It's WAY easier to switch from Pure and Applied down to Social, than to go the other way around.

This Human Kinetics thing sounds like you need Biology. So maybe investigate the Science programs. in a couple of years you might decide you want to do something even more broad than Human Kinetics that involves Biology. Who knows? Just don't chop yourself off at the knees early in the game.
Yp thats crazy I;m going to John Abbot to lol. I was thinking of marianopolis but i;m to lazy to commute there. Are you really from Montreal or some other town near there? I live in Hudson actaully not montreal. Also thanks for th advice.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,785
12,792
In a van.... down by the river
math2014 said:
Mate,

If you want cash, go into finance/economics. End of story. It is highly usefull to be extremely proficient in mathematics while in this area, you can outpower many competitors that way.

just my too cents.
:stupid: I hated the prospect of a finance job so much, though, that I didn't get a job in the field after graduation........ :cool:

-S.S.-
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
JMAC said:
Yp thats crazy I;m going to John Abbot to lol. I was thinking of marianopolis but i;m to lazy to commute there. Are you really from Montreal or some other town near there? I live in Hudson actaully not montreal. Also thanks for th advice.
Grew up in Baie d'Urfé... Went to Mac High, Then Abbott. Knew lots of people in Hudson. Used to do the Hudson Labour Day Regatta every year and HYC. I was also a ski instructor (briefly) for Caribou ski school (based out of hudson...)
 

JMAC

Turbo Monkey
Feb 18, 2002
1,531
0
MMike said:
Grew up in Baie d'Urfé... Went to Mac High, Then Abbott. Knew lots of people in Hudson. Used to do the Hudson Labour Day Regatta every year and HYC. I was also a ski instructor (briefly) for Caribou ski school (based out of hudson...)

Thats cool. I can't wait to move out of here. I'll miss friends but it gets very boring around here. Worst of all is the long ass winters which are way to cold for me I need warmth.