/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.6456153]

I'm 18 and about to finish high school after this upcoming term. Is academia just over-saturated to the point where having a Bachelors degree as useless as a HS Diploma? If I do go the higher education route should I go STEM? Should I go for a trade job and work with my hands? Should I just flip a coin? My only goal is to find a career with job security, decent salary, and a decent return on investment. Is that too much to ask for?

PS - Shut the fuck up when it comes to passion for a field. I'm so tired of that "follow your heart and the rest will follow" bullshit of an answer. I want an objective response.

[Anonymous No.6456157]

>>6456153
Seriously, if you don't love STEM, then do a trade job. Simple as that.

[Anonymous No.6456158]

if you want to do anything you need at least a master's

[Anonymous No.6456172]

>>6456157

Who the fuck said I didn't? I just don't want to end up like every other dumb-fuck with a degree (in a mountain of debt, piss poor education, and minimum wage income)

[Anonymous No.6456196]

>>6456172
I fucking think if you sweat a little fucking more everyone here will respect you and give you good, well-founded advice.... fuck

[Anonymous No.6456198]

>shut the fuck up when it comes to passion for your field

OP confirmed for dumbfuck

OP you're a god damned idiot if you go into a field for the money or for any other reason except that it's what you want to do for the rest of your life

There's no point in even giving you any advice if money is your objective. just fuck off and go sell drugs if you want money so bad. or go into whatever field gives the most money.

[Anonymous No.6456201]

>>6456172

you will end up like every other dumbfuck with a degree with your current outlook you dumb, immature fucking faggot.

[Anonymous No.6456205]

>>6456172
If you love STEM, then go into academia, and eventually achieve tenure. You can make money by writing plebeian popular science books.

[Anonymous No.6456210]

>>6456196
>sweat
fucking fuck.

[Anonymous No.6456215]

>>6456198
You seem to be confused, kid. Money is the only reason to do anything. Do you not realize that greed is the real mother of invention? Here, prove me wrong. Go to academia, get some fancy-ass degree in some fancy-ass field, get a fancy-ass job and proceed to live on nothing but 10k a year while donating the rest of your income to some charity of your choice. Until then, shut the fuck about your altruistic intentions.

[Anonymous No.6456225]

>>6456215

top fucking kek


read Einsteins biography. the one by Isaacson.

Or maybe some of Nietzsche's writings.

or Eulers

or Ramunajans

or perhaps Bertrand Russels


none of them did any of what they did for fucking paper you superficial, blind child

[Anonymous No.6456235]

Well, I do believe somewhat in doing what you like. But not 100%, do something you can tolerate well enough to study for for 4 years. College isn't like high school where you're constantly changing gears so nothing gets old. If you choose to study chemistry, you're gonna be doing nothing but chemistry for at least 2 of those years and the other two will still require prereq courses for your major. So definitely choose something that can at the very least keep your attention, something you Cavan tolerate doing homework for. I began as a bio major heading for healthcare, I knew I didn't like biology but I thought healthcare would be awesome so I'd be able to stick it out. I hated it, less than two months into the semester I was looking for a change. I really liked sports science for the heavy physiology and whatnot but I knew the job market was bleak. And so, like you, I wanted something with better job prospects. So I changed to mathematics, I had taken a lot of math in high school and enjoyed it and there is a career known as actuary that is somewhat up-and-coming but it has been rated as one of the best jobs consistently for the past few years. Requires no grad school, employers are constantly hiring them and because actuaries are so expensive to hire after they're trained, companies do A LOT to keep you around. Salary is top notch considering the workload and relatively minimal education required to get there. I'm not saying it's for everyone, it is a SHIT TON of math and the certification process is about 6 years or so of studying and exams after you graduate. But employers pay you to study and take the exams, they give you SIGNIFICANT raises, bonuses, and benefit packages when you pass exams, and it's virtually impossible to get fired, unless you do something absurd, because you are so valuable to the company. All in all, choose a field that you can tolerate slaving away over textbooks of for a couple years, but I would definitely recommend STEM fields.

[Anonymous No.6456242]

>>6456215
Yes, Noether and Einstein and Weyl made a shit-ton of money, didn't they?

[Anonymous No.6456241]

>>6456205
What if you can't teach?

[Anonymous No.6456245]

>>6456242
Yes, I'm sure they aspired to be poor. You're right.

[Anonymous No.6456246]

>>6456241
If you can't teach, that means you don't know it well enough.

[Anonymous No.6456249]

>>6456235
Only person to not have their head up their ass so far. Thanks for the response.

[Anonymous No.6456251]

>>6456245

You're missing the point.

They didn't aspire to be poor or rich. Money didn't fucking matter. Science and mathematics mattered. The field mattered. The topics mattered.

Would you rather be "poor" and happy or rich and unhappy?

[Anonymous No.6456258]

>>6456249

Guess what retard, the person you're replying to is actually interested in actuarial science.

He/She is going into what he or she will enjoy.

He or she is also concerned over the practical aspect of it all too.

Which, most stem fields are practical anyway.

[Anonymous No.6456259]

>>6456251
No, I think you're the one missing the point and you've watched one too many after school specials. I mean honestly, what does happiness have to do with anything?

[Anonymous No.6456264]

>>6456258
That's all fine and fucking dandy, I mean it. That's really great for them. Two birds with one stone. But would they go into a science field if it paid the same as a minimum wage job? Doubtful.

[Anonymous No.6456268]

Obviously there are people who didn't go to college who make 7 figures or more, but those are rare cases and the number of people who didn't go to college and are in poverty FAR supersede those at the other end of the spectrum. To this day. College goers still out-earn non college goers by almost $1 million. Even those who go to college and don't really do anything special with their lives still earn a decent living and can support themselves and a family. Just make sure you know how to use your education to your advantage and don't waste it. They say do what you love but I think it's okay to make a little compromise, especially if you love art or music. The job market is too dry to just do what you love and hope the rest will follow. It does sorta depend on the lifestyle you want too, if you love history and don't mind living on a teachers salary then by all means go that route. But if you're pretty good at engineering even though sports management is your first love, it's okay to choose the engineering degree over the sports management because it will provide a slightly more relaxed lifestyle. Gonna have to work though. Your future career is almost directly linked to your degree difficulty. The harder the degree, the better the career. Every. Time.

[Anonymous No.6456270]

>>6456249
I'm currently a freshman in college, and I like to consider myself to have a fairly level head haha. Your welcome. I posted the other ridiculously long response as well hah

[Anonymous No.6456275]

>>6456259
You may be surprised to learn that in economic theory it is utility (happiness), and not money, that plays the central role. Wealth is merely an observable but crude and imperfect measure of utility.

The concept also shows up in certain parts of finance, where it is used to describe investment strategies in terms of risk aversion, or something like that. Not my bailiwick though.

[Anonymous No.6456276]

>>6456259

troll detected and swiftly dismissed

[Anonymous No.6456279]

>>6456268
See, another person with a level-head.

The more difficult the job > the rarity of people filling the requirements of that job > the more valuable a person will be to future employer. Most of you have been tricked into sacrificing your wealth/health/well-being for something as retarded as being happy. I mean come on, there's a job crisis out there. Get your fucking head in the game.

[Anonymous No.6456277]

>>6456264
undergrad that does lab work with professors here.

I quit my minimum wage job of 7 years to spend more time in the lab, which actually pays less than minimum wage for undergrads at my university. Not a single fuck is given. You don't go into science for the $$$. If you want $$$ just go into business, less work for higher (monetary) payoff.

[Anonymous No.6456283]

>>6456277

Yeah, because a business degree goes REAL far these days. I wanna be a manager of a Wal-Mart when I grow up.

[Anonymous No.6456282]

>>6456215
>18 year old HS faggot
>Gets advice from STEM grad student and calls him kid

It's not altruism you dumb fucking faggot we just enjoy our fields. And if you're actually curious I make 27k a year in grad school and if your advisor has connections you will be able to find a job afterward

That being said go be a mechanic because you're the kind of faggot I want underneath my old ass car doing bitch work

[Anonymous No.6456284]

>>6456282

27k? 27k?! Are you serious? I'm so sorry.

[Anonymous No.6456287]

>>6456283
You'll probably be making more as a manager of walmart than a post-doc.

[Anonymous No.6456290]

>>6456284
>>6456287

ITT sub-100 IQ faggot don't understand why making 25k+ in GRAD SCHOOL is impressive

[Anonymous No.6456297]

It's okay to have some give and take. As I said earlier, I was intrigued by the anatomy and physiology in the kinesiology degree at my school, but I knew the job market was shit and I wasn't about to live off a pe teachers salary. I grew up in a family that wasn't exactly well off, I've been in a paycheck to paycheck scenario most of my life and not cuz my parents were fuckups, my mom and dad are hard working blue collar people. There only problem was probably making sure my siblings and I had what we wanted a little too often, screw them right? -_- hahah but they are good people and always told my siblings and I to work hard. But because of my financial experience growing up, I want to provide my future family a life with some breathing room. So I chose actuarial science. I'm interested in math more than most other fields and I'm half decent at it. I've got a pretty good work ethic as well, I like to think so anyways. So I went that route and am aiming towards a career that yes, has a bit better job outlook than pe teacher. Sometime people look for a higher monetary career not cuz they just want more money for themselves, but because they want to be able to provide for their future family, fuck them right?

[Anonymous No.6456296]

>>6456290
Someone picked the wrong field :(

[Anonymous No.6456302]

>>6456297
I respect you, anon. Obviously interest in a field is important but to all these other anons it's everything. I doubt any of them know what it's like to suffer from poverty.

[Anonymous No.6456306]

>>6456296
Yes, petroleum engineers make BANK right now hahah. I check those sorta of stats every few weeks or so. I also have a family friend who works with a petroleum engineer and he said he's the dumbest guy he's ever met. All the guys on the work crew are smarter than he is, but the kid is 26 and makes well over $100,000. Hahah it's definitely the money career for the book smart people. It's fairly hard to find a good pet. Eng. program though. They're kinda sparse cuz it's still a relatively new career. Also, it requires you to move for work. You go where the oil is so have fun living in North Dakota XD hahah but if you don't mind that then hey more power to ya!!

[Anonymous No.6456310]

You should leave /sci/ and never come back for your complete incapacity to read the sticky.

And since I am kind enough, I will quote it for you:

Anonymous ## Mod Mod Icon 08/02/13(Fri)17:52:37 No.5942506 []

If you want advice with college/university, go to /adv/

>>>/adv/

Reported.

[Anonymous No.6456317]

>>6456310

That's dumb.

[Anonymous No.6456319]

>>6456302
>I respect you, anon. Obviously interest in a field is important but to all these other anons it's everything. I doubt any of them know what it's like to suffer from poverty.

Do what ever you want then. Why bother even asking if you're going to just go for the greatest amount of money you can get your hands on. Just Google "top paying jobs with least amount of work" or some shit and pick one out of a hat.

[Anonymous No.6456325]

>>6456302
Hey all it takes is a level head. Being honest with yourself will gain you a lot in life. Be real and know your shortcomings. I couldn't hack a biology major which would've made for a fucking brutal career in the medical field so I was honest with myself and told myself I suck at this, I can't do it, I need to make a change. So I did. And I was able to tell myself I suck at biology cuz I found something else I was pretty good at and COULD do, mathematics. And I still like it enough to spend a whole weekend pounding out stats problems when duty calls. But I also know that when I start to hate it, I'm working towards a decent salary and not just for me but for my future wife and kids. I want to be able to buy my son or daughter a decent used car on their 16th birthday. I want to write my kids a check for tuition when they go to college from a savings account I've had for them since before they were born. I wanna take my wife out to a nice dinner and dancing a few times a month. And I can do all that if I stick out a few weekends here and there of studying a little bit harder of a degree than I'd maybe like to instead of out looking for my future wife ;) hahah

[Anonymous No.6456328]

>>6456319

You're right. Too damn difficult to give a simple/objective response instead of whining about intentions/deterring people from considering a STEM degree.

[Anonymous No.6456330]

>>6456325
Good luck, anon. Rooting for ya.

[Anonymous No.6456334]

>>6456325
What we're saying is:
If you're not interested in a field enough that you're willing to be poor for it, then don't do it. That's the best way to make your decision.

[Anonymous No.6456341]

>>6456319
Hey man not everyone looking for a high paying job is doing it for them. Honestly, you're only gonna get to really enjoy that salary for a few years out of college and then you'll get married and have kids and won't have time to enjoy that salary. Other than that you won't really enjoy it until retirement but by then, almost ANY career will provide a comfortable salary and it's too far away to plan for anyways. And who wants to spend their whole life thinking "damn once I get to retirement, those will be the days" you should be able to enjoy the chaos of adulthood rather than just going through the motions pushing forward as fast as you can. Some people want a decent salary because it's going to support their family better, that's where the majority of it is going to end up anyways

[Anonymous No.6456348]

Hey for all of you "do what you love" people, I agree you. I admire you even. I've been told before to ask myself "what would you do if every job paid exactly the same?" And hey that's good advice. I know people who have used that tactic to find a career and are loving their life whether it's a 60k life or a 160k life. But the fact of the matter remains, all jobs DON'T pay the same, so it's okay to adjust to that harsh truth and adapt to it. Bottom line, if I ever find myself unhappy because I'm not doing EXACTLY what I love the very most, I won't take that unhappiness out on you.

[Anonymous No.6456356]

Objective response? Do something you'll like.

Seriously. You're going to spend about 2000 hours a year doing it for the next 40 years or so. That's 80,000 hours where you can either be suffering, or be enjoying yourself.

Trades aren't for everyone. The work can be dirty and difficult, you can have awful working hours, and to make the really good money you often have to live somewhere shitty. On the other hand, depending on the trade, you may get chances to learn a lot of stuff you never even knew existed, you can show some creativity, and you start earning quite quickly.

Academia also isn't for everyone. The bureaucracy is infuriating, it takes a long time and investment to start making much money, the hours are long, and it can be a constant battle for positions and grants. On the other hand, it's fairly cushy once you get ten to twenty years into it, and if you find teaching or research to be rewarding, then there's that.

But those aren't the only good jobs in the world. A friend's dad has his M.Sc. in biology, but he works at the post office. Loves where he works, but also loved doing his degree. Another person I knew had top marks in med school before he left to become a baker... he owns his own shop, is excited to get up at 3 a.m. to go to work (how many people can say that?), and has no regrets. A girl I went to high school with, none too bright or ambitious, now makes $350k/year as a real estate agent. Commissions on high end properties are pretty awesome, and she gets invited to high society parties and stuff, which is really why she likes it. Another girl I knew sells insurance of some sort, and she's also well into the six figures.

[Anonymous No.6456355]

>>6456334
You sound like a starving artist.

[Anonymous No.6456365]

I'm disappointed, /sci/.

[Anonymous No.6456373]

>>6456365

That's some serious hippie garbage right there, bro.

[Anonymous No.6456376]

>>6456373
|
|>
|3
|

I wonder who could be behind this post...

[Anonymous No.6456378]

>>6456376

What now?

[Anonymous No.6456379]

>>6456365
That's some seriously correct stuff right there, bro.

[Anonymous No.6456381]

>>6456365
How exactly do you survive without money?

[Anonymous No.6456385]

>>6456379

Yes, because life is sunshine and rainbows and everything should be free and everybody should be equal and time and resources don't fucking matter. No one should have to work ever!

[Anonymous No.6456389]

>>6456381

Don't ask that, he's gonna suggest you read Marx or something.

[Anonymous No.6456390]

>>6456258
>Guess what retard, the person you're replying to is actually interested in actuarial science.

Lel

The only reason anyone would ever become an Actuary is the money

[Anonymous No.6456406]

>>6456390

I totally dig statistical analysis of financial risk, shit makes my dick hard.

[Anonymous No.6456424]

>>6456389

[Anonymous No.6456442]

I'm a 26 year old Accountant with an IQ of 100 and I made 95k this year. It's boring but very secure and my real dream was to be a musician but I fucked that up.

[Anonymous No.6456446]

>>6456296
>Implying I want to work in one of those fields even slightly

[Anonymous No.6456466]

This is such a shit thread. Seriously, it's extremely reasonable to live on $27k a year happily, and at the same time I'm making connections to a better job in the future. I do things I enjoy every day, even if they are frustrating a lot of the time, and in my free time I socialize, drink, play frisbee, whatever, and enjoy myself. If you want to try to tell my I'm a wage slave chump then you're simply wrong. It's not about some contribution to society bullshit or trying to save the world, I just like lab work and so I do lab work.

Live within your means and do something you enjoy. A bigger TV and a flashy car wouldn't make me happy. Faggot.

[Anonymous No.6456463]

>>6456381
Have you tried going into a forest and getting some fruits instead of a supermarket?

It's like you babies have no idea what to do if there isn't someone to deliver a burger directly to your veins.

[Anonymous No.6456484]

>>6456290
yeah, just saw this thread, OP is a giant per-pubescent faggot. I make 11k a year stipend, and I have more money than I need. I dont see how people can think 25k is not a lot. I dont have a wife and kids, so 950 bucks a month is enough for me to live on. What program are you in? Im getting MS in math, PHD stipends are generally in the 20,000s.

OP here is some advice: if you are trying to find a career that you can make a lot of money, you might think STEM. I see kids like you all the fucking time in the lab I tutor in.

Hey freshman fagget, what can I do for you? "I need help taking this derivative..." Ok, what class are you in out of curiosity? "Engineering Calculus, I want to make lots of money. I really hate math though."

Fast Forward 14 weeks, kid fails out of Calc 1, switches majors to either business, psychology, or social work. Accumulates debt over the next four years and has no job prospects.

TL,DR: If you want to do STEM, get off chan and open a math book. Quit worrying about the objective look on the ultimate payoff.

[Anonymous No.6456488]

>>6456466

Willing to bet you've never had to go without anything in your entire life.

[Anonymous No.6456494]

>>6456484
<-- good at math, bro.

[Anonymous No.6456497]

>>6456463
wow, you are a pompous faggot. Why dont you go in the woods and survive of berries you asswrangler?

We have names for people who don't have any money: bums. Without a job, a residence, or legal tender, that is exactly what you'll be, a fucking bum.

[Anonymous No.6456502]

>>6456463
Who wants to live like that? I'd rather be a "wage slave" with the benefit of modern conveniences than a slave to hunger.

[Anonymous No.6456504]

>>6456484
That post wasn't me, but I'm in a chemistry PhD program. I do inorganic/organic synthesis of drugs and drug ligands. I'm not a big fan of the med chem aspect but I love doing synth and my advisor has diverse connections. Loving it. Especially when a talk I give goes well or a reaction actually goes well.

>>6456488
Nope. And I still don't while living on my stipend, so I don't see the fucking problem idiot.

[Anonymous No.6456505]

>>6456497

High-five, anon.

[Anonymous No.6456509]

>>6456494
good, since you are good at math, go through calc 1, 2, and 3. That will be the test, if you can survive those at an engineering school then you can be an engineer.

[Anonymous No.6456518]

>>6456509
Not that guy but how "hard" is calc 3? I got A's in calc I and II and I'm pretty shit at math(basically did every assignment problem 2 to 3 times, VERY time consuming but it paid off in the end.)

[Anonymous No.6456515]

>>6456509

Thanks for the push.

[Anonymous No.6456537]

>>6456518
calc 3 is a hodge podge math course

Vector math (one of longass chapter)
Double and Triple Integrals
Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinates (maybe polar if your calc 2 didnt cover it)
Partial Derivatives and all that comes with that (Lagrange Multipliers and Maximizing)

Pretty much, if you did will in calc 1 and 2, you will probably do the same in calc 3. The good thing about it is that nothing builds on itself. Like in calc 1, if you didnt learn derivatives and integrals, youd be fucked in calc 2, but for calc 3, if you are just shit with vectors, you can fail the fuck out of that chapter, and ace the rest because it is more or less unrelated

[Anonymous No.6456555]

>>6456515
yeah no problem, if you want more of a push, think of this:

So many kids think they can do STEM. Everyone's parents say: "Oh Johnny, you are just the smartest kid in the school, you can be a doctor or a lawyer or a engineer or whatever makes you happy and rich"

Kid's get this shit in their heads and come to college expecting a silver spoon with a degree and 300k a year for STEM

Walk into a freshman calc 1 class, notice how many are there on the first day. Notice how many are there after the first test. Notice how many are there on the first day of calc 2. Notice how many are there on the first day of calc 3. You will now be in a small class (less than 30 kids usually) filled with kids who actually can do the work, and only a percentage of these will actually pass. Getting through hard math classes gives you the skills and the confidence you need to ace the shit out of whatever else college can throw at you

[Anonymous No.6456578]

>>6456555
That is a really good way to look at it.

[Anonymous No.6456582]

>>6456537

Vector math sets up calculus in multiple dimensions.
2D/3D integrals is the same reason.
Partial derivatives and chain rule explains it.

Then you prove or atleast lend insight into Stoke's theorem in 3D.

[Anonymous No.6456592]

>>6456153
>objective
cmon son

[Anonymous No.6456590]

>>6456582
we never got to Stoke's! I had to learn it later on. Yeah but if you forget things like orthogonality and norms, you wont be super screwed later when doing partials. It is somewhat connected, but not really building

[Anonymous No.6456594]

>>6456592

I don't play video games.

[Anonymous No.6456596]

>>6456594
Maybe you should start.

[Anonymous No.6456604]

Jesus Christ, do something you're interested in

[Anonymous No.6456610]

>>6456509
>Calc 1-3
>real math
Top fucking lol.

[faggot-kun !iBS4.MInIU No.6456625]

>>6456215
dude why do you think like this?

[Anonymous No.6456636]

>>6456625
Um who the HELL are you supposed to be?

[Anonymous No.6456640]

>>6456555
>physics II course
>500 kids at the start of the semester
>90 kids after the second midterm
The professor literally said, "Quota for people dropping the class has been met, as long as the rest of you show and effort you get a passing grade."

[Anonymous No.6456660]

>>6456625

Cause that's the way the world works?

[Anonymous No.6456658]

>>6456484
>thinking $950 a month is enough to live on in the real world.

Your obviously full of shit because $950 a month is not enough for a single individual to live on in the real world.

Average US rent is $850 a month, then there's the cost of Food, Electricity, Transportation and Federal income taxes.

Those items will blow past 950, oh and good luck living without personal phone because that also comes with a monthly cost.

[Anonymous No.6456668]

>>6456509
No, if he can go through Differential Equations and Linear Algebra, THEN he can be an engineer.

[faggot-kun !iBS4.MInIU No.6456673]

>>6456660
>way the world works
I assume you mean how money moves around. Its the collusion of power, not making more money. You know you can legislate.

[Anonymous No.6456725]

>>6456658
>Average US rent is $850 a month

Bull fucking shit. My rent is $250 with utilities in a 2 bedroom apt with a roommate. Pretty obvious you live with your parents

[Anonymous No.6456788]

>>6456725

Um, you obviously live in a shitty college town then with nothing else to offer.

[Anonymous No.6456807]

>>6456788
WHERE ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO COLLEGE?!?! A NON COLLEGE TOWN? You just REFUSE to accept that getting a degree because you like something MIGHT be worth it

[Anonymous No.6456834]

>>6456807

You're still in school and you live in a college town. You're still being treated with kid gloves, faggot. You might as well be living with your mom and dad and paying them a couple hundred bucks a month for "rent"

[Anonymous No.6456850]

>>6456834
I live in detroit and teach undergrads for a living

[Anonymous No.6456862]

>>6456153

Yes, very oversaturated. Of the people I know with PhDs from a top name in the field, some went on to postdocs and are hoping to get tenure eventually. A good percentage went into management consulting.

A lot of others work with their hands and couldn't be happier. One guy trying to start brewing, another doing machining.

Regarding academia specifically, it's a shitshow. You have to go in looking for a top name in your field (or someone who is well-connected to get you a good postdoc) and need to get a good project (often luck) if you want any chance (mainly for journal prestige when looking for a postdoc). A lot of people get fucked over right from the get-go. I mean, sure, job security is okay after tenure, but when you consider the 5 years in grad school, 2-3 years in a postdoc, and 5-6 years pre-tenure, and it could all crumble, I don't think it's worth the risk.

Also, it takes a certain type of person to succeed as an academic advisor, and a lot of the times, you wouldn't want to have those traits.

[Anonymous No.6456875]

>>6456241

If you're at an R1, this doesn't really matter. If you're at a SLAC, it will.

>>6456246
Not true.

[Anonymous No.6456874]

>>6456862
>A lot of others work with their hands and couldn't be happier. One guy trying to start brewing, another doing machining.

Currently a first year grad student. I almost plan on leaving academia after my PhD and maybe a postdoc if I can find a cool project. I don't see the problem with that. After my BS I didn't feel like I wanted to stop yet, and the degree is paying for itself.

What's the harm?

[Anonymous No.6456877]

>>6456850
> I live in detroit
some mysteries solve themselves

[ME BIZARRO OP No.6456880]

I'm a 24 year old full-time community college student. I have a true passion for math and science, but I haven't decided on a major. If Starfleet Academy was real I'd do that, but limiting myself to extant programs of study, I guess I'm struggling with Engineering (aerospace or electronic) Vs. Science (chemistry or physics).
Advice for someone like me?
Salary is no issue, I've never made above minimum wage, $20k is still "grown-up money" to me.
Also, on a related note, has anyone had luck transfering community college credits to institutions in other states? Seems like a case by case thing, I don't know.

[Anonymous No.6456885]

>>6456877
Says the 18 year old who wants to know how he can make as much money as possible because he's butthurt about being poor as a kid

[Anonymous No.6456889]

>>6456874

Oh no, I'm just saying, a lot of people leave the system entirely and are generally happier. A lot of continue on even though they are miserable because they think "if I don't do this I'm a failure" or "I want to keep my options open." A lot of people who got their PhD, if given the chance to go back, wouldn't do it again. On the other hand, they did get five years to figure out what they wanted to do with their life and got to experience it firsthand.

A recommendation: Ask yourself why you are really going for the PhD. I mean, you're just a first year, so I guess you haven't experienced all of the stupid shit that can happen. Is it pride? Happiness? A job you can only do with a PhD?

[Anonymous No.6456913]

>>6456885

That wasn't me, bro. but yeah, I am butthurt that I grew up in a poor family with no real education/skills. I grew up without going to the doctor/dentist/getting glasses/wearing fitting clothing and shit sucks. I'm determined to do much better than that.

[Anonymous No.6456912]

here's my situation, need advice

20 year old highschool fuck up. had to move around with my family a lot and basically stopped going at 18. i went back to school at 19 but we moved again.

i'm getting my GED cause i won't be able to go to HS anymore. i'm finishing my normal math and finishing my biology 12.

i want a decent job in life and want to get into college or uni. should i go into medical science? do i need better math for that? i like science but not math

[Anonymous No.6456924]

>>6456889
Man, I don't know. I just like chemistry, up to this point it has treated me very well, and I don't want to stop. They pay me enough to live on and pay back some of my loans, so why not? I like teaching, I like lab work, and I like talking about my research.

I don't really worry about my future. I never have. I never intended to go to college. Or to find a field that I enjoy. Or go to grad school. I'm just going with the flow.

Honestly I've been debating just going into brewing afterward. Or seeing what academia/industry have to offer. I don't really care. I want to be happy until I'm dead, and drink beer, and do cool shit that stimulates my mind.

[Anonymous No.6456944]

>>6456880
Yeah id say its case by case. Here in ca everything transfers so idk man gotta look it up. Theres that one site that does it but I forgot

[Anonymous No.6456951]

>>6456912
if you wanna do science you gotta do math

[Anonymous No.6456952]

>>6456912
Its easier to get into harvard with a ged then with hs diploma

[Anonymous No.6456954]

>>6456952

How is that?

[Anonymous No.6456959]

>>6456555
>Notice how many are there on the first day of calc 3. You will now be in a small class (less than 30 kids usually) filled with kids who actually can do the work,
not true. at least, not at my university. kids are babbied along all through undergrad by grade curving. in ochem, the grades were so terrible that getting a 50% was worth an A.

it boils my blood when dumb fucks ask on the first day of class 'urrr is this class going to be curved??' how about you just learn the material and earn your grade faggot.

it cheapens everyone's bachelors, but they're not worth much anyway.

[Anonymous No.6456966]

>>6456913
You don't really need that much money when you're single to have access to basic health care and clothes. Just do what you like.

[Anonymous No.6456964]

this thread makes me want to kill myself, thanks /sci/

[Anonymous No.6456968]

>>6456954
They have a number of slots saved for ged students. Ratio wise its easier based upon slots to applicants