Some Northwood seniors know that as they embark on their college journey, there will come a time when they will need to declare a college major. It is not always an issue of what major best fits their interest but what major will be the most lucrative.
“Our culture and life are changing all the time,” senior Mikayla Tilley said. “We are always creating and discovering new things, and majors that aid in that are more lucrative.”
Tilley has said that upon entering college, she plans to major in engineering. She agrees that majors in math and science tend to put college students on a career track that earns more money than other degrees.
“There is a higher demand for jobs involving technology, engineering, math and medicine,” Tilley said. “These jobs are all considered ‘big money’ jobs.’
Senior Kirby Morris is considering being pre-med and majoring in Biochemistry. She agreed that majors in the science field are much more likely to lead to higher-paying jobs.
“Some people choose majors such as English, but there aren’t many jobs with this major, unless you want to be an English teacher,” Morris said. “I have always loved science and wanted to major in biochem. Being a doctor, there are always going to be careers for the health professional. It is a very lucrative career.”
Tilley also said that people should focus less on which degrees will earn more money and more on which degree will fit their interests.
“With some majors, you just have to accept that maybe you will not make as much money as a scientist or a doctor,” Tilley said. “Everyone is so concerned with money, but if you go into a career that you do not want to go into, what is the point?”
Morris has similar views.
“Honestly it depends on what you want,” Morris said. “Some people just have things they want to learn and want to do. You should never major in something just because you want to get a good job.”
Senior Deshawn Alston has decided to include technology in his music production major to give him more of an edge.
“The demand for jobs with technology is part of the reason why I want to combine music and computer science together and one day create software to make producing music easier,” Alston said.
Alston also agreed that income should not be the main indicator when choosing a major.
“As for me, I want to major in music production, and music is not always going to be the best job for making a lot of money, because people are always downloading music illegally,” Alston said. “You should never want to do something for the money.”
– By Malia Hamilton