Non-STEM degrees that can offer job security

[Hunter's Moon]

Am I delirious in thinking that there might be non-STEM degrees that offer job security?

 

I'm still floundering in my decision. I applied to one school for Occupational Therapy (it is the only thing at that school I would pursue).

 

I've been looking at every major I can possibly think of. Careers that match my personality do not look fun to me (business, computer programming, accounting, etc.) and I struggle with stepping out of my personality "comfort zone" so to speak and pursuing a career.

 

I am working through "What Color Is My Parachute: For Teens", but I even have trouble answering some of their questions on skills and interests I have.

 

Thanks :001_smile:

[asta]

My husband, who has a BS in International Relations, just finished a 23 year career as a Military Officer, and is now a senior ranking __________ had this to say last night:

 

With the exception of Herbert Hoover, who is widely viewed as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States, no engineer has ever been a head of state in this country.

 

Why? Because they aren't trained to lead. They are trained to do.

 

In any society, there will be the "do-ers" and the "lead-ers". You need to decide where you want to fall out, so to speak. Once you have done so, the fields of study will become more defined.

 

At that point, it isn't about "what degree will get me a job", it is "what job will give me the skill set to best accomplish my goals".

 

------------

 

If "business, computer programming, accounting, etc." match your personality, but the titles are abhorrent to you, then you have to start looking outside of the box.

 

What is business? Is it sitting on your butt all day in an office? Is it showing Boise Cascade (oops, now they are just "Boise") a way to streamline their _____ practices so that they can incorporate new, greener technologies into their lumber business. New processes that are cutting edge research that you learned because you are a thinker who knows how to research such things and found the idea interesting?

 

What is computer programming? Is it just Java, Perl, Python et al? Or is it finding new ways to enable non-verbal communication for those who cannot speak and/or think differently? Is it the cutting edge for something that most people don't even think about now, but once applied think - good lord, how did I ever live without that? (the wiki effect)

 

What is accounting? It is the manipulation of numbers. Do you realize what you can do in the world if you have the ability to manipulate numbers? I'm not even talking in a bad way. It isn't necessarily rotting in the equivalent of a steno pool of credits and debits; you can advise people whether or not their "great idea" is even viable. You can forecast potential future financials based on current trends. Every. single. capitalistic. entity. needs this.

 

You just have to step out of the box. And decide how far you want to go.

 

It reminds me of one of my old peeps who was finishing a BS in mathematics. I looked at her and said "what on earth do you do with a math degree?" She laughed and said "anything I want." It wasn't about math to her - it was about the decision.

 

 

asta

[Rosie_0801]

Have you ever started a thread on careers that easily accommodate part time workers, telecommuters, or workers returning after substantial amounts of time? It is your goal to homeschool your future kiddos, yes?

 

Rosie

[asta]

Have you ever started a thread on careers that easily accommodate part time workers, telecommuters, or workers returning after substantial amounts of time? It is your goal to homeschool your future kiddos, yes?

 

Rosie

 

That's a good idea Rosie.

 

Kid took a look at this thread and said "that's easy: become a Brewer".

 

(and yes, he knows that involves chemistry, but it doesn't require a chemistry degree...)

 

 

a

[Hunter's Moon]

My husband, who has a BS in International Relations, just finished a 23 year career as a Military Officer, and is now a senior ranking __________ had this to say last night:

 

With the exception of Herbert Hoover, who is widely viewed as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States, no engineer has ever been a head of state in this country.

 

Why? Because they aren't trained to lead. They are trained to do.

 

In any society, there will be the "do-ers" and the "lead-ers". You need to decide where you want to fall out, so to speak. Once you have done so, the fields of study will become more defined.

 

At that point, it isn't about "what degree will get me a job", it is "what job will give me the skill set to best accomplish my goals".

 

------------

 

If "business, computer programming, accounting, etc." match your personality, but the titles are abhorrent to you, then you have to start looking outside of the box.

 

What is business? Is it sitting on your butt all day in an office? Is it showing Boise Cascade (oops, now they are just "Boise") a way to streamline their _____ practices so that they can incorporate new, greener technologies into their lumber business. New processes that are cutting edge research that you learned because you are a thinker who knows how to research such things and found the idea interesting?

 

What is computer programming? Is it just Java, Perl, Python et al? Or is it finding new ways to enable non-verbal communication for those who cannot speak and/or think differently? Is it the cutting edge for something that most people don't even think about now, but once applied think - good lord, how did I ever live without that? (the wiki effect)

 

What is accounting? It is the manipulation of numbers. Do you realize what you can do in the world if you have the ability to manipulate numbers? I'm not even talking in a bad way. It isn't necessarily rotting in the equivalent of a steno pool of credits and debits; you can advise people whether or not their "great idea" is even viable. You can forecast potential future financials based on current trends. Every. single. capitalistic. entity. needs this.

 

You just have to step out of the box. And decide how far you want to go.

 

It reminds me of one of my old peeps who was finishing a BS in mathematics. I looked at her and said "what on earth do you do with a math degree?" She laughed and said "anything I want." It wasn't about math to her - it was about the decision.

 

 

asta

 

I agree, I need to think outside of the box more.

 

I thought "accounting" and just imagined being surrounded by tax forms and pay stubs. Actually, my sister's fiance just finished his Associate's in Accounting. He is getting his Bachelor's, but already has a job at an amusement park using his skills. When I was over one night and he was studying, a lot of the stuff he was studying had to do with law, so it isn't all about money, I suppose. I'll give him a call.

 

Have you ever started a thread on careers that easily accommodate part time workers, telecommuters, or workers returning after substantial amounts of time? It is your goal to homeschool your future kiddos, yes?

 

Rosie

 

I did awhile back. It is here. I got some good answers. CPA was mentioned a few times, and OT was too. Nursing, also, but I really don't think I could do that.

 

That's a good idea Rosie.

 

Kid took a look at this thread and said "that's easy: become a Brewer".

 

(and yes, he knows that involves chemistry, but it doesn't require a chemistry degree...)

 

 

a

 

:lol::tongue_smilie:

[8filltheheart]

Stephanie,

 

I don't know if it would be helpful as a rising sr or not, but one resource that many high school students participated in the dark ages when I was in high school was Jr. Achievement. http://studentcenter.ja.org/Careers/Pages/default.aspx If you spend some time exploring their website, they have lots of resources that should be available to you at home regardless of your location. http://www.ja.org/programs/programs_high_overview.shtml

[stripe]

The job with the most security I see is prison guard.

Isn't that the truth. The prisons never seem to go out of business, do they?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I agree, I need to think outside of the box more.

 

I thought "accounting" and just imagined being surrounded by tax forms and pay stubs. Actually, my sister's fiance just finished his Associate's in Accounting. He is getting his Bachelor's, but already has a job at an amusement park using his skills. When I was over one night and he was studying, a lot of the stuff he was studying had to do with law, so it isn't all about money, I suppose. I'll give him a call.

 

 

 

I did awhile back. It is here. I got some good answers. CPA was mentioned a few times, and OT was too. Nursing, also, but I really don't think I could do that.

 

 

 

:lol::tongue_smilie:

 

Who are some adults that you like, respect, or just click with? What do they do and how did they get there?

 

Also, don't assume that you will only have one career or profession in your life. I was a naval officer, am now a homeschooler/volunteer scouter, and hope to one day write or use my education background. Dh is a naval officer who does something now that he was convinced less than 10 years ago he'd never be qualifed to do - he's now a leader in that specialty. MIL has been a dance teacher her whole life, taught 200+ students in a studio in her basement, now has a separate studio and is approaching her 50th annual recital (her first being when she was 13 and was teaching elementary students). But she also spent six years as a township trustee (like city council), in a township with hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in departmental budgets. FIL had a career as the owner of an independent insurance agency and sold it in order to become a full time fire service professional, served as the state fire marshal and is now a fire chief.

 

College sets you up for opening a lot of doors. It doesn't write your fate in stone.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Sebastian (a lady)

[creekland]

In my experience there is no such thing as job security. Even if one owns the business, there's no guarantee they will stay in business especially if they lack people skills and business smarts.

 

Every job is competitive. Due to the sheer factor of supply and demand, some are more competitive than others. Generally, the harder to get the degree/license or the more work involved with it, the less competition there is and/or the better it pays. However, even that is not a hard and fast rule as there are roughly 6 billion people on this planet and the planet gets smaller daily. Even many engineering jobs are being outsourced in today's age.

 

Your best bet is to keep up/improve your people skills as much as possible (public speaking classes can help) and realize no matter what you choose to do you want to be able to do it to the best of your ability. Stay active. Laziness is seldom a good asset. Keep any connections you have (with people). You never know when one might be useful. Be as interesting as you can. This means being at least semi-knowledgeable about a variety of subjects (both academic and not).

 

Otherwise, I strongly suggest shadowing some interesting folks if you can. Maybe that will provide a spark? If not, sometimes it just takes choosing "something" to get started knowing full well that something "better" might pop up along the way. There's no sin in that. ;)

[Hunter's Moon]

Who are some adults that you like, respect, or just click with? What do they do and how did they get there?

 

Honestly, there aren't many adults in my life who are like mentors to me.

 

My father had his own business a few years ago, but eventually had to go out of business. I admired him taking charge of his dreams (landscaper, painter, interior flooring and wallpaper, etc.), especially without a high school diploma or college degree, but I would never want to do that line of work. I was thinking of getting a business degree and starting my own business (my friends and I dreamt of a bookstore connected to a bakery, bookstore would be mine and bakery would be theirs) but idk how realistic that would be. I'm sure I could get a job with the business degree, but idk how happy I'd be.

 

There are just so many things that interest me. I don't know what exactly attracts me to OT. I am not an extrovert but any means, but I enjoy socializing with people on a daily basis. When I talk to people at the hospital I volunteer at, I feel good about myself. I think that may be tied to the fact that I used to be really shy and coming out of my shell was rewarded. I don't know what specifically draws me to it though. One is probably the constant movement and I love hands-on work. But something about OT just draws me in like nothing else I've ever explored. I called two more places today to see if they would let me shadow, so I'm waiting on their calls. If I can't find a place to shadow though, idk what I'll do.

 

Some days, I see myself being an OT. Other days, I see myself working in an office setting and dealing with filing. Other days, I see myself with my own business. It's just hard to decide whether something is a whim or a genuine interest sometimes.

[Teachin'Mine]

Going back to your original question - yes!!! There are so many great jobs that have nothing to do with STEM stuff. :) Healthcare is going to be the biggie as more and more baby boomers hit retirement. So anything with the elderly will be big. And the occupational therapy you have in mind is wonderful too. There are so, so many. It sounds like you may have doubts about what you want to do, which is more common than not having doubts. You may want to consider a college which will give you more options than just the one career path. Most likely I will be suggesting this for my dd as well. If you go to a school with enough options, then you can take a variety of courses and see where your interests lead. It sometimes takes longer to graduate when you change direction, but another year is worth it if you figure out what you want to do. In the meantime, I'd strongly recommend talking with some occupational therapists and see if one will let you shadow them for a day or a week. When you see what their work entails, you may have a better idea if it's for you or not. Be careful of what a "test" shows because it may just be looking at your abilities. You have to consider what you like to do as well. You've got lots of time to figure this all out. I think the book you're reading will be a great help in thinking outside the box.

[LizzyBee]

There is a shortage of CPAs (certified public accountant). In this economy, I am thankful every day that I'm a CPA, because I know I have job security. I participated in a career fair last fall at my older kids' school, and a lot of students told me accounting is not what they thought. There is a wide variety of careers available under the accounting umbrella - anything from tax prep to auditing to forensic investigation as an FBI agent. One of my former employers started as an IRS agent in the Criminal Investigation Division; he carried a gun and was authorized to arrest people. Depending on the specific job, accounting is more about problem solving than data entry.

[Hunter's Moon]

I really don't think I'd enjoy Accounting. Math is not a favorite subject of mine, by a long shot.

 

I know I want to have kids, and I know I want to home school. But because I don't know what the future holds, I can't really plan like that.

 

I don't know what I want to do with my life other than being a home schooling mom.

 

I'm pretty good with editing grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but I don't think I'd enjoy an English degree. I love History, but that just isn't practical unless I wanted a HR job, which I don't.

 

I grew up knowing I'd have to head to college but now that I'm faced with going to college, I don't know. Some days I'd just like to attend CC and get a certificate or associate's and work until I have kids, but idk what to choose even from there. Medical Assisting seems interesting, but not if I only make $10/hour after 2 years of school and idk how many jobs there are in it.

 

I may become a Certified Pharmacy Technician when I graduate. If I do, I probably won't pursue college. I enjoy working at the Pharmacy but I wouldn't want to be a Pharmacist. There aren't any Pharmacy Tech. schools around here either, so the hands-on experience I get as a volunteer will hopefully be enough to pass the certification exam.

 

I'm told that not going to college would be throwing my life away. I understand that most jobs want college degrees, but forcing a college degree on someone isn't good either. Not if that isn't what they want at the moment or ever.

 

Ugh, it's all just confusing. No jobs around here are hiring and if they were they hire the older workers and usually those who are bilingual. Which, I understand, but it still doesn't mean I appreciate it.

 

I just jump around in my interests so much. Idk what I want.

[Teachin'Mine]

You sound like my dd. :) I know it's hard since none of us has a crystal ball, but if you knew how much harder it is to go back to get the education after kids, I think you'd be more inclined to go now. A college degree, almost any college degree, is helpful when you're looking for work. You may do the same work as someone without that piece of paper, but you'll be paid more. Not in all situations, but most. You'll also have more opportunities for advancement. To me, it's not so critical to know what you want to do when you begin college - that's what the four years are for. Another reality is that right now it's a lousy economy. Why not spend the four years in school and get into the job market when hopefully things will be better? College is so different from high school. :)

[mcconnellboys]

I had a high school teacher who tried to get me to major in accounting. TOO boring! I always thought - and still do, even though I did start work on a second degree in accounting after I finished my first (during the recession of the early 80's). But I would become a Certified Fraud Examiner (I think that's the correct title) in a heartbeat! It combines my love of forensics (investigative work regarding crimes) with accounting....

 

There are specialty areas within most every discipline where you can carve out a niche - you just have to think outside the box!

[Lori D.]

First, be gentle with yourself. :) You are still young and interested in many things, and I believe it is harder for teens to answer those "interests" and "strengths" questions than for adults who have had more work and life experience to know what they do and don't like, or what they are or are not good at...

 

I also found "What Color is Your Parachute" to be not as helpful as I had hoped, when I went read it. I was in my mid-20s, newly-married, a recent college grad, and was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, but the types of questions and overall structure of the book just didn't connect for me.

 

Far more helpful for me was career counseling with a knowledgeable counselor who specialized in the career counseling field. The time spent with the counselor included taking several tests and then going over the tests together. The tests included a personality inventory (Meyers-Briggs) -- which helps you understand what is important to YOU, and your motivations -- and also the Strong-Campbell Interest Survey, which is very good at helping you pinpoint the ways in which you like to work, so that you can evaluate ANY job and see how closely (or not!) it matches up with you. (Strong and Campbell have split from one another and now each has their own test: The Strong Interest Inventory and the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey.)

 

It is really best to pay for for a good local career counselor to help you interpret and understand your test results, and guide you to resources about specific careers. However, a FREE option for you might be the community college from which you are taking dual enrollment courses. Most universities and community colleges have a "career center", and their services are FREE to students. Or, if you do not have any local options, then look for a good online service to provide you with a detailed, multi-page report for the $50-80 fee that is usually charged for the test.

 

I also private-messaged you. Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Lori D.
fixed typos

[Penelope]

Physical Therapy is also a great career for a mother who wants to work part time.

 

There is also recreational therapy, which doesn't require all the math and science that PT and OT do. But doesn't pay as well.

 

I second the suggestion for seeing if you can find some other testing, or see if there is a career counseling center that you could utilize.

 

It is very common for college bound kids to not know what they want to do in their senior year of high school, or even for the first couple years of college. OT, nurses, doctors, computer programmers, teachers... there are many of those around who did not know they were going to be in their chosen professions until midway through college. :)

[Hunter's Moon]

This is my issue with declaring undecided though:

 

IF I choose to become an OT, I would need to complete 6 years of schooling instead of 5 to get my Bachelor's and Master's. That equals more money, lots more. Graduate years are $30,300 there.

 

I've called around for job shadowing, none. Either they haven't called back or I've been told I'm not in college so it isn't allowed. This makes absolutely no sense to me, and I cannot imagine why an 18-year-old Senior can not sit in compared to an 18-/19-year-old college Freshman.

 

I am just the type of person who doesn't feel okay going into a heavy commitment, such as college, and not knowing for sure what the game plan is. That is how my brain is wired. I need to plan. If I don't, I'm uncomfortable and feel like the rug is being pulled out from under me.

 

Every career I've looked at, I see all the downsides. Some days, something will be a pro and the next day it will be a con.

 

I don't know who I am as a person yet, so how can I be expected to pick a career? But the thing is, I can't put off college and work after high school to save up because no one will hire me. No jobs around here are hiring, and they haven't been for a long time now. I can't risk losing scholarship money so I can maybe find a job.

 

None of this is really related, just more ranting than anything. I saw the "anti-college" board on the general forum and was surprised at some of what I read.

 

I'm guessing if it is this much of a struggle for me to decide on OT, then maybe OT isn't for me. I can't let it go though. It always pops up in my research after deciding I won't pursue it and then I get back to researching it again :banghead:

[lmrich]

I think you hit the nail on the head...saying that bilingual workers are getting hired over just those of us who speak English (me included). Maybe you should work on making yourself more attractive to any future employer. Becoming bilingual would be a great way to market yourself for many career options. If you want to work in pharmacy, you would be more valuable if you were bilingual.

[Hunter's Moon]

I think you hit the nail on the head...saying that bilingual workers are getting hired over just those of us who speak English (me included). Maybe you should work on making yourself more attractive to any future employer. Becoming bilingual would be a great way to market yourself for many career options. If you want to work in pharmacy, you would be more valuable if you were bilingual.

 

I'm not language-minded. It just doesn't "click" in my brain.

 

I will be doing Italian III next year but that isn't very helpful where I live....

 

I also don't want to have to double major in Spanish when I don't particularly enjoy it.

[Penelope]

For the job shadowing, maybe you need an "in". Do you know anyone, a nurse or anybody in the medical system, who could talk to an OT acquaintance and get you in? How about your pediatrician or family physician? Or visit the smaller offices and ask in person. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets noticed.

 

Or maybe you could still go through your old high school (a guidance counselor to give you a number to call?). Back when I went to hs there were contacts for career shadowing that we could use. I don't know what your state is like when it comes to using ps services.

 

There are people who go into the combined degree tracks and then change their minds. They still have plenty of classes they can use for a different degree. It does make huge financial sense to start out with OT from the get-go if you can save a year of school.

Edited June 30, 2011 by Penelope

[Rosie_0801]

It's just hard to decide whether something is a whim or a genuine interest sometimes.

 

I'm not sure that always matters. If the whim is inexpensive to follow through on, do it anyway. It will keep your bills paid until you can formulate another plan. College is all very well and good, but it doesn't have to be right now. I did night classes for a few year while I was working. It gave me something to think about during my boring work hours! I understand that college in the US requires a bunch of general classes. You could always do those while you are working, to satisfy those requirements. Then they'll be out of the way when you hit on a long term idea.

 

Can you work more on your ASL? It doesn't count if employers want Spanish, but it does provide another selling point. You could investigate to see what businesses the local deaf patronise, and approach them for work.

 

I still think you should look at software testing. Dh calls himself a professional skeptic and kind of likes telling other people to fix things, instead of having to fix them himself. :tongue_smilie: Degrees aren't always necessary as many businesses like to have a mixture of technical and non-technical people in their team. Dh's boss worked his way up from the helpdesk and he's only 23. I'm sure he'll be hampered by his lack of degree eventually, but if he was sensible enough to have started doing night or online classes, he'd have most of the degree completed before the lack became a problem. And it's a "real" job that counts for something on a resume, kwim?

 

Rosie

[Tressa]

Physical Therapy is also a great career for a mother who wants to work part time.

 

There is also recreational therapy, which doesn't require all the math and science that PT and OT do. But doesn't pay as well.

 

I second the suggestion for seeing if you can find some other testing, or see if there is a career counseling center that you could utilize.

 

It is very common for college bound kids to not know what they want to do in their senior year of high school, or even for the first couple years of college. OT, nurses, doctors, computer programmers, teachers... there are many of those around who did not know they were going to be in their chosen professions until midway through college. :)

 

 

Or if you don't want to spend all the years in college for a physical therapy degree, you could study to be a physical therapy assistant. My son's physical therapist is telling me all the time that PTA's are in short supply. He has a PTA that is wonderful. She gets to work with kids all day. She does many of the things that the physical therapist does without having to develop the treatment plans.

[Teachin'Mine]

Going back to your original question - yes!!! There are so many great jobs that have nothing to do with STEM stuff. :) Healthcare is going to be the biggie as more and more baby boomers hit retirement. So anything with the elderly will be big. And the occupational therapy you have in mind is wonderful too. There are so' date=' so many. It sounds like you may have doubts about what you want to do, which is more common than not having doubts. You may want to consider a college which will give you more options than just the one career path. Most likely I will be suggesting this for my dd as well. If you go to a school with enough options, then you can take a variety of courses and see where your interests lead. It sometimes takes longer to graduate when you change direction, but another year is worth it if you figure out what you want to do. In the meantime, I'd strongly recommend talking with some occupational therapists and see if one will let you shadow them for a day or a week. When you see what their work entails, you may have a better idea if it's for you or not. Be careful of what a "test" shows because it may just be looking at your abilities. You have to consider what you like to do as well. You've got lots of time to figure this all out. I think the book you're reading will be a great help in thinking outside the box.[/quote']

 

ETA: lol I must have posted this before coffee. Healthcare is definitely STEM. :001_huh: