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Update - Replies, Ctrl+F your username. I probably responded to you
+ Show Spoiler +On February 10 2012 15:07 Azera wrote:ChefShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:24 Chef wrote:On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. I don't think I agree. The sciences and maths have a much higher focus on route learning than on real critical thinking. Definitely you are much better off understanding your concepts and being able to apply them intelligently, but this is not the same thing as critical thinking. I think you were taking a shit on English majors by calling it pedantic, but I agree that there are better options in terms of actually surviving (depending much on the actual job market of your society, though). I can't say anything about if he wants to work in Singapore or what the job market is like there. It would be worth researching, though only lightly since by the time you are done a degree the market will likely have changed again. It happens often that people go into a degree because the field is wide open at the start, but other people thought just like them and they end up graduating together and competing. It isn't bad to be thinking about this at 15. Sometimes you can block yourself if you don't take the right high school courses, so I encourage thinking about it now. Waiting till later doesn't always work out that well when you realise you're missing mandatory credits. Not everyone has parents to think about it for them and push them a good direction... I encourage you learn about what your parents do, because if you're interested in what they do their references and the people they know in your field will be helpful as well. Not that this is necessary, but it's a pretty good bonus if you can get it... otherwise you have to do all the networking on your own (gained thru, as I said, related volunteer work). I myself am not sure about the job market here in Singapore, but I have a rough idea on it though. Just like almost everywhere else, there isn't many opportunities for English/Language teahcers other than teaching. Being an author just doesn't seem feasible as well. I too, think that it's great to think about the future now. There isn't much time to waste in today's society; better to know and plan ahead, make informed decisions and adjustments that to just 'go with the flow'.
aebriolShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:31 aebriol wrote:Go for the sciences, and write a science fiction book? The genre needs more people that actually understands science  Haha! That may seem like a possibility, but that might be something I will do in my spare time as a professor as I'm sure I can't devote all my time as a Science graduate as an author.
PleasureImWallaceShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:38 PleasureImWallace wrote:
I'm a CS major taking a minor in astronomy, purely out of interest. Coolest, shit, ever.
The depth of which men have convincingly speculated about the origin of the universe and it's formation, as well as all brands of physical laws of the universe is just baffling. Language, and English, IMO, is something that can develop overtime, and is something that you can, and will always develop, but you only have this one chance to invest in learning the sciences My sentiments exactly! Why deal with languages when you can deal with the entire Universe? In my opinion, the wonders and nuances of language can not rival the majesty and complexities of the Universe.
StratosShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:41 Stratos wrote:
Don't forget that the school you choose is also important. I'm studying biology and I was afraid that I wouldn't like most of the subjects - turns out I get to pick every one of them according to my preferences and my future field of work. If it hadn't been for this I'm pretty sure I'd be out of the school already.
Get to know all the schools you could possibly enter and find one that suits you the best - How long will you have to study? What are the professors like? What can you do once you've finished it?
I didn't know pretty much anything about the schools that I applied to. I was really lucky this time but if I were to choose again, I'd pay way more attention. I wouldn't recommend choosing a better school for a subject you're not passionate about, but if you like both subjects, choosing the better school for you might work. You can find the time to pursue your other passion later. Thanks for the sound advice and insight. For me, there isn't many choices here in Singapore. The only University here that is recognisable and creditable here is National University of Singapore (NUS). There may be a chance that I would go to an Ivy League Uni or Cambridge and Oxford but that is highly, highly unlikely eh?
OpticalShotShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:51 OpticalShot wrote:
Due to the lack of girl blogs lately, I'll direct my blog replying energy here. charges up DBZ style
My dear fellow TLer, what does your future hold for you?
What I asked just now is actually something I don't believe completely. You alone cannot change the forces of the world, but at the same time, whatever you do is changing the world - albeit at a minute scale. Let's take another approach at this: you will and you must shape your own future, but you cannot shape it in ways that has no regard for the world around you. It's a complicated thing, as I'm sure you know it.
I'm not some seasoned old man who's lived to experience a century of broken dreams and redundant achievements. I'm a young, aspiring engineer - not as young as you are, obviously - and I know I have many years of exciting challenges ahead. What I'm going to advise you about is based on my experiences, and the collection of experiences as told by others around me.
It's true that at the bachelor or even graduate level, English majors are looked down upon. There's no denying that English majors probably have it the easiest, schedule-wise. While undergrads in sciences and engineering are chugging through ~30 hours of lectures+labs in a typical week, those in English and humanities are planning a 4-day ski trip after they finish their 8 hours split between Monday and Tuesday. Past graduation, we hear about that average computer science guy who landed a typical entry-level software developer (more accurately, code monkey) for a salary that already far exceeds the national average, while we... no longer hear about what happened to that English major friend.
Let me make it clear that I appreciate literature, in general. I was a huge fan of Shakespeare, especially Hamlet. Oh how the character grew into my own! Not to be a snob, but my appreciation for English earned me top marks in my English classes. Despite how much I enjoyed the subject, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. Despite pursuing music / piano performance to levels of my satisfaction, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. The more I learned from the wise words of the experienced, the more it became clear that 'something' in engineering would bring the best out of me.
I am derailing a bit. Shifting back on focus, I feel that it's important to let you know about the factors that helped me arrive at my decision. Job appeal - at its basic level - was one. How cool would it be to play SimCity in 'real life'? Transport Tycoon? Another was about leaving an imprint in humanity. I knew I would be proud of myself as a righteous engineer doing his best to plan, design, and operate efficient urban centres. Also important, and very important, was the money factor. Yes, $$$. Dat cash. No, I do not make 6-figures at my job right now as a junior transportation engineer. I do, however, make a decent amount that is above the national average. In the time of global economic uncertainty and recession in many areas, I was able to secure a job in the field of my choice - while some of my friends are interviewing for retail clerk positions, and some still sitting at home playing Skyrim full-time. You simply cannot ignore the job market when making choices about your future.
Career counsellors will advise you to pursue something that you love. Your parents may tell you that become a doctor/lawyer/engineer is the only way to bring home family honour. Your friends might think a career in eSports is viable (it is only viable for very very very small number of talented individuals).
Whatever you do, make sure you fully understand the likely consequences of your choice. Don't jump into a field with low job prospects and then blame the world for not tailoring to your talents, ten years later. Don't pursue a field with only money in sight then blame your boss for working you like a machine. Where can you find a place where you can accept the consequences of your actions without losing sight of the big picture?
One more, about PhD: the world around, in large, has been suffering from academic/credential inflation. Back a couple decades, a bachelor's degree from a respectable university guaranteed you a decent job, and probably a comfortable life as long as you worked hard. Now, there are countless stories about Master's and even Ph.D's out of choices when it comes to choosing a career - many work at places that don't require anything more than a high school diploma. There are too many post-docs (PhD graduates without proper jobs) that hang around research positions waiting for an extremely rare door of opportunity. What you envision as the authority and prestige of a PhD may not be true when you get there.
Why do you want to get a PhD anyway? Will you enjoy ~9 years of studying and researching during the prime years of your life? Why do you want to be a professor? Behind the surface illusions of a secure career, there are immense pressures for quality research and contributions to the university.
Maybe I'm just a skeptic because I didn't find abstract research a compelling use of my time. Nevertheless, my impression of you is that you're a young aspiring student with diverse interests but not enough vision. That's fine. Your opinions may change multiple times during your high school years. I suggest that you keep your bright mind open to new ideas while forming a better, well-informed vision for your future. As long as you've done enough of that to select a field of study in university, you're on the right path. It is then, during university years, that you should decide whether to pursue graduate level education or a career in the working field.
So best of luck, fellow TLer! Don't decide on English or Science just yet - start forming the vision and make the actual decisions when you submit your university applications.
Also: if you have girl problems PLEASE POST THEM I am dying for more girl blogs on TL. =) What does the future hold for me? Flipping burgers by the looks of it. I'm losing direction and am not doing my best in what I should be. Since I wanted to be an English professor/teacher and my dwindling grades is bringing me down I just... sigh. It may be true that taking English is not exactly reputable or respectable. but I enjoy it! I certainly enjoy the Sciences as well, but of course, as you so aptly put it, it boils down to 2 factors. 1) Job appeals 2) Dat money The PhD thing here may just be a blind and uninformed dream, but that is the highest award/degree for academics that is possible right? Deciding to persue a PhD may not be a choice that I want to make now because I'm not sure about the specifics of it yet, be it English or Science. As stated before, I would like to decide what field I want to go in now because it feels important to decide early. Also take note that people may speculate that this is merely a "teenagers" decision at the moment - to be forgotten when I reach the early stages of adulthood, but I assure you it's NOT. I like to consider myself to be different and perhaps even more mature than the regular teenager. Maybe it has something to do with all the times of loneliness, solitude, and being ostracised from the 'regular' bunchAlso, I'll try to write a girl blog soon =) In the meantime, please entertain yourself with my previous girl blogs in chronological order please!
On February 10 2012 15:27 Azera wrote:bbmShow nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:54 bbm wrote:On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. To OP, don't fret too much. I didn't know what I wanted to do at uni until after I arrived (when I was 17 wanted to do economics, took a course joint honours compsci + business, five weeks in I changed to pure computer science). Do what you want at the moment, at colllege, at university. Play it by ear, do things on a whim, and don't worry about the future, shit always sorts itself out in the end. What. NO.
ymir233Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 23:54 ymir233 wrote:
Oh well if you didn't get perfect grades in English you should just give up while you're never ahead. You're done for man. It's over.
Or you could just work on it (with different perspectives/methods) anyways if you're that much into Literature/English. Nobody said you had to be perfect in high school, and nobody gives a flying fuck about performance levels in high school on your records in the future (aside from university applications). It's much different here in Singapore, if I want to apply to go to a Junior College or Polytechnic my grades will play a role even though it may be small, it's still a role.
ABearShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:12 ABear wrote:
you could always go into a professional school after your BA, so it's not like you have 0 options. also you might want to consider business, which is another pretty good option aside from sciences/engineering Business isn't really my thing =(
sergeShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:27 serge wrote:If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers. On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years. I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation. I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science. Thanks for the advice! An engineer may be a plausible choice of career as well =)
XironShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:35 Xiron wrote:On February 10 2012 00:27 serge wrote:If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers. On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years. I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation. I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science. Well, where I live you'll get a job in management after your PhD in chemistry and last year 96% of graduates had a job within 2 months. Mind explaining more about Germany? I'm very interested about Germany in both it's culture and job market. :D Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:52 Xiron wrote:On February 10 2012 00:44 Meta wrote:
Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English // arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science. The difference is for me, that in the end, as a scientist I did something that helps humanity understand the world. It may or may not have a big impact on science, but I for one achieved the goal of evolution ( advancement; besides the reproduction, which does not depend on me studying a science). On the other hand, what could you possibly achieve with studying English (German for me)? Well, you know how to think critical. But what can you do, thinking critical? Unless you go into politics, there is no other option. Law? Media? Literature? You are better of studying those fields then. I might dabble in Law if I were to go down the English path. The part in bold is what makes one part of me want to be a Scientist.
MetaShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:44 Meta wrote:
Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English / arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science. Very good point! Science seems to be more gratifying IMO, understanding the Universe, finding out the origins, etc.
IMBensinShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:46 IMBensin wrote:
I have a university degree in English. Honestly, I can't say i would take it back. I enjoyed my time. I tried teaching a little after graduating, and that I really didn't like it. Maybe teaching English in a country other than the US would be more interesting/rewarding, idk. I thought about moving to a place like LA or New York City and start a writing career, then I realized I wanted to get married and start a family soon. I couldn't afford to be poor. Honestly though I could n't have predicted that when I was in university let alone highschool. I ended up switching fields into nuclear technology. So in other words I think science and technology are much more financially stable and rewarding fields.
So my honest recommendation, is to not choose one or the other. You seem like you have good work ethic, you can dual major. Or major in engineering, math or physics and minor in English. At US universities at least this is not only possible but the structure of required classes encourages it. Not everything has to be one or the other. Thanks for your input! What is your occupation currently? I'm curious
jrkirbyShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:50 jrkirby wrote:Two things: 1) science > english always 2) Your camera has too many pixels. You either A) need to scale down your photos, or B) need a lens with a larger focal length. I'm learning in quantum physics that if your focal length isn't long enough, then the light at two nearby spots can't be differentiated because of angular resolution. I can clearly tell that your camera doesn't have a good enough lens, so you should scale your pictures down so you can get just as good of a picure in less data. Care to elaborate more on your first statement? Also, very interesting second point =)
KickboxerShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 01:53 Kickboxer wrote:
I have a master's degree in English. The studies involve a great deal of grammar and unless you want to become a professor there aren't too many high-paid jobs. Translation and interpreting used to be lucrative professions but technology is making it possible for people with little knowledge to compete with experts.
English is a good course if you sincerely love poetry or prose and want to marvel at the amazing sensibility of great spirits.
If you want to discover new things and dissect them take science instead. I'm not exaclty hot on poetry and prose, but I can indeed marvel and appreciate the works :D Does a professor really earn a decent sum of money?
DreamChaserShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 02:45 DreamChaser wrote:
Hey Neil deGrasse came to my school...before i was enrolled fml. FUL indeed =(
nathShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 02:50 nath wrote:
i really think you should explore both options and go for whatever makes you happy, if you want to go to grad school and get a PhD, either option is fine for the job market, dont listen to people who just got a BS in liberal arts and complain about not having a job. getting a PhD in English will net you a decent job at worst, and a tenure-track professorship at best. getting a PhD in science only makes that professorship a bit easier to find and slightly higher paying. So I would just go with what you love. If you want to get a PhD and be a professor then you gotta LOVE what you do, for that kind of profession its more important than just an office job or trade where you can just be like 'well i do this to make money'; being a professor means you actually extend human knowledge of a topic and you really have to LOVE what you do.
if a circle represents the current knowledge of a field/discipline, a PhD is when you go to a point on the circumference and push it out a tiny tiny bit with your contribution to the discipline/thesis/research. Thing is, I would enjoy taking both the same. The 2 factors I'm concerned about is job opportunity and salary. Pursuing a career Science however, seems to be one tinged with wonder and humility. The Universe, man.
babylonShow nested quote +On February 10 2012 03:27 babylon wrote:
Having not have read any of the responses yet:
My informed opinion is that you shouldn't think about this until you get into uni and actually take some classes in the subjects, because university's a whole 'nother sort of beast across all disciplines, IMO.
My uninformed opinion is to not major in English. It teaches you no valuable skills that you can't get from other majors (which in addition to teaching you those skills, teach you something else), and it teaches you nothing you can't learn yourself if you really have the passion and drive for it. I'm not saying this as a snobby hard science major or anything. (I'm not a hard science major, for one thing.) It is just, as someone who has considered majoring in English because of a.) a love for literary analysis and b.) a love for writing, I reasoned that it is something that I can and have done on my own free time. You can find shit tons of academic papers floating around the web to give your brain stuff to gnaw on, and if you truly love writing and expressing yourself, you'll do it without having a professor hovering over your work.
The same can be said of most subjects, of course -- if you really like it, you'll be able to self-study -- but it's much easier to self-study something like English over self-studying something like physics, and I find that having a professor benefits aspiring scientists/mathematicians/engineers/archaeologists/philosophers/anthropologists (throwing in the last few to show that I don't mean "just scientists") more than they do English majors, unless you're specializing in an area that's very, very specific and very, very niche.
Anyways, my two cents.
(Also, linguistics is the study of language, not the study of English (though it does go into that depending on your area). I haven't found many English majors who like linguistics though ... more philosophers, computer scientists, mathematicians, and language people who are interested in the structures of the language they speak are more suited towards linguistics majors.) Thanks for your opinions. I'am interested in anthropology and linguistics, so I'm not exactly sure about this. If I decide to go down the Science route I might complement it with anthropology, and if I decide to go down the English route, maybe compliment it with either Linguistics or Political Science.
HawkOn February 10 2012 04:05 Hawk wrote:Don't study English unless you really, really, really want to teach, because it's not of a whole lot of use otherwise these days. Very limited field, lots of people who got the degrees without knowing what they were doing. You're pretty much going to be a Professional Unemployed Drunk if you study english and do something other than teach. Shit, that's probably still the most likely route even if you wanted to teach Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. This is fairly true. An english major will be much, much more refined at those things than other people not studying it, but those other people will also have studied a field that probably leads to more job opporunties. You can be a damn good critical thinker, writer and all that without having studied—my one friend is a programmer is absolutely crushes me on all those aspects—but the training does help. It's just a matter if that training is worth it, and it really isn't. Teaching and professor jobs don't pay well, there's a glut of unemployed or underemployed (so many are adjunct professors and get paid dick), and even if you wanted to try getting in another field sayyyyy business, it's doable, but much easier studying something that has a more direct application. Science, I don't know that much about that field, but I am sure there are some people here who do. Also, you're 15. Unless your country (china or singapore? I forget) has a different system than the US 1-12 grades then college, you still got a while. I changed my mind about six times between 15-18 alone. And even then, you don't have to declare til the end of your second year of college. Those first two years, take a bunch of electives in fields you enjoy, actually do the research as far as what the degree entails, job opportunies and such and think about it for a couple years. I think the best advice I can give at 26 yo is to say that real happiness lies somewhere between doing what you enjoy and doing something that will get you a gooddamn decent paying job. Some people are weird and are totally happy getting paid $12/hr to travel the country with some theater group and having nothing to show for it. You gotta know yourself, and think long term—will I still like this in 20 years even if I don't have much money or I work 12hr/day—than the short term. Getting paid $150k a year isn't so cool if you can't see your spouse because you're working 75hr weeks, and doing something you love isn't so great if you're scrambling to pay bills. Thankfully, you've got plenty of time to get to know yourself and study your options. Good luck! On February 10 2012 05:23 Hawk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 04:49 Xiron wrote:On February 10 2012 04:13 Hawk wrote:
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future. College is a way to pursue things they enjoy and invest a huge ass amount of time and effort into it. Allow me to rephrase because that statement was slightly ambiguous: Most people select their school and major based on their interests and emotions without any consideration for the cost/benefit of their choices, and the impact it will have on their life for decades to come. IE. Deciding to study psychology at a private university because your friend is doing the same and you heard it is interesting... without considering that you could pay $15k a year instead of $40k a year to get a degree in a field that is utter shit without an advanced degree, something that many psych students don't realize til it's far too late. Deciding to study theater at a private school instead of studying teaching at a public university and dedicating all your spare time to taking elective theater courses and participating in every single performance at the school. You can save a shitload of money doing the latter while still having the same end result Double majoring at an expensive school for no reason other than the topics interest you without any concern for whether or not it will help you in your career. enriching your life through academic pursuits rules and I really wish I grasped that concept at a younger age instead of the tail end of college, but with the price of post high school education the way it is, it's pretty damn insane to not be primarily making all of your decisions based cost and benefit first. Indeed, the life of an English major will most likely be one filled with alcohol and regret. I'm not sure about it though, but that seems to be the vignette that most people are skteching out for me. I'm in Singapore and it's pretty streamlined here so I might as well choose now. I also explained my desire to choose early in the earlier replies, if you could kindly read them so I don't need to type it out again that would be fantastic :D Other than that, fantastic advice Hawk. Your ZvZ is pretty awesome too =)
RecognizableOn February 10 2012 05:57 Recognizable wrote:You are 15. When I was 15 I had zero clue whatsoever, I didn't even know what I enjoyed. So I just took a classload which I could study anything with. Right now I am 17, one more year of highschool. Still have no clue Well, i'm quite certain I don't want to do any Humanities or any language related ^^ Why don't you wanna do Humanities or Languages?
ohsea.tocOn February 10 2012 09:55 ohsea.toc wrote:Shouldn't your dichotomy be, if it is to 'be' at all, between Science and the Humanities? Instead of between Science and English? Here at least, 'English' is not an exhaustive term for the Humanities. Just like within Science you can take physics, chemistry, biology etc, within the Humanities you can take politics, sociology, anthropology, English, regional studies, other languages etc. Do these fields interest you? By way of example, I'm double majoring in English and Middle Eastern Studies, with the former really complementing the latter. I enjoy reading, I enjoy writing, but I also know that a degree in pure English is unlikely to lead me anywhere definite per se, which is why I'm also directing myself towards the Middle East. Also, with regards to your dwindling English grades, I found that reading other peoples' essays really helped me in writing my own. I can't believe I'm doing this again to you but what the hell: I'd recommend giving Orwell's essays a peruse. You can find them all online; they really help in terms of clarity, brevity, and they have a flair and vitality which I at least found inspiring. http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part36Good luck to you, dear stripling. Politics and anthropology interest me, so I might minor in those. Also much thanks for the advice and the wonderful link. Will put it into good use :D
DivinekOn February 10 2012 16:23 Divinek wrote:
You can make money doing anything you love if you work hard at it. I think the best option for you would be to find out as much as you possibly can about the future for what you want to get into (what the uni courses look like, prospective jobs, REAL carreers you can get etc) then give it your best effort and see where life takes you. Only live once so who cares about debt lolol I think that is highly subjective with the job market as it is today. Also that wasn't exactly the most sound advice =p
Original Post
+ Show Spoiler +Fascinating, aren't they, clouds? To me, there are 2 different ways to appreciate the beauty of the clouds in the above four images that are in no way edited. 1) Understanding the Science behind clouds (What are they? How are they formed? How does light make them have such a wonderful colour?), then, marvel at them. 2) Words. In your head, think about the most vivid way you can describe those majestic, thick white beds of cotton nestled atop the skies. Of course, there are other means of appreciating the beauty like drawing, painting, etc, but I'm not capable of all those.
Well, I've been pondering about my future and where exactly am I headed to lately. My aspirations have always been to become a linguist and become a professor at some established University or to be an English teacher grooming the youth of my country. But perhaps I'm not cut out to do either of those? My English grades have been slipping out of control lately. It's been two years ago since I started Secondary School and during the first term, I topped the entire cohort in English. After that however, I may have gotten a little complacent and my grades declined steadily throughout that year. The next year (last year) came along and I thought that I would attempt to return to my former state of glory. No dice. The exact opposite of my intentions happened and my grades dipped further. Not to say that I'm bad at English or anything, it's just that I simply can not perform in exams or tests. My teachers all praise me for being one of the best English speakers in the school and my proficiency of the language that I have displayed in class. But when it comes to exams, everything just falls apart. Hitherto, I have not been able to establish myself as one of the top scorers for English. I was the top 10% of the level for Literature, but for English I was sub-par based on 2011's End-of-Year examinations. Some of you guys may think that I'm not putting in effort, but I'am. Maybe not enough effort though. I have not been reading as much as I should and reading extensively when exams require you to write narratives, expositions and do comprehension passages. About a week ago there was a test on expository writing. I know I'm going to fail that or pass it barely because it turned into some sort of anecdotal expository; my points were weak and personal recounts were backed up with very weak evidence/statistics. It feels terrible.
I however, have been doing very well for Science. I did terribly for Physics during the first half of the year when I first started Secondary school (Sec 1) but I know that was because I had some half-assed trainee teacher who was terrible and controlling the class let alone teaching. Maybe I'm just trying to not blame my own incompetence for my horrible Physics grade. But never mind that, the second half of the year I did Chemistry and had a rather decent teacher. I managed to get an 81 for Chemistry, and the top score for Chemistry was 85. The next year I took Biology for the first half of the year and scored 80.5, missing the top score of 82 by a mere 1.5 marks. The second half of the year we just did revision for all three Sciences but it's difficult to learn Physics and recap what you've done for Chemistry and Biology in just 3 months before taking End-of-Year exams. My passion for Science has recently been turned into a blazing inferno from a tiny flame when I 'discovered' Neil deGrasse Tyson. The Universe guys, the Universe. How awesome would it be learn about the wonders of the Universe and teach the new generations about them?
tl;drI guess I'm just trying to find some direction in my life. Should I persevere in English and become what I've always wanted to be or become a Physicist/Astrophysicist? Of course money is also a big factor here. Which side has the most cash? "The cosmos is also within us, We're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." - Carl Sagan
 
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Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work?
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On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work?
Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion.
It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today...
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I honestly think you should go sciences, while you still have the chance. The job market is NOT GOOD for English graduates. There are some things you can do and that's fine, but we're not even talking salary wise, we're just talking can you even get a job. If you want to teach at university you'll have to get your PhD in English.
Your marks in high school don't really matter tho. University is a very different style of learning, and most of the subjects you learn in high school aren't the 'real' thing... You'll find everything is completely different and you may be good at it or you may not be.
Think about the future, actively search out volunteer opportunities during university, and try to think of realistic careers. Being a teacher is great job security and pay once you get it, but there's so many people stuck with a BA and teachers college who can't find jobs because that's what everyone thinks they ought to do when they didn't plan properly.
If you still really want to do English after hearing all that, go ahead. You will definitely learn something. But speaking as an English graduate, although I think what I learned is real and definitely helps me on a personal level, I wish someone had pushed me the other way  I never got any clue or hint that what the job market really values is the sciences and engineering until it was way too late.
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On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today...
Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years.
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If you like reading/writing you can still do those and pursue a degree in something else you enjoy. There's no particular reason to be an English major unless you're a pedantic nerd who wants to go into academia.
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On February 09 2012 22:33 Chef wrote:I honestly think you should go sciences, while you still have the chance. The job market is NOT GOOD for English graduates. There are some things you can do and that's fine, but we're not even talking salary wise, we're just talking can you even get a job. If you want to teach at university you'll have to get your PhD in English. Your marks in high school don't really matter tho. University is a very different style of learning, and most of the subjects you learn in high school aren't the 'real' thing... You'll find everything is completely different and you may be good at it or you may not be. Think about the future, actively search out volunteer opportunities during university, and try to think of realistic careers. Being a teacher is great job security and pay once you get it, but there's so many people stuck with a BA and teachers college who can't find jobs because that's what everyone thinks they ought to do when they didn't plan properly. If you still really want to do English after hearing all that, go ahead. You will definitely learn something. But speaking as an English graduate, although I think what I learned is real and definitely helps me on a personal level, I wish someone had pushed me the other way I never got any clue or hint that what the job market really values is the sciences and engineering until it was way too late.
Ah, thanks for the informative and as always, insightful reply Chef.
Considering that I might want to get a PhD anyway (Haven't decided yet) because I want to end up being a professor either way that may change things quite a bit.
What about being a lawyer though?
On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years.
Really? What if I just became a professor, teach, and conduct my own research while having a decent ( I hope )?
On February 09 2012 22:35 Gheed wrote:
If you like reading/writing you can still do those and pursue a degree in something else you enjoy. There's no particular reason to be an English major unless you're a pedantic nerd who wants to go into academia.
But I want to go into academia because there doesn't seem to be any other option
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On February 09 2012 22:35 Gheed wrote:
If you like reading/writing you can still do those and pursue a degree in something else you enjoy. There's no particular reason to be an English major unless you're a pedantic nerd who wants to go into academia.
Also, idiots like Gheed will not respect or understand your work even after you graduate. And believe me, you'll meet a lot.
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On February 09 2012 22:40 Chef wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:35 Gheed wrote:
If you like reading/writing you can still do those and pursue a degree in something else you enjoy. There's no particular reason to be an English major unless you're a pedantic nerd who wants to go into academia. Also, idiots like Gheed will not respect or understand your work even after you graduate. And believe me, you'll meet a lot.
Why do you label him as an idiot? Explaining through a post here or via PM will be fine. I'm a little conused =/
His blogs on worker rushing are amusing too :D
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Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand.
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your approach and understanding of natural science seems too mystical.
but your writing seemed to attract me, a bit.
no, clue about who you are, but only with this post.
but, who knows, you may become a well respected physicist. :\
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On February 09 2012 22:50 Revolt wrote:
your approach and understanding of natural science seems too mystical.
but your writing seemed to attract me, a bit.
no, clue about who you are, but only with this post.
but, who knows, you may become a well respected physicist. :\
Well... I'm a 15 year old Singaporean Chinese
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On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand.
Ah, thanks for the informative and as always, insightful reply Chef.
Considering that I might want to get a PhD anyway (Haven't decided yet) because I want to end up being a professor either way that may change things quite a bit.
What about being a lawyer though?
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On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand.
The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options.
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South Africa4316 Posts
On February 09 2012 22:53 Azera wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. Ah, thanks for the informative and as always, insightful reply Chef. Considering that I might want to get a PhD anyway (Haven't decided yet) because I want to end up being a professor either way that may change things quite a bit. What about being a lawyer though?
Is there any reason you need to consider these things so early in your life? Getting a PhD is a good goal, but you really can't make a decision on it until you've studied at a university in my opinion. Even deciding what to study at university level is difficult before you've actually studied. That's why so many people change majors at some point.
My advice, for now, would be to keep your options open. School is easy enough that you can excel at both science and English at the same time, so do that for now. When you get closer to university you can do more research and make a decision.
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On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options.
I don't think I agree. The sciences and maths have a much higher focus on route learning than on real critical thinking. Definitely you are much better off understanding your concepts and being able to apply them intelligently, but this is not the same thing as critical thinking. I think you were taking a shit on English majors by calling it pedantic, but I agree that there are better options in terms of actually surviving (depending much on the actual job market of your society, though). I can't say anything about if he wants to work in Singapore or what the job market is like there. It would be worth researching, though only lightly since by the time you are done a degree the market will likely have changed again. It happens often that people go into a degree because the field is wide open at the start, but other people thought just like them and they end up graduating together and competing.
It isn't bad to be thinking about this at 15. Sometimes you can block yourself if you don't take the right high school courses, so I encourage thinking about it now. Waiting till later doesn't always work out that well when you realise you're missing mandatory credits. Not everyone has parents to think about it for them and push them a good direction... I encourage you learn about what your parents do, because if you're interested in what they do their references and the people they know in your field will be helpful as well. Not that this is necessary, but it's a pretty good bonus if you can get it... otherwise you have to do all the networking on your own (gained thru, as I said, related volunteer work).
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Go for the sciences, and write a science fiction book?
The genre needs more people that actually understands science
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I'm a CS major taking a minor in astronomy, purely out of interest. Coolest, shit, ever.
The depth of which men have convincingly speculated about the origin of the universe and it's formation, as well as all brands of physical laws of the universe is just baffling. Language, and English, IMO, is something that can develop overtime, and is something that you can, and will always develop, but you only have this one chance to invest in learning the sciences
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Don't forget that the school you choose is also important. I'm studying biology and I was afraid that I wouldn't like most of the subjects - turns out I get to pick every one of them according to my preferences and my future field of work. If it hadn't been for this I'm pretty sure I'd be out of the school already.
Get to know all the schools you could possibly enter and find one that suits you the best - How long will you have to study? What are the professors like? What can you do once you've finished it?
I didn't know pretty much anything about the schools that I applied to. I was really lucky this time but if I were to choose again, I'd pay way more attention. I wouldn't recommend choosing a better school for a subject you're not passionate about, but if you like both subjects, choosing the better school for you might work. You can find the time to pursue your other passion later.
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Due to the lack of girl blogs lately, I'll direct my blog replying energy here. charges up DBZ style
My dear fellow TLer, what does your future hold for you?
What I asked just now is actually something I don't believe completely. You alone cannot change the forces of the world, but at the same time, whatever you do is changing the world - albeit at a minute scale. Let's take another approach at this: you will and you must shape your own future, but you cannot shape it in ways that has no regard for the world around you. It's a complicated thing, as I'm sure you know it.
I'm not some seasoned old man who's lived to experience a century of broken dreams and redundant achievements. I'm a young, aspiring engineer - not as young as you are, obviously - and I know I have many years of exciting challenges ahead. What I'm going to advise you about is based on my experiences, and the collection of experiences as told by others around me.
It's true that at the bachelor or even graduate level, English majors are looked down upon. There's no denying that English majors probably have it the easiest, schedule-wise. While undergrads in sciences and engineering are chugging through ~30 hours of lectures+labs in a typical week, those in English and humanities are planning a 4-day ski trip after they finish their 8 hours split between Monday and Tuesday. Past graduation, we hear about that average computer science guy who landed a typical entry-level software developer (more accurately, code monkey) for a salary that already far exceeds the national average, while we... no longer hear about what happened to that English major friend.
Let me make it clear that I appreciate literature, in general. I was a huge fan of Shakespeare, especially Hamlet. Oh how the character grew into my own! Not to be a snob, but my appreciation for English earned me top marks in my English classes. Despite how much I enjoyed the subject, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. Despite pursuing music / piano performance to levels of my satisfaction, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. The more I learned from the wise words of the experienced, the more it became clear that 'something' in engineering would bring the best out of me.
I am derailing a bit. Shifting back on focus, I feel that it's important to let you know about the factors that helped me arrive at my decision. Job appeal - at its basic level - was one. How cool would it be to play SimCity in 'real life'? Transport Tycoon? Another was about leaving an imprint in humanity. I knew I would be proud of myself as a righteous engineer doing his best to plan, design, and operate efficient urban centres. Also important, and very important, was the money factor. Yes, $$$. Dat cash. No, I do not make 6-figures at my job right now as a junior transportation engineer. I do, however, make a decent amount that is above the national average. In the time of global economic uncertainty and recession in many areas, I was able to secure a job in the field of my choice - while some of my friends are interviewing for retail clerk positions, and some still sitting at home playing Skyrim full-time. You simply cannot ignore the job market when making choices about your future.
Career counsellors will advise you to pursue something that you love. Your parents may tell you that become a doctor/lawyer/engineer is the only way to bring home family honour. Your friends might think a career in eSports is viable (it is only viable for very very very small number of talented individuals).
Whatever you do, make sure you fully understand the likely consequences of your choice. Don't jump into a field with low job prospects and then blame the world for not tailoring to your talents, ten years later. Don't pursue a field with only money in sight then blame your boss for working you like a machine. Where can you find a place where you can accept the consequences of your actions without losing sight of the big picture?
One more, about PhD: the world around, in large, has been suffering from academic/credential inflation. Back a couple decades, a bachelor's degree from a respectable university guaranteed you a decent job, and probably a comfortable life as long as you worked hard. Now, there are countless stories about Master's and even Ph.D's out of choices when it comes to choosing a career - many work at places that don't require anything more than a high school diploma. There are too many post-docs (PhD graduates without proper jobs) that hang around research positions waiting for an extremely rare door of opportunity. What you envision as the authority and prestige of a PhD may not be true when you get there.
Why do you want to get a PhD anyway? Will you enjoy ~9 years of studying and researching during the prime years of your life? Why do you want to be a professor? Behind the surface illusions of a secure career, there are immense pressures for quality research and contributions to the university.
Maybe I'm just a skeptic because I didn't find abstract research a compelling use of my time. Nevertheless, my impression of you is that you're a young aspiring student with diverse interests but not enough vision. That's fine. Your opinions may change multiple times during your high school years. I suggest that you keep your bright mind open to new ideas while forming a better, well-informed vision for your future. As long as you've done enough of that to select a field of study in university, you're on the right path. It is then, during university years, that you should decide whether to pursue graduate level education or a career in the working field.
So best of luck, fellow TLer! Don't decide on English or Science just yet - start forming the vision and make the actual decisions when you submit your university applications.
Also: if you have girl problems PLEASE POST THEM I am dying for more girl blogs on TL. =)
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On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options.
Perhaps, but in my (computer science) degree I didn't learn nearly as much of those skills as my sister did in her liberal arts (sociology/media studies) degree. She's much better at structuring an essay, reasoning, articulating, etc, etc, than me. She's got much more transferable skills, which is both a good and a bad point. Bad because her chosen field (PR) has a much wider range of suitable candidates for each job, good because she can switch to any industry or whatever relatively easily. I'm much more tied down working in computer science at least until I start to get up to management, I feel.
To OP, don't fret too much. I didn't know what I wanted to do at uni until after I arrived (when I was 17 wanted to do economics, took a course joint honours compsci + business, five weeks in I changed to pure computer science). Do what you want at the moment, at colllege, at university. Play it by ear, do things on a whim, and don't worry about the future, shit always sorts itself out in the end.
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Oh well if you didn't get perfect grades in English you should just give up while you're never ahead. You're done for man. It's over.
Or you could just work on it (with different perspectives/methods) anyways if you're that much into Literature/English. Nobody said you had to be perfect in high school, and nobody gives a flying fuck about performance levels in high school on your records in the future (aside from university applications).
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you could always go into a professional school after your BA, so it's not like you have 0 options. also you might want to consider business, which is another pretty good option aside from sciences/engineering
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Russian Federation142 Posts
If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers.
On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years.
I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation.
I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science.
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On February 10 2012 00:27 serge wrote:If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers. Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years. I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation. I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science.
Well, where I live you'll get a job in management after your PhD in chemistry and last year 96% of graduates had a job within 2 months.
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Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English / arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science.
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I have a university degree in English. Honestly, I can't say i would take it back. I enjoyed my time. I tried teaching a little after graduating, and that I really didn't like it. Maybe teaching English in a country other than the US would be more interesting/rewarding, idk. I thought about moving to a place like LA or New York City and start a writing career, then I realized I wanted to get married and start a family soon. I couldn't afford to be poor. Honestly though I could n't have predicted that when I was in university let alone highschool. I ended up switching fields into nuclear technology. So in other words I think science and technology are much more financially stable and rewarding fields.
So my honest recommendation, is to not choose one or the other. You seem like you have good work ethic, you can dual major. Or major in engineering, math or physics and minor in English. At US universities at least this is not only possible but the structure of required classes encourages it. Not everything has to be one or the other.
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Two things:
1) science > english always
2) Your camera has too many pixels. You either A) need to scale down your photos, or B) need a lens with a larger focal length. I'm learning in quantum physics that if your focal length isn't long enough, then the light at two nearby spots can't be differentiated because of angular resolution. I can clearly tell that your camera doesn't have a good enough lens, so you should scale your pictures down so you can get just as good of a picure in less data.
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On February 10 2012 00:44 Meta wrote:
Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English // arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science.
The difference is for me, that in the end, as a scientist I did something that helps humanity understand the world. It may or may not have a big impact on science, but I for one achieved the goal of evolution ( advancement; besides the reproduction, which does not depend on me studying a science). On the other hand, what could you possibly achieve with studying English
(German for me)? Well, you know how to think critical. But what can you do, thinking critical? Unless you go into politics, there is no other option. Law? Media? Literature? You are better of studying those fields then.
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Russian Federation142 Posts
On February 10 2012 00:50 jrkirby wrote:Two things: 1) science > english always 2) Your camera has too many pixels. You either A) need to scale down your photos, or B) need a lens with a larger focal length. I'm learning in quantum physics that if your focal length isn't long enough, then the light at two nearby spots can't be differentiated because of angular resolution. I can clearly tell that your camera doesn't have a good enough lens, so you should scale your pictures down so you can get just as good of a picure in less data.
Here's a bad ass article on topic#2: (doesn't take a degree in physics to understand)
http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/MultiMegaPixel.HTM
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I have a master's degree in English. The studies involve a great deal of grammar and unless you want to become a professor there aren't too many high-paid jobs. Translation and interpreting used to be lucrative professions but technology is making it possible for people with little knowledge to compete with experts.
English is a good course if you sincerely love poetry or prose and want to marvel at the amazing sensibility of great spirits.
If you want to discover new things and dissect them take science instead.
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Hey Neil deGrasse came to my school...before i was enrolled fml.
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i really think you should explore both options and go for whatever makes you happy, if you want to go to grad school and get a PhD, either option is fine for the job market, dont listen to people who just got a BS in liberal arts and complain about not having a job. getting a PhD in English will net you a decent job at worst, and a tenure-track professorship at best. getting a PhD in science only makes that professorship a bit easier to find and slightly higher paying. So I would just go with what you love. If you want to get a PhD and be a professor then you gotta LOVE what you do, for that kind of profession its more important than just an office job or trade where you can just be like 'well i do this to make money'; being a professor means you actually extend human knowledge of a topic and you really have to LOVE what you do.
if a circle represents the current knowledge of a field/discipline, a PhD is when you go to a point on the circumference and push it out a tiny tiny bit with your contribution to the discipline/thesis/research.
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Having not have read any of the responses yet:
My informed opinion is that you shouldn't think about this until you get into uni and actually take some classes in the subjects, because university's a whole 'nother sort of beast across all disciplines, IMO.
My uninformed opinion is to not major in English. It teaches you no valuable skills that you can't get from other majors (which in addition to teaching you those skills, teach you something else), and it teaches you nothing you can't learn yourself if you really have the passion and drive for it. I'm not saying this as a snobby hard science major or anything. (I'm not a hard science major, for one thing.) It is just, as someone who has considered majoring in English because of a.) a love for literary analysis and b.) a love for writing, I reasoned that it is something that I can and have done on my own free time. You can find shit tons of academic papers floating around the web to give your brain stuff to gnaw on, and if you truly love writing and expressing yourself, you'll do it without having a professor hovering over your work.
The same can be said of most subjects, of course -- if you really like it, you'll be able to self-study -- but it's much easier to self-study something like English over self-studying something like physics, and I find that having a professor benefits aspiring scientists/mathematicians/engineers/archaeologists/philosophers/anthropologists (throwing in the last few to show that I don't mean "just scientists") more than they do English majors, unless you're specializing in an area that's very, very specific and very, very niche.
Anyways, my two cents.
(Also, linguistics is the study of language, not the study of English (though it does go into that depending on your area). I haven't found many English majors who like linguistics though ... more philosophers, computer scientists, mathematicians, and language people who are interested in the structures of the language they speak are more suited towards linguistics majors.)
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The job market can go fuck itself. The problem with our world is that not enough people know how to think. Major in English.
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Why must you choose whether to be a "English" or "science" person? I understand schooling aligns you with very narrow categorization with majors and focuses and that the people under the system also see it that way.
I am a physics, math, and computer science major at my university. Guess where my research relies? Business theory. Why? Because of the skill sets I am studying are bleeding into my overall underlying interest on studying behavior and decision making with solving problems efficiently. So I make experiments with psychologists and businesses and apply my statistical understanding of data to apply to very human optimization projects. (rather than furthering any of the three theoretical fields).
It isn't quite the same, but I am very interested in psychology and "mathy" problem solving areas but I found what works best as both, producing quantitative algorithms for behavior.
I also have several friends in physics and English departments simultaneously, and their career paths are very open, and their most obvious roles in careers are PR professionals, who take the science to those who are funding but not all understanding. (ala SC2 teams who keep code B players who make huge fan bases for exposure, they're still KR GM and similar level to code A minus tourney success but make ALL their money in streaming and making the team image stronger for sponsors.)
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United States32036 Posts
Don't study English unless you really, really, really want to teach, because it's not of a whole lot of use otherwise these days. Very limited field, lots of people who got the degrees without knowing what they were doing. You're pretty much going to be a Professional Unemployed Drunk if you study english and do something other than teach. Shit, that's probably still the most likely route even if you wanted to teach
On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options.
This is fairly true. An english major will be much, much more refined at those things than other people not studying it, but those other people will also have studied a field that probably leads to more job opporunties. You can be a damn good critical thinker, writer and all that without having studied—my one friend is a programmer is absolutely crushes me on all those aspects—but the training does help. It's just a matter if that training is worth it, and it really isn't. Teaching and professor jobs don't pay well, there's a glut of unemployed or underemployed (so many are adjunct professors and get paid dick), and even if you wanted to try getting in another field sayyyyy business, it's doable, but much easier studying something that has a more direct application.
Science, I don't know that much about that field, but I am sure there are some people here who do.
Also, you're 15. Unless your country (china or singapore? I forget) has a different system than the US 1-12 grades then college, you still got a while. I changed my mind about six times between 15-18 alone. And even then, you don't have to declare til the end of your second year of college. Those first two years, take a bunch of electives in fields you enjoy, actually do the research as far as what the degree entails, job opportunies and such and think about it for a couple years.
I think the best advice I can give at 26 yo is to say that real happiness lies somewhere between doing what you enjoy and doing something that will get you a gooddamn decent paying job. Some people are weird and are totally happy getting paid $12/hr to travel the country with some theater group and having nothing to show for it. You gotta know yourself, and think long term—will I still like this in 20 years even if I don't have much money or I work 12hr/day—than the short term. Getting paid $150k a year isn't so cool if you can't see your spouse because you're working 75hr weeks, and doing something you love isn't so great if you're scrambling to pay bills.
Thankfully, you've got plenty of time to get to know yourself and study your options. Good luck!
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United States32036 Posts
On February 10 2012 04:10 mmp wrote:
Do both.
It would be a stressful but cool experience and you'd learn a lot. But it's about the furthest you can get from being fiscally prudent
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future.
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On February 10 2012 04:13 Hawk wrote:
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future.
College is a way to pursue things they enjoy and invest a huge ass amount of time and effort into it.
?
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On February 10 2012 04:13 Hawk wrote:
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future.
You're confused. Our generation doesn't get a future, remember.
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United States32036 Posts
On February 10 2012 04:49 Xiron wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 04:13 Hawk wrote:
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future. College is a way to pursue things they enjoy and invest a huge ass amount of time and effort into it. ?
Allow me to rephrase because that statement was slightly ambiguous:
Most people select their school and major based on their interests and emotions without any consideration for the cost/benefit of their choices, and the impact it will have on their life for decades to come.
IE. Deciding to study psychology at a private university because your friend is doing the same and you heard it is interesting... without considering that you could pay $15k a year instead of $40k a year to get a degree in a field that is utter shit without an advanced degree, something that many psych students don't realize til it's far too late.
Deciding to study theater at a private school instead of studying teaching at a public university and dedicating all your spare time to taking elective theater courses and participating in every single performance at the school. You can save a shitload of money doing the latter while still having the same end result
Double majoring at an expensive school for no reason other than the topics interest you without any concern for whether or not it will help you in your career.
enriching your life through academic pursuits rules and I really wish I grasped that concept at a younger age instead of the tail end of college, but with the price of post high school education the way it is, it's pretty damn insane to not be primarily making all of your decisions based cost and benefit first.
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On February 10 2012 05:23 Hawk wrote:
the price of post high school education the way it is
This, of course, is the real problem. Higher education in our society primarily serves as the gateway to debt slavery.
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United States32036 Posts
On February 10 2012 05:30 sam!zdat wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 05:23 Hawk wrote:
the price of post high school education the way it is This, of course, is the real problem. Higher education in our society primarily serves as the gateway to debt slavery.
Obviously, but until that is addressed, people have to treat the college situation as is instead of a blank check to do whatever without consequence
It can quite easily be a gateway to soul crushing debt, but like most tools, it does a whole lot of good if wielded properly. Most people are just dumb and shortsighted. That, and you're asking people who are effectively still kids to make $100,000 decisions.
Addressing the problem is a whole different and messy situation entirely. Subsidizing college for everyone would be a huge, huuuge cost no matter what the restrictions are, something that would not be taken lightly based on the economic and political situations at the time. And since money isn't some kind of endless resource, you have to consider what gets subsidized: is it only certain fields that have a very tangible, positive effect on the economy over something like art or theater? Does everyone get a check for four years of undergrad of their choice, and any extra majors, minors or grad school is on their dime?
Whole lotta issues
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Just learn whatever the fuck you want, figure out $ later. You'll be happier doing something that satisfies you than something that makes more money. Science and Humanities are equally important.
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On February 10 2012 05:39 Hawk wrote:
Subsidizing college for everyone would be a huge, huuuge cost
How does that cost compare to that of, say, fighting neo-colonial wars in the middle east or nationalizing risk in the financial sector while allowing reward to remain privately held?
Mostly what you need for education in the humanities is a professor, some books, and, if you're getting spendy, a table and some chairs - though those are optional and I've had plenty of great classes outside on the grass.
Instead of potlatching a huge chunk of our human and material capital as a burnt offering to the god of internal combustion, we could be investing in education so that our democracy could actually function in some useful way.
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You are 15. When I was 15 I had zero clue whatsoever, I didn't even know what I enjoyed. So I just took a classload which I could study anything with. Right now I am 17, one more year of highschool.
Still have no clue Well, i'm quite certain I don't want to do any Humanities or any language related ^^
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On February 10 2012 05:39 Hawk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 05:30 sam!zdat wrote:On February 10 2012 05:23 Hawk wrote:
the price of post high school education the way it is This, of course, is the real problem. Higher education in our society primarily serves as the gateway to debt slavery. Obviously, but until that is addressed, people have to treat the college situation as is instead of a blank check to do whatever without consequence It can quite easily be a gateway to soul crushing debt, but like most tools, it does a whole lot of good if wielded properly. Most people are just dumb and shortsighted. That, and you're asking people who are effectively still kids to make $100,000 decisions. Addressing the problem is a whole different and messy situation entirely. Subsidizing college for everyone would be a huge, huuuge cost no matter what the restrictions are, something that would not be taken lightly based on the economic and political situations at the time. And since money isn't some kind of endless resource, you have to consider what gets subsidized: is it only certain fields that have a very tangible, positive effect on the economy over something like art or theater? Does everyone get a check for four years of undergrad of their choice, and any extra majors, minors or grad school is on their dime? Whole lotta issues
Hi, thanks for you answer. Now I understand what you mean. The thing is, here in Germany, atleast where I live, there is no yearly cost to visit a university. This means, as long as you can sustain your living, you won't end up in debts. There is a saying in Germany: 'Those, who don't know what to do, study business.' It's not that bad, because you basically can continue visiting a specified school, and afterwards ( 3 years ) choose what you want to do in your life. So it is for alot of people 'a blank check to do whatever without consequence'.
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On February 10 2012 06:25 Xiron wrote:
Hi, thanks for you answer. Now I understand what you mean. The thing is, here in Germany, atleast where I live, there is no yearly cost to visit a university. This means, as long as you can sustain your living, you won't end up in debts. There is a saying in Germany: 'Those, who don't know what to do, study business.' It's not that bad, because you basically can continue visiting a specified school, and afterwards ( 3 years ) choose what you want to do in your life. So it is for alot of people 'a blank check to do whatever without consequence'.
AND you guys have massive subsidies for alternative energy? Jesus I should move to Germany.
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Shouldn't your dichotomy be, if it is to 'be' at all, between Science and the Humanities? Instead of between Science and English? Here at least, 'English' is not an exhaustive term for the Humanities. Just like within Science you can take physics, chemistry, biology etc, within the Humanities you can take politics, sociology, anthropology, English, regional studies, other languages etc. Do these fields interest you?
By way of example, I'm double majoring in English and Middle Eastern Studies, with the former really complementing the latter. I enjoy reading, I enjoy writing, but I also know that a degree in pure English is unlikely to lead me anywhere definite per se, which is why I'm also directing myself towards the Middle East.
Also, with regards to your dwindling English grades, I found that reading other peoples' essays really helped me in writing my own. I can't believe I'm doing this again to you but what the hell: I'd recommend giving Orwell's essays a peruse. You can find them all online; they really help in terms of clarity, brevity, and they have a flair and vitality which I at least found inspiring.
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part36
Good luck to you, dear stripling.
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Chef
On February 09 2012 23:24 Chef wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. I don't think I agree. The sciences and maths have a much higher focus on route learning than on real critical thinking. Definitely you are much better off understanding your concepts and being able to apply them intelligently, but this is not the same thing as critical thinking. I think you were taking a shit on English majors by calling it pedantic, but I agree that there are better options in terms of actually surviving (depending much on the actual job market of your society, though). I can't say anything about if he wants to work in Singapore or what the job market is like there. It would be worth researching, though only lightly since by the time you are done a degree the market will likely have changed again. It happens often that people go into a degree because the field is wide open at the start, but other people thought just like them and they end up graduating together and competing. It isn't bad to be thinking about this at 15. Sometimes you can block yourself if you don't take the right high school courses, so I encourage thinking about it now. Waiting till later doesn't always work out that well when you realise you're missing mandatory credits. Not everyone has parents to think about it for them and push them a good direction... I encourage you learn about what your parents do, because if you're interested in what they do their references and the people they know in your field will be helpful as well. Not that this is necessary, but it's a pretty good bonus if you can get it... otherwise you have to do all the networking on your own (gained thru, as I said, related volunteer work).
I myself am not sure about the job market here in Singapore, but I have a rough idea on it though. Just like almost everywhere else, there isn't many opportunities for English/Language teahcers other than teaching. Being an author just doesn't seem feasible as well.
I too, think that it's great to think about the future now. There isn't much time to waste in today's society; better to know and plan ahead, make informed decisions and adjustments that to just 'go with the flow'.
aebriol
On February 09 2012 23:31 aebriol wrote:Go for the sciences, and write a science fiction book? The genre needs more people that actually understands science
Haha! That may seem like a possibility, but that might be something I will do in my spare time as a professor as I'm sure I can't devote all my time as a Science graduate as an author.
PleasureImWallace
On February 09 2012 23:38 PleasureImWallace wrote:
I'm a CS major taking a minor in astronomy, purely out of interest. Coolest, shit, ever.
The depth of which men have convincingly speculated about the origin of the universe and it's formation, as well as all brands of physical laws of the universe is just baffling. Language, and English, IMO, is something that can develop overtime, and is something that you can, and will always develop, but you only have this one chance to invest in learning the sciences
My sentiments exactly! Why deal with languages when you can deal with the entire Universe? In my opinion, the wonders and nuances of language can not rival the majesty and complexities of the Universe.
Stratos
On February 09 2012 23:41 Stratos wrote:
Don't forget that the school you choose is also important. I'm studying biology and I was afraid that I wouldn't like most of the subjects - turns out I get to pick every one of them according to my preferences and my future field of work. If it hadn't been for this I'm pretty sure I'd be out of the school already.
Get to know all the schools you could possibly enter and find one that suits you the best - How long will you have to study? What are the professors like? What can you do once you've finished it?
I didn't know pretty much anything about the schools that I applied to. I was really lucky this time but if I were to choose again, I'd pay way more attention. I wouldn't recommend choosing a better school for a subject you're not passionate about, but if you like both subjects, choosing the better school for you might work. You can find the time to pursue your other passion later.
Thanks for the sound advice and insight. For me, there isn't many choices here in Singapore. The only University here that is recognisable and creditable here is National University of Singapore (NUS). There may be a chance that I would go to an Ivy League Uni or Cambridge and Oxford but that is highly, highly unlikely eh?
OpticalShot
On February 09 2012 23:51 OpticalShot wrote:
Due to the lack of girl blogs lately, I'll direct my blog replying energy here. charges up DBZ style
My dear fellow TLer, what does your future hold for you?
What I asked just now is actually something I don't believe completely. You alone cannot change the forces of the world, but at the same time, whatever you do is changing the world - albeit at a minute scale. Let's take another approach at this: you will and you must shape your own future, but you cannot shape it in ways that has no regard for the world around you. It's a complicated thing, as I'm sure you know it.
I'm not some seasoned old man who's lived to experience a century of broken dreams and redundant achievements. I'm a young, aspiring engineer - not as young as you are, obviously - and I know I have many years of exciting challenges ahead. What I'm going to advise you about is based on my experiences, and the collection of experiences as told by others around me.
It's true that at the bachelor or even graduate level, English majors are looked down upon. There's no denying that English majors probably have it the easiest, schedule-wise. While undergrads in sciences and engineering are chugging through ~30 hours of lectures+labs in a typical week, those in English and humanities are planning a 4-day ski trip after they finish their 8 hours split between Monday and Tuesday. Past graduation, we hear about that average computer science guy who landed a typical entry-level software developer (more accurately, code monkey) for a salary that already far exceeds the national average, while we... no longer hear about what happened to that English major friend.
Let me make it clear that I appreciate literature, in general. I was a huge fan of Shakespeare, especially Hamlet. Oh how the character grew into my own! Not to be a snob, but my appreciation for English earned me top marks in my English classes. Despite how much I enjoyed the subject, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. Despite pursuing music / piano performance to levels of my satisfaction, I knew that my career would be in the field of engineering. The more I learned from the wise words of the experienced, the more it became clear that 'something' in engineering would bring the best out of me.
I am derailing a bit. Shifting back on focus, I feel that it's important to let you know about the factors that helped me arrive at my decision. Job appeal - at its basic level - was one. How cool would it be to play SimCity in 'real life'? Transport Tycoon? Another was about leaving an imprint in humanity. I knew I would be proud of myself as a righteous engineer doing his best to plan, design, and operate efficient urban centres. Also important, and very important, was the money factor. Yes, $$$. Dat cash. No, I do not make 6-figures at my job right now as a junior transportation engineer. I do, however, make a decent amount that is above the national average. In the time of global economic uncertainty and recession in many areas, I was able to secure a job in the field of my choice - while some of my friends are interviewing for retail clerk positions, and some still sitting at home playing Skyrim full-time. You simply cannot ignore the job market when making choices about your future.
Career counsellors will advise you to pursue something that you love. Your parents may tell you that become a doctor/lawyer/engineer is the only way to bring home family honour. Your friends might think a career in eSports is viable (it is only viable for very very very small number of talented individuals).
Whatever you do, make sure you fully understand the likely consequences of your choice. Don't jump into a field with low job prospects and then blame the world for not tailoring to your talents, ten years later. Don't pursue a field with only money in sight then blame your boss for working you like a machine. Where can you find a place where you can accept the consequences of your actions without losing sight of the big picture?
One more, about PhD: the world around, in large, has been suffering from academic/credential inflation. Back a couple decades, a bachelor's degree from a respectable university guaranteed you a decent job, and probably a comfortable life as long as you worked hard. Now, there are countless stories about Master's and even Ph.D's out of choices when it comes to choosing a career - many work at places that don't require anything more than a high school diploma. There are too many post-docs (PhD graduates without proper jobs) that hang around research positions waiting for an extremely rare door of opportunity. What you envision as the authority and prestige of a PhD may not be true when you get there.
Why do you want to get a PhD anyway? Will you enjoy ~9 years of studying and researching during the prime years of your life? Why do you want to be a professor? Behind the surface illusions of a secure career, there are immense pressures for quality research and contributions to the university.
Maybe I'm just a skeptic because I didn't find abstract research a compelling use of my time. Nevertheless, my impression of you is that you're a young aspiring student with diverse interests but not enough vision. That's fine. Your opinions may change multiple times during your high school years. I suggest that you keep your bright mind open to new ideas while forming a better, well-informed vision for your future. As long as you've done enough of that to select a field of study in university, you're on the right path. It is then, during university years, that you should decide whether to pursue graduate level education or a career in the working field.
So best of luck, fellow TLer! Don't decide on English or Science just yet - start forming the vision and make the actual decisions when you submit your university applications.
Also: if you have girl problems PLEASE POST THEM I am dying for more girl blogs on TL. =)
What does the future hold for me? Flipping burgers by the looks of it. I'm losing direction and am not doing my best in what I should be. Since I wanted to be an English professor/teacher and my dwindling grades is bringing me down I just... sigh.
It may be true that taking English is not exactly reputable or respectable. but I enjoy it! I certainly enjoy the Sciences as well, but of course, as you so aptly put it, it boils down to 2 factors.
1) Job appeals
2) Dat money
The PhD thing here may just be a blind and uninformed dream, but that is the highest award/degree for academics that is possible right? Deciding to persue a PhD may not be a choice that I want to make now because I'm not sure about the specifics of it yet, be it English or Science.
As stated before, I would like to decide what field I want to go in now because it feels important to decide early.
Also take note that people may speculate that this is merely a "teenagers" decision at the moment - to be forgotten when I reach the early stages of adulthood, but I assure you it's NOT. I like to consider myself to be different and perhaps even more mature than the regular teenager. Maybe it has something to do with all the times of loneliness, solitude, and being ostracised from the 'regular' bunch
Also, I'll try to write a girl blog soon =) In the meantime, please entertain yourself with my previous girl blogs in chronological order please!
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bbm
On February 09 2012 23:54 bbm wrote:Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. To OP, don't fret too much. I didn't know what I wanted to do at uni until after I arrived (when I was 17 wanted to do economics, took a course joint honours compsci + business, five weeks in I changed to pure computer science). Do what you want at the moment, at colllege, at university. Play it by ear, do things on a whim, and don't worry about the future, shit always sorts itself out in the end.
What. NO.
ymir233
On February 09 2012 23:54 ymir233 wrote:
Oh well if you didn't get perfect grades in English you should just give up while you're never ahead. You're done for man. It's over.
Or you could just work on it (with different perspectives/methods) anyways if you're that much into Literature/English. Nobody said you had to be perfect in high school, and nobody gives a flying fuck about performance levels in high school on your records in the future (aside from university applications).
It's much different here in Singapore, if I want to apply to go to a Junior College or Polytechnic my grades will play a role even though it may be small, it's still a role.
ABear
On February 10 2012 00:12 ABear wrote:
you could always go into a professional school after your BA, so it's not like you have 0 options. also you might want to consider business, which is another pretty good option aside from sciences/engineering
Business isn't really my thing =(
serge
On February 10 2012 00:27 serge wrote:If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers. Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years. I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation. I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science.
Thanks for the advice! An engineer may be a plausible choice of career as well =)
Xiron
On February 10 2012 00:35 Xiron wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:27 serge wrote:If you want a well-paying job that requires lots of writing and science, become an engineer. You'll write tons of technical papers. On February 09 2012 22:35 HaruRH wrote:On February 09 2012 22:30 Azera wrote:On February 09 2012 22:27 Roe wrote:
Well I think the answer is obvious, and you state it in the tl;dr. Just depends on how much weight money has on your life's choice. Remember your previous blog where you were talking about inspiration: will your inspiration come from the desire to make money, or from the passion of your work? Well maybe it comes from a mixture of both the desire of wealth and passion. It just seems that there isn't much place for English graduates in the world today... Neither are there places for Science graduates. I graduated with Applied chemistry degree from NUS, but have been playing Starcraft 2 at home for 2 years. I know chemical engineers like to joke about chemists being their slaves, working for minumum wage and all. I think physicists are in a similar situation. I think it's fair to say that a science degree is good for your employment prospects only if you're incredibly good at your science. Well, where I live you'll get a job in management after your PhD in chemistry and last year 96% of graduates had a job within 2 months.
Mind explaining more about Germany? I'm very interested about Germany in both it's culture and job market. :D
On February 10 2012 00:52 Xiron wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 00:44 Meta wrote:
Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English // arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science. The difference is for me, that in the end, as a scientist I did something that helps humanity understand the world. It may or may not have a big impact on science, but I for one achieved the goal of evolution ( advancement; besides the reproduction, which does not depend on me studying a science). On the other hand, what could you possibly achieve with studying English (German for me)? Well, you know how to think critical. But what can you do, thinking critical? Unless you go into politics, there is no other option. Law? Media? Literature? You are better of studying those fields then.
I might dabble in Law if I were to go down the English path. The part in bold is what makes one part of me want to be a Scientist.
Meta
On February 10 2012 00:44 Meta wrote:
Just wanted to say that science is a LOT of work, to be successful you have to be extremely passionate about it. That said, it's also extremely rewarding. Even if only a handful of people ever really see the fruits of your labor, you're always left with a better understanding of some small facet of the universe at large, and once you start doing research, you get the added bonus of knowing that you might be the ONLY person to know about the things you're working on.
I can't speak much on English / arts. I would suppose that to be successful you may well have to be equally passionate and probably spend similar amounts of time on your work as you would in the field of science.
Very good point! Science seems to be more gratifying IMO, understanding the Universe, finding out the origins, etc.
IMBensin
On February 10 2012 00:46 IMBensin wrote:
I have a university degree in English. Honestly, I can't say i would take it back. I enjoyed my time. I tried teaching a little after graduating, and that I really didn't like it. Maybe teaching English in a country other than the US would be more interesting/rewarding, idk. I thought about moving to a place like LA or New York City and start a writing career, then I realized I wanted to get married and start a family soon. I couldn't afford to be poor. Honestly though I could n't have predicted that when I was in university let alone highschool. I ended up switching fields into nuclear technology. So in other words I think science and technology are much more financially stable and rewarding fields.
So my honest recommendation, is to not choose one or the other. You seem like you have good work ethic, you can dual major. Or major in engineering, math or physics and minor in English. At US universities at least this is not only possible but the structure of required classes encourages it. Not everything has to be one or the other.
Thanks for your input! What is your occupation currently? I'm curious
jrkirby
On February 10 2012 00:50 jrkirby wrote:Two things: 1) science > english always 2) Your camera has too many pixels. You either A) need to scale down your photos, or B) need a lens with a larger focal length. I'm learning in quantum physics that if your focal length isn't long enough, then the light at two nearby spots can't be differentiated because of angular resolution. I can clearly tell that your camera doesn't have a good enough lens, so you should scale your pictures down so you can get just as good of a picure in less data.
Care to elaborate more on your first statement? Also, very interesting second point =)
Kickboxer
On February 10 2012 01:53 Kickboxer wrote:
I have a master's degree in English. The studies involve a great deal of grammar and unless you want to become a professor there aren't too many high-paid jobs. Translation and interpreting used to be lucrative professions but technology is making it possible for people with little knowledge to compete with experts.
English is a good course if you sincerely love poetry or prose and want to marvel at the amazing sensibility of great spirits.
If you want to discover new things and dissect them take science instead.
I'm not exaclty hot on poetry and prose, but I can indeed marvel and appreciate the works :D
Does a professor really earn a decent sum of money?
DreamChaser
On February 10 2012 02:45 DreamChaser wrote:
Hey Neil deGrasse came to my school...before i was enrolled fml.
FUL indeed =(
nath
On February 10 2012 02:50 nath wrote:
i really think you should explore both options and go for whatever makes you happy, if you want to go to grad school and get a PhD, either option is fine for the job market, dont listen to people who just got a BS in liberal arts and complain about not having a job. getting a PhD in English will net you a decent job at worst, and a tenure-track professorship at best. getting a PhD in science only makes that professorship a bit easier to find and slightly higher paying. So I would just go with what you love. If you want to get a PhD and be a professor then you gotta LOVE what you do, for that kind of profession its more important than just an office job or trade where you can just be like 'well i do this to make money'; being a professor means you actually extend human knowledge of a topic and you really have to LOVE what you do.
if a circle represents the current knowledge of a field/discipline, a PhD is when you go to a point on the circumference and push it out a tiny tiny bit with your contribution to the discipline/thesis/research.
Thing is, I would enjoy taking both the same. The 2 factors I'm concerned about is job opportunity and salary. Pursuing a career Science however, seems to be one tinged with wonder and humility. The Universe, man.
babylon
On February 10 2012 03:27 babylon wrote:
Having not have read any of the responses yet:
My informed opinion is that you shouldn't think about this until you get into uni and actually take some classes in the subjects, because university's a whole 'nother sort of beast across all disciplines, IMO.
My uninformed opinion is to not major in English. It teaches you no valuable skills that you can't get from other majors (which in addition to teaching you those skills, teach you something else), and it teaches you nothing you can't learn yourself if you really have the passion and drive for it. I'm not saying this as a snobby hard science major or anything. (I'm not a hard science major, for one thing.) It is just, as someone who has considered majoring in English because of a.) a love for literary analysis and b.) a love for writing, I reasoned that it is something that I can and have done on my own free time. You can find shit tons of academic papers floating around the web to give your brain stuff to gnaw on, and if you truly love writing and expressing yourself, you'll do it without having a professor hovering over your work.
The same can be said of most subjects, of course -- if you really like it, you'll be able to self-study -- but it's much easier to self-study something like English over self-studying something like physics, and I find that having a professor benefits aspiring scientists/mathematicians/engineers/archaeologists/philosophers/anthropologists (throwing in the last few to show that I don't mean "just scientists") more than they do English majors, unless you're specializing in an area that's very, very specific and very, very niche.
Anyways, my two cents.
(Also, linguistics is the study of language, not the study of English (though it does go into that depending on your area). I haven't found many English majors who like linguistics though ... more philosophers, computer scientists, mathematicians, and language people who are interested in the structures of the language they speak are more suited towards linguistics majors.)
Thanks for your opinions. I'am interested in anthropology and linguistics, so I'm not exactly sure about this. If I decide to go down the Science route I might complement it with anthropology, and if I decide to go down the English route, maybe compliment it with either Linguistics or Political Science.
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More replies coming soon, need to take a little study break.
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You can make money doing anything you love if you work hard at it. I think the best option for you would be to find out as much as you possibly can about the future for what you want to get into (what the uni courses look like, prospective jobs, REAL carreers you can get etc) then give it your best effort and see where life takes you. Only live once so who cares about debt lolol
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Hawk
On February 10 2012 04:05 Hawk wrote:Don't study English unless you really, really, really want to teach, because it's not of a whole lot of use otherwise these days. Very limited field, lots of people who got the degrees without knowing what they were doing. You're pretty much going to be a Professional Unemployed Drunk if you study english and do something other than teach. Shit, that's probably still the most likely route even if you wanted to teach Show nested quote +On February 09 2012 22:53 Gheed wrote:On February 09 2012 22:48 Chef wrote:
Because he thinks English is only for pedantic nerds and that you can be just as good with no training at all? You can read and write in your spare time if you want, but that's not all there is to English. The critical thinking aspect, a skill that has to be learned but which most people are offended to think isn't inherent in them, is a huge part of English. So in other words, he's an idiot because he's rejecting something he doesn't understand. The skills you learn as an English major (researching, thinking about a piece of work, making connections, drawing conclusions and writing those conclusions as a coherent point etc.) are skills that every field uses. Unless you just adore literature, there is no particular reason to be an English major over anything else. I'm not shitting on English majors, I'm just saying that unless that's all you want, there are better options. This is fairly true. An english major will be much, much more refined at those things than other people not studying it, but those other people will also have studied a field that probably leads to more job opporunties. You can be a damn good critical thinker, writer and all that without having studied—my one friend is a programmer is absolutely crushes me on all those aspects—but the training does help. It's just a matter if that training is worth it, and it really isn't. Teaching and professor jobs don't pay well, there's a glut of unemployed or underemployed (so many are adjunct professors and get paid dick), and even if you wanted to try getting in another field sayyyyy business, it's doable, but much easier studying something that has a more direct application. Science, I don't know that much about that field, but I am sure there are some people here who do. Also, you're 15. Unless your country (china or singapore? I forget) has a different system than the US 1-12 grades then college, you still got a while. I changed my mind about six times between 15-18 alone. And even then, you don't have to declare til the end of your second year of college. Those first two years, take a bunch of electives in fields you enjoy, actually do the research as far as what the degree entails, job opportunies and such and think about it for a couple years. I think the best advice I can give at 26 yo is to say that real happiness lies somewhere between doing what you enjoy and doing something that will get you a gooddamn decent paying job. Some people are weird and are totally happy getting paid $12/hr to travel the country with some theater group and having nothing to show for it. You gotta know yourself, and think long term—will I still like this in 20 years even if I don't have much money or I work 12hr/day—than the short term. Getting paid $150k a year isn't so cool if you can't see your spouse because you're working 75hr weeks, and doing something you love isn't so great if you're scrambling to pay bills. Thankfully, you've got plenty of time to get to know yourself and study your options. Good luck!
On February 10 2012 05:23 Hawk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 04:49 Xiron wrote:On February 10 2012 04:13 Hawk wrote:
Waaay too many people approach college as a way of pursing things they enjoy rather than a huge ass investment in their future. College is a way to pursue things they enjoy and invest a huge ass amount of time and effort into it. Allow me to rephrase because that statement was slightly ambiguous: Most people select their school and major based on their interests and emotions without any consideration for the cost/benefit of their choices, and the impact it will have on their life for decades to come. IE. Deciding to study psychology at a private university because your friend is doing the same and you heard it is interesting... without considering that you could pay $15k a year instead of $40k a year to get a degree in a field that is utter shit without an advanced degree, something that many psych students don't realize til it's far too late. Deciding to study theater at a private school instead of studying teaching at a public university and dedicating all your spare time to taking elective theater courses and participating in every single performance at the school. You can save a shitload of money doing the latter while still having the same end result Double majoring at an expensive school for no reason other than the topics interest you without any concern for whether or not it will help you in your career. enriching your life through academic pursuits rules and I really wish I grasped that concept at a younger age instead of the tail end of college, but with the price of post high school education the way it is, it's pretty damn insane to not be primarily making all of your decisions based cost and benefit first.
Indeed, the life of an English major will most likely be one filled with alcohol and regret. I'm not sure about it though, but that seems to be the vignette that most people are skteching out for me. I'm in Singapore and it's pretty streamlined here so I might as well choose now. I also explained my desire to choose early in the earlier replies, if you could kindly read them so I don't need to type it out again that would be fantastic :D
Other than that, fantastic advice Hawk.
Your ZvZ is pretty awesome too =)
Recognizable
On February 10 2012 05:57 Recognizable wrote:You are 15. When I was 15 I had zero clue whatsoever, I didn't even know what I enjoyed. So I just took a classload which I could study anything with. Right now I am 17, one more year of highschool. Still have no clue Well, i'm quite certain I don't want to do any Humanities or any language related ^^
Why don't you wanna do Humanities or Languages?
ohsea.toc
On February 10 2012 09:55 ohsea.toc wrote:Shouldn't your dichotomy be, if it is to 'be' at all, between Science and the Humanities? Instead of between Science and English? Here at least, 'English' is not an exhaustive term for the Humanities. Just like within Science you can take physics, chemistry, biology etc, within the Humanities you can take politics, sociology, anthropology, English, regional studies, other languages etc. Do these fields interest you? By way of example, I'm double majoring in English and Middle Eastern Studies, with the former really complementing the latter. I enjoy reading, I enjoy writing, but I also know that a degree in pure English is unlikely to lead me anywhere definite per se, which is why I'm also directing myself towards the Middle East. Also, with regards to your dwindling English grades, I found that reading other peoples' essays really helped me in writing my own. I can't believe I'm doing this again to you but what the hell: I'd recommend giving Orwell's essays a peruse. You can find them all online; they really help in terms of clarity, brevity, and they have a flair and vitality which I at least found inspiring. http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part36Good luck to you, dear stripling.
Politics and anthropology interest me, so I might minor in those. Also much thanks for the advice and the wonderful link. Will put it into good use :D
Divinek
On February 10 2012 16:23 Divinek wrote:
You can make money doing anything you love if you work hard at it. I think the best option for you would be to find out as much as you possibly can about the future for what you want to get into (what the uni courses look like, prospective jobs, REAL carreers you can get etc) then give it your best effort and see where life takes you. Only live once so who cares about debt lolol
I think that is highly subjective with the job market as it is today. Also that wasn't exactly the most sound advice =p
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Why don't you wanna do Humanities or Languages?
I am actually very passionate about Languages. I hate them with a passion. I'm just quite sick of all the exceptions and ambiguos ways of how you can interpret texts. I'm in my 5th year of Latin right now, and it's so extremely boring, extreme amounts of information you need to remember, which is just dumb remembering stuff. Hate it. However, I do think English is a beautifull language.
No Humanities because i'm just not interested in almost all of the study's
In your other Blog I read that you only have 6 classes, isn't that a bit too few? In my 3rd year of high school I had like 11 now I have 9. Also, your English is quite amazing. Didn't know they speak English in Singapore ^^
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I'm going to study German literature at university - Here is something you might find interesting: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe valued his scientific achievements, ie Theory of Colors / Colours ['Zur Farbenlehre'], higher than all his literary masterpieces [like 'Faust', 'Reineke Fuchs', etc.]. Also - If you like math/science & literature you could also read Yevgeny Zamyatin's dystopian novel 'We' for example or 'Homo Faber' by Max Frisch...
*edit >_>
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On February 10 2012 19:22 Recognizable wrote:
I'm in my 5th year of Latin right now, and it's so extremely boring, extreme amounts of information you need to remember, which is just dumb remembering stuff. Hate it.
Are you just learning the grammar or are you studying the literature? Learning the grammar is a grind but all the good things in life take effort. I took a seminar on Horace my freshman year in college and it blew my mind. I would highly encourage you to keep with your study of Latin if you have already done that much; you are about to break through into something truly sublime.
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On February 11 2012 07:51 sam!zdat wrote:Show nested quote +On February 10 2012 19:22 Recognizable wrote:
I'm in my 5th year of Latin right now, and it's so extremely boring, extreme amounts of information you need to remember, which is just dumb remembering stuff. Hate it. Are you just learning the grammar or are you studying the literature? Learning the grammar is a grind but all the good things in life take effort. I took a seminar on Horace my freshman year in college and it blew my mind. I would highly encourage you to keep with your study of Latin if you have already done that much; you are about to break through into something truly sublime.
We are translating literature right now. Well, trying to =.= Translating is just such a pain, you need to know so much grammar, exceptions, so much words :O  And I don't really enjoy it so I can't motivate myself :/ It's not that I can't do it. It's just I can't be bothered
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Man, I feel you, but stick with it! I studied Latin for 10 years and it was worth every minute. It is really hard right now, but it will get easier and you will start to realize how brilliant the really good stuff is. Plus the first time you actually just sit down and read a sentence you will feel like a total nerd baller. Who are you reading? Vergil?
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On February 11 2012 08:06 sam!zdat wrote:
Man, I feel you, but stick with it! I studied Latin for 10 years and it was worth every minute. It is really hard right now, but it will get easier and you will start to realize how brilliant the really good stuff is. Plus the first time you actually just sit down and read a sentence you will feel like a total nerd baller. Who are you reading? Vergil?
Ovidius I think? Never really looked at the writer ^^ This guy likes to abbreviate every perfectum into an infinitivus, before we translated some of De Bello Gallico. I only have to follow it for 1.5 more years(when i'm done with high school) Let's just hope I won't fail it :/
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Caesar is awful, don't judge the language based on him. You only read it because everything's a declarative and the only vocab you need is 15 ways to say "attack." It's historically interesting but the man is a horrendous stylist.
Ovid (as he's called in the English speaking world) is pretty good. I would imagine you are reading Metamorphoses.
It's not really that he's using an infinitive, it's just that he's using -ere as the syncopated form of -erunt. This is fairly common; there are a number of literary syncopations and archaic forms that are used in literature but you don't learn straight up from the textbook.
Anyway, I don't have anything more to say about it except keep learning Latin, it's totally baller and all the cool kids know it - you're doing the hardest part now and if you give up after this it's like only playing micro trainers for 6 months and then deciding starcraft is boring so you stop playing.
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I know.... But it just takes so much effort for something i'm not that interested in. It's definitely one of the hardest classes. Like math or physics, but in those i'm actually very interested and willing to work for. It doesn't help I basically only had shit teachers and thinking a bit too much off myself that I could be good at latin without doing shit for the past 4 years. I'm good at everything why not latin! The problem was that when I choose my classes I would do exam's in everything was so extremely easy, I never made any homework, I figured it would stay the same, but it obviously didn't ^^ Yeah I regret my decision but on the other hand, I wouldn't have even known half off my friends right now and going to Rome was awesome aswell and If I wouldn't be doing latin it would be German or French. Which I detest aswell.
Haha, I just have to suck it up and try harder ^^
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On February 11 2012 08:38 Recognizable wrote:
Haha, I just have to suck it up and try harder ^^
Good man.
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Ancient languages are fun. You know that if you keep studying them, eventually you'll know about as much as everyone else in the field knows. It may take you longer than your fellows and it may take you more effort, but if you keep at it, you'll get it someday. Translating is also incredibly fun, IMO, though obviously time-consuming. You want to punch a baby while you're doing it, but after you're done, and you have something coherent, and it makes sense, and your professor thinks it's an accurate translation ... best feeling in the world, man.
I've heard Classical Greek is the most rewarding ancient lang to study. Wish I had space to learn it, but I don't, and I can't justify studying it at school. Maybe a self-study one day. ^^;
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I'm jealous of you guys mastering other languages/translating. I've tried in the past to self teach with a textbook but gave up. There's a lot of stuff in Greek, Latin, Pali and Russian I'd like to read in the original.
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On February 11 2012 09:11 Mothra wrote:
I'm jealous of you guys mastering other languages/translating. I've tried in the past to self teach with a textbook but gave up. There's a lot of stuff in Greek, Latin, Pali and Russian I'd like to read in the original.
I believe that if you get the books I used for the past 5 years you would be very able to teach it yourself on your own. The only thing the teachers did was repeat wat was in the books anyway. I don't know if there is also an English version however. It's called ''Fortuna''
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I recommend Wheelock's Latin if you are learning on your own.
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On February 10 2012 15:27 Azera wrote:[ + Show Spoiler +b]IMBensin On February 10 2012 00:46 IMBensin wrote:
I have a university degree in English. Honestly, I can't say i would take it back. I enjoyed my time. I tried teaching a little after graduating, and that I really didn't like it. Maybe teaching English in a country other than the US would be more interesting/rewarding, idk. I thought about moving to a place like LA or New York City and start a writing career, then I realized I wanted to get married and start a family soon. I couldn't afford to be poor. Honestly though I could n't have predicted that when I was in university let alone highschool. I ended up switching fields into nuclear technology. So in other words I think science and technology are much more financially stable and rewarding fields.
So my honest recommendation, is to not choose one or the other. You seem like you have good work ethic, you can dual major. Or major in engineering, math or physics and minor in English. At US universities at least this is not only possible but the structure of required classes encourages it. Not everything has to be one or the other. Thanks for your input! What is your occupation currently? I'm curious [/b]
I'm a "nuclear technician" in the US Navy. I work on the mechanical parts of the nuclear power plant that powers air craft carriers.
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Ahh the good ol' days of teenage life. I wanted to study Astrophysics when I was in secondary school, but after managing to NEVER pass a Physics test/exam at A levels, I decided that for the good of my academic and my mental health, I'll never touch it again.
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On February 24 2012 19:00 mrGRAPE wrote:
Ahh the good ol' days of teenage life. I wanted to study Astrophysics when I was in secondary school, but after managing to NEVER pass a Physics test/exam at A levels, I decided that for the good of my academic and my mental health, I'll never touch it again.
That sounds so sad =(
What if that happens to me?
DETERMINATION!!
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I'm just recently got my BS as a civil engineer from UCLA
Straight to the point
Science
Your family will probably want you to go the science route since its hold higher fame and respect from society and probably give you more opportunity in the job market. You will be spend 4 years of pain and suffering during the university days. I was always thought by my parent that its your choice to suffer during your school years and live happily afterward or the other way around. A Engineering/Science degree will force you to take lot of math basic background on about every other science area that may or may not relate to your major. This is a big plus if you carefully think about it. Getting high math education will allows you to beat most of the people in the lower end of the job market (ie teaching, I'm quite surprise when I learn what some of my high school teachers are incapable of). This will provide you with a "job guarantee", but this doesn't mean you willl get a well-paid job. Nonetheless, basing on the assumption and that the way you were raise is similar to mine (worry about job and respect from the family) science is your best bet.
In term of the nature of education choices, science have plenty. In the OP you mention a few word describing your option but those few word can be broken into no less than 20+ smaller branches. You will have lot of freedom afterward even if you decided on science route. The only difficult part is competition, you will be facing a lot of people who learn, and do things that you will never be able to do. The competition in this area is insane. If you are confidence in your math and science go for it(you might regret later like "everyone" in this field). Be warn tho many people ended up dropping from college on the sole fact that they decide to choose one of the most difficult option in life.
pro: high math education = job guarantee
high starting salary
con: just like SC2 it make you lifeless and make you feel miserable about yourself(QQ and rage in forum too)
You need to be able to motivate yourself
English
Since I'm bad with grammar, you should be able to expect that I suck when it comes to english.
As for the job opportunity, I don't have much clue on. One of my cousin got an English degree and now currently getting a higher degree. She work as a translator for medical books in my country (Thailand). The job field for "Language" degree are mostly depend on where you want and most likely ended up working. Plan ahead and be realistic. I don't know what you want for yourself. The only warning about any language degree is that you need something "special" to fight in the job market. For example, bilingual or even multi. You need to be able to stand out of the crowd. As for my cousin she know medical term which only a few people in her country does. So when the textbook publisher need someone to translate they go to her not just any translator. Just imagine if I were to get some random dude on the street and tell him to write a book about sc2 how much credit would you give to it? Probably not much. What about if that guy was someone big in the community ie Day[9]?
On educational option, there probably even more freedom than science. When I was taking my english classes I usually ended up with an A since I almost always argue with my prof on almost everything he/she said in class. All I have to do is back it up and you just havbe to maybe quote a few things here or there as long as it sound reasonable(stuff like symbolism yea those lil stuff that almost meaningless unless u just randomly put it into your content). The essay maybe weak, but it is interesting :D(that how most of my prof said when i fuck up real bad). However, this is where it get tricky. The amount of work you need to put it to your study can be extremely minimum and you will find yourself just fine. I remember at my apartment every thursday and friday my neighbor would be throwing a party until 1-2am while I(engineering student) would be watching GSL....wait ahem... studying and doing my homework. My guess is that those ppl either have a backup job already or simply dont give a damn about their life. But that doesnt mean an english or other "easier" major is screw until you are drunk. Instead of getting wasted with your friend you can always write essay for your scholaship, enter some literature contest, and build up your skills. The sad thing about this kind of job is that no one gonna come to offer you a job unless they know you or heard about you from somewhere. That is the reason why it is so difficult to get a job in this area. Not because it suck, but because it is more diffcult to prove yourself to the client.
pro: university life is so great :D
you probably get to write and read about w/e you want
con: job are hard to come by
you need some area of speciality other than just english (major & minor)
so here are some of my advice for you (assuming that you are just about done with high school)
dont be too fixated with your option instead be a little bit more open. You do not know who you are in the next few years. I was once fixed on being an architech and guess what I ended up say F THAT. Most likely though you will ended up going into one of the direction you mention, but don't worry too much.
As long as you work hard and give it 200% then you will ended up being successful even if u choose to b anything even progammer. All you need to do is be one step ahead of the curve. "There is no such thing as luck". However, there this thing call opportunity and it come and goes really quickly. Life is all about how fast can you grab those things. If you spend your day walking around partying then you will never be able to "see" them. If you are to just sit down and attentively waiting for it to appear on the side of your eye and stretch out your hand as far as you can to grab them then one day you will be able to grab it. You might ended up writing 1000 books and no one read 999 of the books, it doesnt matter as long as people enjoy the 1 book then you are all set.
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