So, how many of you are still undecided on a college major?

It depends on the work experience. I think most internships are bullshit so I don't pay attention to those.

Heh, actually, thinking about it, I evaluate people based on myself.

So, I don't care about GPA as long as it's a 3.0 or close. GPA is so easy to bullshit, by going to a school (like Harvard) which artificially inflates grades, or by taking easy classes. People with really high GPAs are often suck-ups or single-minded. I think the name of the school they went to is important. I think how they write is important (honestly, and this goes for other people reviewing resumes also, anything less than perfect grammar = trash).

Someone who went to Harvard was good enough to make it through their interview process, and they spent four years around a lot of pretty smart people. If someone has a good personality and went to Harvard, then they're going to be smart and they're going to be worth the money 98% of the time.

One thing:

Military experience = Instant Respect. This goes for me, as well as for the regular liberal women who work with me who haven't sloughed off a lot of their college-era politics.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

Worse yet, he is teaching calc three after the summer, and is the only one here teaching it. I can't go here any longer becuase of that. I need to get that class out of the way now. Im a Eng major and the end of my second year is aproaching.

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Hey, I was wondering - why do you have to take three calculus courses for an English major?

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Originally Posted by Stone

Which college you go to is a lot more important than what major you select.

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I'm assuming this isn't an elitist comment, so I'll let you explain before I make any more comments.

I'm only 18, but I have no idea what I want to do with myself right now, either. I'm currently going nights taking an MCSE course, but I really don't think I'm going to finish it. I mean, I probably could if I commited myself, but I don't, and I don't think this is what I would really want to do even if I did. I used to want to go into journalism as well, but it just became too monotonous and it was actually making me enjoy games far less, so I gave that up. At least I didn't aspire and fail at all of the obvious gamer-nerd-professions, though, because I've never, ever wanted to be a programmer. As bbobb put it, it takes a very special kind of person to do what a programmer does every single day. And by "special," I mean "completely fucking insane."

I think I have finally figured out what I may want to pursue though. After writing for several different sites, which I designed myself or went on to re-design, and just out of my own enjoyment, I've really developed a passion for graphic design. Maybe just webpages, or possibly something like advertising as well, I don't know. For now, I think I'm just going to put my computer repair certification to work and try to get a part time job in the Best Buy PC repair area, and take some time to really figure out what I want to do. I mean, I've got time. Look at Mzo. *cough* ;)

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Originally Posted by Stone

Yeah, but a lot of people aren't going to be using their major in their eventual career.

I don't know, I'm doing some hiring at work right now, and the first thing I look at is how well your resume is compiled. The second is the name of the school you graduated from. Major doesn't matter at all, since if you're smart, you're smart, whether or not you studied Art History or EE.

I can tell you that my company will not even hire new people to work in the warehouse (filling orders) if they don't have college degrees.

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I heard this and I never believed this. Apparently, for Canada, A York University student with a 3.4 GPA won't be considered over a University of Toronto student with a 3.3 GPA. Which is good (for me) I guess, but I think it's bullshit.

Then again, I don't hire.

Stone, where do you work?

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Originally Posted by Andy

For now, I think I'm just going to put my computer repair certification to work and try to get a part time job in the Best Buy PC repair area, and take some time to really figure out what I want to do. I mean, I've got time. Look at Mzo. *cough* ;)

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You should take Mzo as a shining example of what not to be. ;)

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Originally Posted by Stone

So, I don't care about GPA as long as it's a 3.0 or close. GPA is so easy to bullshit, by going to a school (like Harvard) which artificially inflates grades, or by taking easy classes. People with really high GPAs are often suck-ups or single-minded

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I'd love to argue with you, but I already have someone in mind who fits your description.

She doesn't work; her parents totally pay for school. This affords her hours upon hours to work on assignments and the ability to do 'bonus projects' (apparently they let you do that at University; who knew). She takes tons of bullshit courses to inflate her GPA. It pisses me off to no end (mostly because I'm working on a 12-15 pager, and I've had roughly a day and half for research and writing).

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Originally Posted by Stone

Which college you go to is a lot more important than what major you select.

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I'm happy with going to a Big Ten college myself. :)

Some large faceless private corporation you probably haven't heard of.

Again, I don't think GPA is that important.

However, it's weird how committed my company is to its valuation of the names of the schools which its employees go to.

There are schools that produce people that might become managers, and that's one tier - maybe 30 schools in the country (at best). Most of the people I work with went to a 'better' school than I do, and I went to a lesser ivy.

There are schools that produce the higher-level employees - that includes non-aggressive people from the 30 schools above (ie, a quiet soft person from Harvard will not be a manager), and then a subset of about 30 other schools.

Then, there are the other positions which go to good, likeable, interesting people with college degrees from 'name' schools, but those schools' prestige is not as important.

I'm not saying, exactly, that I agree with the company's unspoken policy. Everyone, however, has seemed to buy into it.

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Originally Posted by Stone

Some large faceless private corporation you probably haven't heard of.

Again, I don't think GPA is that important.

However, it's weird how committed my company is to its valuation of the names of the schools which its employees go to.

There are schools that produce people that might become managers, and that's one tier - maybe 30 schools in the country (at best). Most of the people I work with went to a 'better' school than I do, and I went to a lesser ivy.

There are schools that produce the higher-level employees - that includes non-aggressive people from the 30 schools above (ie, a quiet soft person from Harvard will not be a manager), and then a subset of about 30 other schools.

Then, there are the other positions which go to good, likeable, interesting people with college degrees from 'name' schools, but those schools' prestige is not as important.

I'm not saying, exactly, that I agree with the company's unspoken policy. Everyone, however, has seemed to buy into it.

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How does one find this magical list of good colleges to go to?

I’d really like to know if Mississippi State University is one of them. A lot of people have told me its one of the nations best non tech Engineering schools, but I don’t know. It does have the word Mississippi in it.

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Originally Posted by station82o

Hey, I was wondering - why do you have to take three calculus courses for an English major?

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Me, a English major? that is insane.