|
|
|
|
10 Smart Majors for the Next Decade
eems like everyone starts college as a pre-med, pre-law or pre-MBA. Booooring! Also not very smart, judging by all the med-school dropouts backpacking in the Honduras, lawyers selling shoes and MBAs doing phone sales. Part of the problem is that parents and college-bound kids are clueless when it comes to what will pull in the big bucks in the years to come while letting you have a life in your prime. The following list will get you started exploring the smartest alternatives to the doctor-lawyer-indian chief scenario.
1. Mathematics/Statistics No other majors will put you on the inside track for as many perennially lucrative careers in virtually every growth fields. Investment analyst, cryptologist, market research analyst, computer programmer, budget analyst and information scientist are just a few of the dozens of math careers perpetually begging for qualified applicants, especially those with a native proficiency in English. The demand is expected to grow well past the coming decade. 2. Materials Sciences Virtually every important technological breakthrough from hypersonic transports to next-generation processor chips to replacement organs await advances in materials sciences. Superstrong ceramic composites, lightweight alloys, high-temperature superconductors, ultra-thin films are some of the quests of material scientists. The field wasn't even born until the middle of the 20th century. The first decades of the 21st century will see it enjoy the kind of exposive growth experienced by the personal computer industry between 1981 and 2000. 3. Robotics/Automation Engineering As affluent societies like the U.S., East Asia and Europe age and grow spoiled, they are experiencing unprecedented growth in demand for cheap, trouble-free labor. Robotics and automation will rival and ultimately surpass immigration as the key solution to this demand. Domestic robots, automated fast-food restaurants and even self-driving shuttle buses will come into service during the coming two decades. Tens of thousands of new robotics engineers will be needed to help develop, operate and maintain such machines. 4. Information/Computer Sciences The personal computer revolution of the past two decades has taken the first few baby steps toward applying the power of the microprocessor to automating routine data storage and retrieval. Already it has overtaken the capacity of industrialized nations to train computer programmers, systems analysts and software engineers. As the revolution progresses toward giving universal access to powerful data and entertainment networks via broadband wireless connections, IT professionals will rise even higher on employers' most wanted list. This will be the can't miss major for at least the next quarter century. 5. Molecular Biology/Biological Engineering The debate over the morality of cloning and genetic engineering won't keep the world from moving beyond the gee-whiz research stage of molecular biology to a genuine bio-tech revolution. Its first stages will be driven by killer apps like gene therapies for youth extension and reversal of degenerative diseases and bio-engineering new organisms to manufacture once rare substances at low cost and to break down air and water pollutants into benign substances. The biggest obstacle to the field's explosive growth is the limited supply of students with the candlepower to handle the rigors of molecular biology. 6. Environmental Sciences So far the world has done impressive amounts of talking about the environment. The coming decade will see the beginnings of meaningful action. That includes everything from retrofitting dirty power plants to implementing waste recycling techniques on a global scale to planning entire communities built around zero-emissions energy sources. The field offers careers in everything from forest ranger to eco-engineers. |
7. Physical Therapy The better educated segments of our society are starting to understand that looking to medicine as a panacea for health and vitality is looking through the wrong end of the telescope. That's why those majoring in physical therapy and the associated areas of nutrition, kinesiology and exercise science have become the new med students. As leisure activities come to occupy a more central role in our society, everyone from corporate giants to bored soccer moms will see PT professionals as the cure-all gurus for the new milennium. 8. Education/Teaching We've all heard about the shortage of qualified teachers for our primary and secondary schools. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Technological progress is forcing workers to spend a steadily growing numbers of days each year learning how to use new industrial and office systems. This exploding demand for corporate trainers has created a lucrative new industry that is currently serviced largely by a pastiche of overextended and undertrained consultants and in-house staffs. In the coming decade thousands of companies will spring up to specialize in various types of employee education. Think of them as the software programmers for workers' brains. Some will grow into the next decades' Microsofts and IBMs. 9. Marketing Communications Marketing is the omniscient force that mates supply with demand in our globalizing economy. The vital role of keeping consumers informed about the precise products and services available to satisfy their specific needs is performed by the much maligned, under-rated field of marketing communications. It encompasses public relations, consumer psychology and research, cross-cultural marketing, publishing, brand marketing, media planning and advertising. The explosive growth of e-commerce and segmented marketing will transform and expand the field beyond recognition. This is the growth field for those with exceptional verbal and creative skills. 10. Military Service This may raise some eyebrows, but military service is hands down the best way to learn discipline and leadership skills -- two commodities that will always be in demand in any field. Combine that with the fact that the services are undergoing accelerated evolution into the hi-tech age and you have the makings of a career that promises plenty of opportunities for learning valuable skills while enjoying some farflung adventure. For good students, the service academies and ROTC offer sweet financial incentives and a white-shoe alternative to the OD grunt experience.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
|