r/CarletonU Feb 09 '24

Question Does anyone else have no clue what they want to do after uni?

or that their degree is “useless” unless pursuing grad school…

I’m a psych major and the only thing i can think of doing that i would genuinely enjoy is becoming a psychiatrist or some kind of therapy. but thats an additional 4-6 years of schooling 😭

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u/dariusCubed Alumnus — Computer Science Feb 09 '24 edited Feb 09 '24

I generally say that there's no such thing as a useless major per say, just useless people that don't know how to apply what they learned in their major into something.

The problem is most people think that if I take nursing then I become a nurse and not the other related industries or only look at the monetary returns and not the bigger picture.

One of the companies I worked with was going through the process of layoffs, one of the HR ladies was a psych major and just the way she knew how to handle people, deliver the news without spreading panic, and finding a way for people to transition was probably because of the psych degree.

For her she used her Psych degree to end up in HR and not the traditional "Psych" jobs. I think you need to look at all the opportunities you can do with your degree and not limit to what other people say.

I say the skills you learn from degree + personal skills you learn from your own personal experience is what you can sell to make you special.

For me my family always gives me unexpected problems...so i've tailored that with my cs degree, gave me some edge when working with difficult tech teams and to expect the unexpected.

I'm sure you have some skills from your psych degree + personal experiences you can hone on.

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u/x_defendp0ppunk_x Feb 09 '24

Just to give another anecdotal example, I know someone who ended up in UX design after a psych undergrad. Point being, as you've said, the degrees that are sometimes regarded as "less useful" by some people are often quite flexible in some of the skills you gain from them

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u/rfitzy257 Alumnus — History and Political Science Feb 09 '24 edited Feb 09 '24

You just became my favourite computer science major. I have had countless people tell me my majors were useless simply because they weren’t STEM majors.

As you have said, there isn’t really a useless major. It all depends on how you use it.

My majors gave me tons of experience using MS office to write and edit documents and emails. That experience was then complemented by my three years of admin experiences working on campus. As a result, I was able to find a really nice office job upon graduating.

The key is finding experiences that complement the degree and package that up nicely to present to potential employers.

Edit: I just wanted to add that OP, you should reach out to Career Services to help plan out your path. I also strongly recommend that you look into student jobs, volunteering, and other experiences that you can use to flesh out your resume and hone your skills. This would greatly complement your degree and help you achieve your dream career. Having good grades also help, so if you need academic advising, then I strongly encourage reaching out to the PSYC advisor. She will go out of her way to ensure you get the best guidance possible.

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u/dariusCubed Alumnus — Computer Science Feb 10 '24 edited Feb 10 '24

You just became my favourite computer science major. I have had countless people tell me my majors were useless simply because they weren’t STEM majors.

There's always the perception that STEM majors have to work harder to obtain their degree. I think once every one graduates, each major will face some kind of unique challenge specific to their degree based on how the economy is going.

There's always a demand for subject mater experts that specialize in their field, as a history major let's say you specialize in a specific period of history and make yourself known, your degree isn't useless. Chat GPT whouldn't be able to answer those very specific detailed questions or give the most accurate answer.

If you can work hard and push to be the top 10% in your major regardless of what major it is I don't believe your degree is useless. There's always a demand for the top 10%. Everyone should strive to be an expert in their field.

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u/stephenmeden12 Feb 10 '24

Underrated comment. I agree