Picking the right major in a competitive job market — along with concerns about graduating — might be more stressful than finding a job.
It can be overwhelming to students who are having difficulty choosing a career path. Job security, job satisfaction, starting salary and availability are a few of the many concerns for college students.
OSU has dozens of degree programs to pick from.
Employers seek graduates from accounting, engineering, fire protection and agriculture programs, said Cara Ferrell, assistant director of Career Services.
OSU offers degrees in all of these areas. People can often overlook these degrees because of misunderstandings and stereotypes.
Some common misconceptions about accounting are that all accountants are just “bean counters,” said T. Sterling Wetzel, accounting professor.
Some people perceive accountants as having no personality, sitting in a big room, wearing transparent green visors and crunching numbers on adding machines, he said.
“There’s this misnomer out there that ‘Oh boy, you’re good at math so you’re going to be good at accounting,’” he said. “It’s not like we’re using high-level calculus.”
Accounting at OSU is a broad program with qualified professors, he said.
Wetzel also said the accounting program always puts students first but still makes time to do research.
Another degree in high demand all around the world today is computer science.
As the vast amount of corporations that use complex computer systems increases, the demand for computer science degrees will always be in demand, said Chuck Ellis, adjunct associate professor of computer science.
With a computer science degree students can go into server administration, computer security and information insurance.
In computer science, Ellis said students don’t have to be exceptionally good at math, they just have to like doing it.
The computer science program is in OSU’s School of Arts and Science, which is one thing that helps set OSU’s program aside from other schools, Ellis said.
“(Computer science) is almost recession proof,” he said. “Every corporation in the world has information technology, and they all need computer science.”
Every product being made needs mechanical engineers, said Larry Hoberock, professor and head of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department.
Hoberock’s initial estimates show that enrollment is up 8 percent in the mechanical and aerospace department from last year.
The mechanical and aerospace engineering school is up 77 students — 71 of those students are specializing in mechanical engineering.
Another factor in choosing a major is the quality of the education versus the price students pay in tuition and fees.
OSU has one of the lowest tuition costs in the Big 12, Hoberock said.
Hoberock said mechanical engineers are in high demand because they are one of the most versatile of all engineering majors.
OSU’s mechanical engineering graduates stand out to employers because they are known for having strong work ethic and have learned from qualified educators, he said.
Ferrell said, for any student, it is important to start a job search early.
To help students get a head start, Career Services will host three career fairs in September that will cater to students in the fields of agriculture, engineering, architecture and business.
Job market determines ‘major’ choices
Published: Monday, August 24, 2009
Updated: Monday, August 24, 2009 01:08
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