College Major Selection

Almost every time I speak with juniors or college students, I get asked the same question: “I’m not sure what field I want to work in. How do I decide what to do?” It’s a completely normal feeling — and honestly, I’ve been there too. When I first entered college, I had no clue what specialization to take or what career path to pursue. But here’s the truth: You don’t need to have it all figured out right away. What you need is a plan to explore and narrow it down. Here’s what I tell anyone who asks: 📍 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 — 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 List a few things you genuinely enjoy or find intriguing — like writing, data analysis, designing, or public speaking. Don’t worry about how they translate into a career just yet Action Step: Write down your interests without worrying about how they translate into a career. The point is to recognize your natural inclinations. 📍 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 Try out your interests through short-term activities like joining a club, taking a beginner’s course, or volunteering for a project. Give it 2–4 weeks and see if you enjoy the process Action Step: Try something for 2–4 weeks and assess: Did you enjoy the process? Did it feel meaningful? 📍 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘁 Reach out to people working in fields you’re curious about. Ask about their day-to-day work, the skills they use, and what they enjoy or dislike about their roles Action Step: Message 3 professionals on LinkedIn and politely ask for a 15-minute chat. Most people are willing to help if you’re genuinely curious and respectful of their time. 📍 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀 Identify the skills you want to develop rather than getting stuck on job titles. Whether it’s data analysis, storytelling, or management, skills are transferable and will shape your career regardless of the role Action Step: Pick one skill you’re curious about and spend an hour a week learning or practicing it. 📍 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁 Your first choice doesn’t have to be your final choice. Reflect every few months to see if you’re still enjoying your current path. It’s okay to change directions as you learn more Action Step: Set a reminder to reflect every 3 months: Are you still enjoying your current path? If not, what’s next? The Bottom Line: You don’t have to know your exact career path at 20. Just focus on exploring, learning, and building foundational skills — the clarity will follow. To everyone feeling overwhelmed — take it one step at a time. And remember, not having it all figured out is okay — it’s part of the journey. What’s one career option you’re currently exploring? Share below — I’d love to hear your thoughts!👇 #CareerAdvice #CollegeTips #FindingYourPath #SkillBuilding #CareerExploration #EarlyCareerInsights

Eye-opening data about US universities and the resulting attitudes of Americans: 1) Rising tuitions means the wealth benefit of attending university is plummeting (for all students, but especially Black students). 2) What subject you study determines whether you ever earn back what you spend on tuition: “If you choose a business or STEM degree, your chance of winning the college bet [is] 3 in 4, even if you’re paying $50,000 a year in tuition. But if you’re majoring in anything else your odds turn negative at that price; worse than a coin flip. In fact, if your degree is in the arts or humanities, you’re likely to lose the bet even if your annual college expenses are just $25,000.” (data: https://lnkd.in/gde-F4ES) 3) As a result, young adults no longer believe college is important: “The percentage of young adults who said a college degree is very important fell to 41 percent from 74 percent. Only about a third of Americans now say they have a lot of confidence in higher education.” Of course, the value of education is about much more than what you earn. But for many families, rising tuitions makes it the most important factor.

Career maps for various sectors: Sell-Side Banks, Buy-Side Institutions, Corporates, and Professional Services Firms: 1. Sell-Side Banks (Investment Banks) Sell-side firms focus on services related to raising capital, trading securities, and advising companies. Typical Roles: Analyst: Entry-level position focusing on financial analysis, modeling, and pitch books. Associate: After 2-3 years as an analyst, associates manage analysts and interface with clients more closely. Vice President (VP): Manages client relationships, pitches, and deals, typically after 3-4 years as an associate. Director / Executive Director: Involved in high-level deal execution and strategy, guiding the overall transaction process. Managing Director (MD): Senior-most role focusing on deal origination, client acquisition, and firm strategy. Career Path: Intern → Analyst → Associate → VP → Director → Managing Director 2. Buy-Side Institutions Buy-side firms manage money by investing in securities like stocks and bonds. These include mutual funds, hedge funds, and private equity. Typical Roles: Research Analyst: Analyzes potential investments, including stocks, bonds, and other assets. Portfolio Manager: Responsible for managing a fund or portfolio, making buy/sell decisions. Trader: Executes buy and sell orders in financial markets, working closely with portfolio managers. Quant Analyst: Focuses on quantitative research to create trading algorithms or models. Private Equity Associate: Works on acquiring companies, modeling, and due diligence (for PE firms). Partner: Top-level position in private equity or hedge funds, responsible for leading investments. Career Path: Analyst → Associate → Portfolio Manager → Senior Portfolio Manager → Partner / Head of Investments 3. Corporates (Finance Roles in Non-Financial Companies) Corporates are companies outside of financial services that may require strong financial expertise for strategic decisions, often having their in-house finance teams. Typical Roles: Corporate Finance Analyst: Focuses on budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning for the company. Treasury Analyst: Manages the company’s liquidity, funding, and capital structure. FP&A Analyst: Responsible for financial planning and analysis, working on forecasting and variance analysis. Controller: Manages accounting, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance. CFO (Chief Financial Officer): Oversees all financial aspects, from budgeting and forecasting to strategy and operations. Career Path: Analyst → Senior Analyst → Manager → Director → VP → CFO These career maps provide a structured path, but movement across sectors (e.g., moving from Sell-Side to Buy-Side) is also common. Each path has its nuances depending on the firm, location, and specific area of finance. --- Follow me for more like this... Jeetain Kumar, FMVA® #finance #cfa #investmentbanking #strategy #consulting

I've long advocated that colleges, like MBA programs, should be required to provide prospective students with a comprehensive viewbook detailing a wide range of salary outcomes post-graduation - by major, by geography, and more. When you're investing a substantial amount in your degree, you deserve to know what you can expect in return. If someone still chooses a less financially secure path, that's perfectly fine. This isn't a moral judgment. College is one of the biggest expenses most people will ever take on, second only to purchasing a home. It's absurd that we continue to withhold crucial decision-making information from parents and students, as if the only way to encourage majors in less lucrative fields is by keeping them in the dark. As someone whose mother, mother-in-law, wife, and more than 10 other family members are educators, I find this approach baffling and, frankly, a bit insulting to the intelligence of parents and their children. Every student should pursue what they love and be proud of it. But they should make that choice armed with the facts, including 5-, 10-, and 20-year projections of likely financial outcomes, income, debt, and more for graduates in those fields. This isn't difficult to do - MBA programs do it all the time. If the result is that more people choose to enter more lucrative fields after considering this information, great. They should have the self-determination to decide what they want their life to look like. As someone who has spent the past two years in conversation after conversation with tearful students and their families who were sold all kinds of promises and are now months, if not years, out of work, I assure you it's better to have all the information before it's too late. Then, if you still want to pursue your passion, more power to you.

Choosing a career after 12th feels like standing at a giant crossroad with 10 confusing signboards🤷♀️ Everyone’s shouting directions — parents, cousins, Sharma ji, and the neighbour who once cracked NEET in 1997. So how do you actually figure out which path to take? Here are 3 powerful frameworks/models that can help students or their parents choose a career path that makes sense for them(not just society) ✅ 1. IKIGAI Model (The Japanese Secret to a Fulfilling Career) Ask yourself 4 questions: -What do I love? (Interest) -What am I good at? (Skills) -What can I be paid for? (Market) -What does the world need? (Impact) Example: A student I mentored loved designing, was great at storytelling, and didn’t want a traditional desk job. Instead of engineering, she explored UI/UX design. 3 years later, she’s working at a design agency and building her own digital art page on the side. ✅ 2. Career Triangle:Passion – Potential – Practicality Don’t just chase passion blindly. Check if your interest, your aptitude, and the industry demand align. -Passion: Do you enjoy doing this? -Potential: Do you have the skill or willingness to learn? -Practicality: Will this pay your bills and grow in the future? Example A commerce student wanted to become a musician full-time. But she also loved marketing and storytelling. She found a sweet spot in music marketing – she now works with music labels promoting indie artists! How cool right? ✅ 3.The 3C Filter: Clarity – Curiosity – Coaches This is more process-oriented for those still exploring. Clarity- Start with a broad idea (e.g., "I want to work with people" or "I like solving problems"). Curiosity- Intern, shadow, take short courses to test waters. Coaches- Talk to seniors, professionals, career coaches who’ve walked the path. Example: A student I know thought she wanted to do law. After interning under a lawyer and taking a MOOC in psychology, she realised it wasn’t for her. She’s now studying psychology and plans to become a behavioural therapist. Career clarity doesn’t come overnight. It’s a mix of self-awareness, experimentation, and conversations. And it’s okay to not have it all figured out by 18. Instead of following the noise, choose a method that works for YOU. Your career is not a race. It’s a journey of alignment. Would you add another framework to this list? #CareerAdvice #CareerClarity #CareerFrameworks #Ikigai #Careercoach #dhairyadecodes

Everyone wants to “work in AI” — but what does that actually mean? Lately, I’ve met so many students saying “I want to build a career in AI”. But when I ask which part of AI excites you?, there’s silence. Here’s the thing — AI isn’t one job. It’s a vast ecosystem. If you’re a high school student dreaming of AI, let’s unpack this for you: 🧠 AI Branches You Could Work In: • Machine Learning: Algorithms that improve over time (think Netflix recommendations) • Natural Language Processing (NLP): Teaching machines to understand human language (like ChatGPT) • Computer Vision: Enabling computers to ‘see’ images and videos (used in autonomous cars) • Robotics: AI-driven physical machines (like Boston Dynamics’ robots) • Generative AI: AI that creates text, art, music, videos, code 🎓 Relevant Degrees & Pathways: • BTech/BE in Computer Science, Data Science, or AI & ML • BSc in Mathematics, Statistics, or Data Analytics • BDes (for AI+Design applications like UI/UX for AI products) • BA in Cognitive Science, Linguistics (for NLP) • BSc in Neuroscience, Psychology (for AI in Healthcare/Brain-Machine interfaces) 💡 If I were in high school today and wanted to work in AI, I’d: 1. Start with Python basics on platforms like Coursera or Kaggle 2. Build projects like a chatbot, a face-recognition app, or a text summarizer 3. Read AI ethics papers (because with great power comes great responsibility) 4. Participate in AI/ML hackathons or competitions 5. Learn how AI connects with other fields: design, psychology, finance, healthcare AI isn’t one lane — it’s a superhighway with multiple exits. Find the one that excites you. If you’re a student exploring AI, drop a comment and let’s chat about which path might be right for you. I’m happy to help. #artificialintelligence #ai #futureofwork #careerguidance #growthmindset Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list — AI is a rapidly evolving field with diverse, interdisciplinary pathways. Think of this as a starting point to explore your options.

Is college worth it? It turns out, that's the wrong question. I'm excited to share that I have updated my analysis of college return on investment (ROI) for The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity! ROI is defined as how much a college degree is expected to increase a student's lifetime earnings, after accounting for the cost of college and the risk of not finishing. Our report calculates ROI for over 53,000 degree and certificate programs. Some key findings: - Bachelor’s degree programs have a median ROI of $160,000, but the payoff varies by field of study. Engineering, computer science, nursing, and economics degrees have the highest ROI. - Associate degree and certificate programs have variable ROI, depending on the field of study. Two-year degrees in liberal arts have no ROI, while certificates in the technical trades have a higher payoff than the typical bachelor’s degree. - Nearly half of master’s degree programs leave students financially worse off. However, professional degrees in law, medicine, and dentistry are extremely lucrative. - Around a third of federal Pell Grant and student loan funding pays for programs that do not provide students with a return on investment. You can find the full report here: https://lnkd.in/esfXc3M8 And if you want to look up ROI for your own college, check out our brand-new dashboard here: https://lnkd.in/eFRpCvtp

Physics, often referred to as the "fundamental science," is the study of the natural laws that govern the universe. It spans an incredible range, from understanding the behavior of the smallest particles in quantum mechanics to exploring the vastness of the cosmos in astrophysics. For students with an innate curiosity about the universe, physics offers the chance to answer profound questions such as: What is the nature of time? How did the universe begin? Why do objects interact the way they do? These are not just abstract concepts; they are inquiries that lead to breakthroughs shaping the modern world. Studying physics develops a unique set of problem-solving skills that are highly sought after in almost every field. Physics challenges students to think critically, break down complex problems into manageable pieces, and use mathematical tools to find innovative solutions. These analytical skills are not limited to scientific research; they are crucial in fields as diverse as data science, engineering, finance, software development, and even business management. For instance, breakthroughs in quantum mechanics have paved the way for quantum computing, while studies in thermodynamics and electromagnetism have revolutionized energy storage and renewable energy technologies. A physics degree equips students with the knowledge and skills to work on cutting-edge research projects that push the boundaries of human understanding and technological innovation. The career prospects for physics majors are vast and diverse. While many pursue traditional roles in academia or research, others find opportunities in industries like aerospace, healthcare, and technology. Medical physics, for example, uses principles of radiation to improve cancer treatments, while astrophysics contributes to space exploration initiatives. Additionally, emerging fields like artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and quantum technology heavily rely on physicists to drive innovation. The ability of physics graduates to adapt to new challenges makes them invaluable in a rapidly changing world. Beyond its practical applications, physics is a deeply fulfilling field for those driven by intellectual curiosity. It allows students to be part of discoveries that shape humanity's understanding of existence and the universe. For students eager to explore the mysteries of the universe and make a tangible impact on society, physics is a field that offers unparalleled opportunities for intellectual growth, career advancement, and personal fulfillment. Feel free to share your thoughts 💭

Which College Degrees Have the Best Return on Investment? Summary: When evaluating college degrees based on return on investment (ROI), STEM degrees stand out as the most valuable, offering the highest financial returns over a lifetime. According to data from CollegeNPV, which analyzed information from the U.S. Department of Education and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, degrees in fields like engineering, computer and information sciences, mathematics, and engineering technologies provide the best ROI when comparing lifetime earnings minus debt with entering the workforce straight out of high school. Top College Degrees by Average ROI: Engineering: $570,616 Computer and Information Sciences: $477,229 Mathematics: $340,875 Engineering Technicians: $311,141 Business: $205,191 Architecture: $196,711 Nursing and Health Professions: $194,756 These degrees lead to high-paying jobs, making the cost of education worthwhile in terms of long-term financial gains. For example, a Harvard University computer science degree ranks highest for ROI, offering over $4 million in lifetime earnings, with a median income of $256,539 and only $14,000 in median debt. On the other hand, degrees in humanities, such as English, visual and performing arts, and theology, have much lower ROIs. English programs, in particular, have seen a 32% decrease in graduates over the last decade, largely due to a negative ROI of approximately - $39,000, which reflects the financial challenges these degrees may present compared to higher-paying fields. Key Takeaways: STEM fields offer the best lifetime earnings compared to their costs. Humanities degrees generally have lower financial returns and are seeing fewer graduates. High-ROI programs like Harvard's computer science offer substantial financial benefits. Source: https://lnkd.in/grbhMMAe #STEM #CollegeROI #EngineeringDegrees #ComputerScience #HigherEducation #FinancialPlanning #CareerAdvice #InvestmentInEducation #Humanities #CollegeMajors

How much does your college major actually affect your job prospects? We looked at employment data across 50+ college majors to see how each stacks up on unemployment rate (actively looking for work), underemployment rate (working a job that doesn't require a degree), and early career salary. Here's what stands out: Job security ≠ good pay. 7 of the 13 majors with unemployment under 2% earn less than $55K per year after graduation. Education, social services, and healthcare offer stability but not wealth. You'll find work, but you won't get rich. Engineering job market is strong. Median salaries of $70-80K right out of school. Low underemployment across the board, these jobs actually require your degree. A small catch? Computer Science/Engineering majors face 6%+ unemployment rates, but also have the highest early career median salary. Feast or Famine. Underemployment is the silent killer. Over half of Criminal Justice, Performing Arts, Liberal Arts, and Anthropology grads end up in jobs that don't require a degree. Meanwhile, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Accounting grads almost always work in degree-required positions. What major did you pick? Has it helped or hurt your job prospects? P.S. If you want more data-driven career and college insights like this, follow me. I post new analysis every week.