What do you wish you knew about your college major/career path before you chose it?

So, what’s your chosen field?

Finance/Financia Corporate Management and Human Resources

It’s good to talk to people in the field and see what the career is really like. Have you taken any college level finance or HR courses yet? What year are you?

My degree is in elementary education. I wish I had known prior to student teaching that I didn’t like writing real lesson plans. I also wish I had known that sometimes the parents are more annoying than the kids.

The lesson in this for you would be to ask, “What are the biggest day-to-day challenges or issues that you have?” and, “What are the parts of the job that you aren’t so fond of?” Along with that, I would add, “What strategies do you use to get through those things?”

I wish I knew that 4 Bachelor’s earned you the same amount of money as 1. I have 4 BAs, one each in Education, Studio Art, English Literature and Theater.

Unless, you graduate with 1, then subsequently get 3 more—that will get you on a Bachelor’s Plus pay scale if the employer provides that.

However, even if you earned 10 Bachelor’s, it still wouldn’t pay the same as one Master’s.

In other words, plan your goals and course load carefully. Look at the classes that are required, check to see which semesters they are offered (some classes are only offered every 2 years, or only offered on certain semesters), and choose electives to support your goals.

I didn’t plan to, but took “the scenic route.” I have over 300 college credits and no regrets- I love what I learned. BUT. It didn’t benefit me financially. Moneywise, the direct route from A to Z is better.

I have a degree in Communication Design and Illustration. Graduated twenty years ago.

I wish I knew that the majority of my time would be spent hustling for work as opposed to actually creating art.

I also wish I knew that for many years, I would need to work two jobs to make ends meet. I did this for sixteen-plus years.