Mr. Szarek?
Yes, Justin.
I wondered if you could talk to my friend, Maureen.
Sure.
Maureen has volunteered at an animal shelter for the past 2 years. She worked at a local zoo this past summer. She loves animals. She makes these incredible sketches and takes great photographs of them. She has a butterfly video on YouTube that is really cool – over 1000 views.
Wow, Maureen, that’s more views than any of my College Counseling for the Rest of Us videos.
Uh, that’s more than all of your videos put together, Mr. Szarek.
Thanks, Justin. So, how can I help you, Maureen?
Well – since I love animals – I’m going to major in Biology, so that I can become a veterinarian.
OK.
But I hate biology, and I was wondering if you knew any schools that, well, didn’t have too much science for someone like me.
Uh, Maureen, you love animals…
Yes.
You hate biology?
Yes.
What do you love about animals?
What they do, their colors, their shapes, their sizes – just how different they are. I love taking care of them. I love how they look and how I can show that, either through the camera lens or by drawing them. But I don’t like scientific formulas and I don’t want to have to operate on them or give them shots.
So, uh…why are you majoring in biology?
Well, because that’s what people who like animals major in.
They can, but it’s not the law.
Uh, what else could I major in?
How about Wildlife Management, Bioresource Management, Photography, Entrepreneurship, Wildlife and Forestry Conservation, Animal Management, Animal Behavior, Equine Studies or Zoo Animal Technology?
For what it’s worth, if you want to continue your work in animal photography, here is a comment from National Geographic’s FAQs – “National Geographic photographers have college degrees in a variety of disciplines. Most did not major in photography, but all took photo courses. The most common majors have been journalism, anthropology, sociology or psychology, fine arts, and sciences.” (LINK)
I didn’t realize college offered so many choices. But, I think my Mom wants me to go Pre-Vet, too, because it’s practical and something like “wildlife animal photography management” is way out there.
Being the worst veterinarian is a lot less practical than being the best wildlife animal photographer.
Yeah, I guess so. So, no surgery, no shots?
Only if your subject comes after you.
As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please feel free to email me at info@cc4therestofus.com, call or text me at 908-403-3819, join me on Facebook on “College Counseling for the Rest of Us” and join me on Twitter at @MichaelCCR. And now on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/CCRMichael?feature=mhee.
College Counseling for the Rest of Us 
Aug 26, 2011 @ 12:42:01
Michael,
Ah the “I need to major in something practical so I can get a job after graduation.routine”. As you can well imagine this is the kind of conversations those of us at art schools have everyday with both students and parents.
As usual your advice for Maureen is spot on with one little caveat. With the exception of Photography and Entrepreneurship all the other majors you listed do require a good deal of biology (although probably not as much as pre-vet).
A good thing about the arts is you don’t choose it, it chooses you. Based upon Maureen’s success at and love of photgraphing and videoing animals it seems that perhaps art has chosen Maureen. As for employability flunking out of pre-vet isn’t a great path and while many people think that an art and/or a design degree is a one way ticket to unemployment the sectors of the economy that are doing the best are the “creative economies” (Otis College’s 2010 Report on the Creative Economy can be found on our website at http://www.otis.edu) and even in the economic downturn our placement rates remain better than any of the liberal art colleges or comprehensive universities for which I have worked.
Every year at Otis we have “older” students who enroll even thought they have a bachelor’s degree because they were miserable in their profession. They are often accountants, engineers, attorneys, business managers, etc. and often majored in a subject because that’s what their parents wanted them to study or they chose the major not because of any real passion or sometimes even interest in the subject but because they believed it was the surest route to a job. Forty plus years is a long time to be working in a field for which you have no real passion.
Thanks for bringing up this topic.
PS. It looks like you got out of Palm Springs just in time. They are calling for 110 degrees and a good deal of humidity for that area and similar high temps and humidity for the rest of So.Cal. today.
Aug 26, 2011 @ 16:20:12
Ed:
Thank you for your comments. Following your passion is often the most practical route, It’s just a matter of how we convince everyone of that fact.
Regarding Palm Springs, I’ve been back in New Jersey for 5 days and experienced a once in a lifetime earthquake (for NJ, that is) and an impending once in a lifetime hurricane (for NJ). I’m kinda missing those 110 degree days!
Michael
Aug 26, 2011 @ 17:56:05
Michael, once again, you are spot on. Oh how I wish every student had a chance to sit down with someone like you and work out what majors would both advance their interests and make them employable once they get their degree.
Ed’s comment that the majors you listed still require biology a great deal of biology, and Maureen doesn’t like biology, means that Maureen really needs to throw her question out into the world. On FB or Twitter, she could ask, “What kinds of jobs work with animals but don’t take a lot of biology?” Insights from people who’ve been down that road will be invaluable. She should also find what professional organizations animal artist belong to and ask her questions of them.
I want to throw in a word for the Maureens of the world and their parents. There is an Animal Science major (or some variation of that) at almost every college and university campus in the US. Think about how many graduates that totals.
There are not veterinary schools in every state. Getting into a veterinary school is so competitive that it requires better grades than getting into medical school. Vet school costs the same as medical school, but there are no similar loan repayment plans. After 5 months, the bills begin to arrive on your $250,000 student loan tab. Recent graduate vets do not do internships and residencies, as medical students do. They must work for a couple of years under established vest. Average salary: $40,000. For those who want to stay in the area of their vet school, finding such a job is almost impossible. I’ve known new vets to ditch their profession and become bartenders, taxi drivers and agricultural inspectors, etc., all in an effort to payoff their vet school loans.
Absolutely no one should go to vet school thinking it’s a practical avenue to employment without doing research on how they are going to get a job afterwards.
Maureen might be better of majoring in graphic arts. Think of all the websites that deal with animals. Those websites need artwork and designers.
Carol, https://www.facebook.com/parachute4teens
Aug 26, 2011 @ 18:20:38
Carol:
Thank you for your comments (and your kind words)!
And thank you for mentioning the idea of speaking to professionals in the field. It is an invaluable opportunity to learn more about your potential career from someone who lives it and most professionals are delighted to be able to talk about their field. At this point, I probably should stress that I do think pre-vet is the right choice for some – those who, after much research and reflection – still know it is their passion. But, like Nursing and a few other fields, it has been considered a “safety” to pre-med – wrongly and to often unfortunate consequences.
Well, I’m off to batten down the hatches. I’ve got my D batteries, my flashlights and radios, my dry milk and dry goods. And my Corona.
Michael
Aug 26, 2011 @ 18:54:49
Prayers for your safety and that this too shall pass!
Aug 26, 2011 @ 21:48:11
Thank you, Carol!
Sep 02, 2011 @ 12:12:37
Michael,
Thanks for this great post. The Maureen’s of the world are exactly why Dr Fritz Grupe developed the MyMajors assessment; to assist students in taking an inventory of their skills and interests when seeking an appropriate college major. The assessment and 10 recommended major areas of study are free to any student, parent or counselor.
Bill
Sep 02, 2011 @ 14:28:30
Bill,
Thank you for your kind words. For that, I’ll let the sales pitch stay.
Sep 02, 2011 @ 14:58:15
http://www.cacareercafe.com/ is a fun site that offers all kinds of career information, planning tools, assessments, etc., and all for Free! It is normed to California jobs.
Which means if you live in another state or even a part of California that doesn’t have the jobs you want, what parts of the world do? Would you move? If you won’t move, what jobs are there in your local area that you would like to do? Once these questions are answered, it’s much easier to begin career development. Cost: Nothing but your time.