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How Should You Pick Your College Major and Electives?

August 20, 2024 / 01:00

This episode discusses job market trends, college degree choices, and the impact of timing on career paths. Topics include the volatility of fields like petroleum engineering and advice for students on course selection.

The conversation highlights how students often choose majors based on current job market demands, which can change drastically by graduation. The example of petroleum engineering is used to illustrate how job popularity can fluctuate with oil prices.

Listeners are advised to stay informed about emerging fields during their studies, as what is in demand today may not be relevant in four years. The discussion emphasizes the importance of adaptability in education and career planning.

TLDR

Job market trends affect college major choices; timing is crucial.

Episode

1:00
00:00:00
the best advice is to be able in the last year or so of your degree to see what is hot right then and take a couple
00:00:09
of courses in that field if you can get them the problem with timing the labor market is that if I am going to start
00:00:18
college right now it'll be four years before I graduate what is hot in four years is unlikely to be hot right now so
00:00:26
the classic story of this is that a few years ago the hot job in the US for kids
00:00:31
graduating was petroleum engineers and then it completely cratered when oil prices sunk then oil prices rise back up
00:00:40
Suddenly It's a hot thing again then it craters and it could be you strike it
00:00:44
lucky but part of the problem is that so many kids go into those fields when they're freshman because they see what
00:00:51
the job market is like then and then they kind of oversupply it

Episode Highlights

  • The Unpredictable Job Market
    Timing the labor market is tricky; what’s hot now may not be in four years.
    “What is hot in four years is unlikely to be hot right now.”
    @ 00m 20s
    August 20, 2024
  • The Rise and Fall of Petroleum Engineering
    Petroleum engineering was once a hot job but faced dramatic fluctuations.
    “A few years ago, the hot job in the US was petroleum engineers.”
    @ 00m 28s
    August 20, 2024

Episode Quotes

  • What is hot in four years is unlikely to be hot right now.
    How Should You Pick Your College Major and Electives?
  • You could strike it lucky, but timing is everything.
    How Should You Pick Your College Major and Electives?

Key Moments

  • Job Market Timing00:11
  • Petroleum Engineering Boom00:31
  • Oversupply of Graduates00:47
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