Bachelor of science or arts?

Bachelor of science or arts? (Full Version)

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defiantbadgirl -> Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 7:48:00 AM)
Today's college students are often advised to stay away from BA degrees. They are told that graduates with BA's are flipping burgers while those with Bachelor of Science degrees have great careers. A Bachelor of Science requires students to pass more science courses and a Bachelor of Arts requires several foreign language courses. Therefore, all Bachelor of Arts graduates are bilingual. I've lost count of the number of help wanted ads I've read stating bilingual is preferred or required. None of these ads were for restaraunt workers. So why are so many BA's flipping burgers if being bilingual is so important? Why are graduates with BS degrees that don't require foreign languages more successful than bilingual BA graduates?

tazzygirl -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 8:06:31 AM)
Just because your degree is in Science doesnt mean you cant take language courses. Even minoring in a language. Cant think of too many professions that would not view that as a plus.

windchymes -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 8:28:08 AM)
It depends on what career field you're going into. If it's a science-oriented field, then go for the BS (pun not intended, but what the hell, lol). If it's education or journalism or something else arts-oriented, then go for the BA if you prefer. Where I work, heavy science oriented, they don't really care if it's a BS or a BA, they look at your transcripts to see exactly how many credit hours you have in biology or chemistry. Meaning, you could take a few biology electives but still have a BA and get hired.

pahunkboy -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 8:36:54 AM)
When did they make BAs get foreign language classes? It was not required when I graduated in 84.

defiantbadgirl -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 8:43:07 AM)
Good point Tazzy. I'm against outsourcing work to other countries and think anyone who wants to live in the US should know how to read and speak English. I wouldn't move to France unless I first learned to speak and write in French. But when seeking employment, what companies are seeking is more important than my own views. I do think that unless the requirements for a bachelor of science change, companies will have a harder time finding bilingual employees. Too many students won't take foreign languages unless they have to and more and more people are labeling Bachelor of Arts degrees as worthless.

EternalHoH -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 8:51:37 AM)
Science may be more in demand in the youth of your career, (after all, we need an app for this and an app for that!) but as you get older and your salary rises, its really easy to be put out to pasture early Technical trades like engineering or programming that go along with science can be easily offshored later on when you become more expensive to your employer. Creative techies with patents in their name are walking around as long term unemployed, because they are too good, too educated, and are too costly in our present world. I often have wondered if arts has that same problem as you go on, or whether there is more of a steady career there, because its more "altruistic" rather than "numbers". The irony is we are told the competitive sky is falling over the lack of tech grads, but there are many tech grads that exist today who are not seeing full employment. Because of these fucked up trade deals, many young people are now having to work for the same price as people in a country that is one/fourth as developed as ours is. How do these kids today ever make an adequate return on their education investment that way? I have often wondered why MM is such a big NAFTA/Globalization cheerleader, quick to rush to the aid of his damsel whenever it is distressed. Maybe that's because he is an "arts" guy that doesn't live in the present day economic reality the science guys do. Altruism at work, you know.

DomKen -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:01:36 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: defiantbadgirl Today's college students are often advised to stay away from BA degrees. They are told that graduates with BA's are flipping burgers while those with Bachelor of Science degrees have great careers. A Bachelor of Science requires students to pass more science courses and a Bachelor of Arts requires several foreign language courses. Therefore, all Bachelor of Arts graduates are bilingual. I've lost count of the number of help wanted ads I've read stating bilingual is preferred or required. None of these ads were for restaraunt workers. So why are so many BA's flipping burgers if being bilingual is so important? Why are graduates with BS degrees that don't require foreign languages more successful than bilingual BA graduates? My Bachelor of Science program required a foreign language. The difference between BA and BS programs is that a BS program requires more focused study, either the student mus choose a minor or at least take additional courses in the major. In general BS degrees is taken to mean someone who applied themselves in college while a BA degree is viewed as someone who mostly took electives and did the minimum work needed for a degree.

willbeurdaddy -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:13:28 AM)
FR There are many schools with basketweaving electives in a B. Science curriculum. I dont think its true that every BA degree requires a second language, but I dont think it really matters much which you have. Either your courses fit the job youre applying for or they dont.

luckydawg -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:24:35 AM)
Also, taking 2 or 3 years of a language in University doesn't make you bilingual. It gives you a basis, but you are not even close to fluent at that point. It seems to me that even people who major in a language have to go live there for a year or so before they can be considered fluent in listening and hearing. even if reading and writing is very good.

defiantbadgirl -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:26:58 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: windchymes It depends on what career field you're going into. If it's a science-oriented field, then go for the BS (pun not intended, but what the hell, lol). If it's education or journalism or something else arts-oriented, then go for the BA if you prefer. I've always excelled in social science courses. When I was young, many of my teachers thought I had a gift for writing. My father has always been highly critical of me, yet he was amazed at my writing ability. The required college composition classes were easy A's. I've always had problems with anything beyond basic math and I'm not much better at science. Everything I've read says that those who possess my talents are doomed to a life of low paying jobs. "People with psychology degrees are working in restaraunts." The chance of becoming a well paid author is comparable to the chance of being drafted into the NFL or making it as a rock star. So now I'm forcing myself to take courses I hate in subjects I'm not good at and hoping I won't flunk and lose my financial aid. I know I'm whining but I feel like I'm speaking for everyone like me. It sucks when people can't make decent money with their talents.

Fellow -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:32:19 AM)
Commencement speeches this year commonly include: "... you are fucked".

kalikshama -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:39:53 AM)
quote: The chance of becoming a well paid author is comparable to the chance of being drafted into the NFL or making it as a rock star. So now I'm forcing myself to take courses I hate in subjects I'm not good at and hoping I won't flunk and lose my financial aid. This is kind of an usual way of looking at college. Sure, in the course of earning my degrees there were teachers and courses I didn't like, but since they were required for the degrees, I sucked it up. Why do you feel victimized? Are you committed to a course of study? Have you met with career counselors and looked into average salaries for your field? How about technical writing? That's much easier to become than being the next John Grisham.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:49:46 AM)
Actually I find it odd if people study what they think will be something that earns them a lot of money, you can only be good or excellent at whatever you enjoy most, so studying languages wasn't a career decision but something I enjoyed and was quite good at, as a result I always did quite well.

TrekkieLP -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 9:52:03 AM)
Recall once hearing a couple (both of which were Engineers.) making the comment that "Degrees that end in A, don't pay."

willbeurdaddy -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 10:15:29 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Fellow Commencement speeches this year commonly include: "... you are fucked". What happened to that USA Today article from about a month ago that this year's graduates are looking at a 30% increase in offers or something like that? Oh....8,000 private sector jobs created last month, thats what. How's that "recovery" workin' for them.

joether -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 10:18:20 AM)
A Business Degree is one that finds itself as either a B.S. or B.A. program. Its one of the most opinionated lines in the academia world. Half of the program is based on science (management theory is the business version of psychology/socialogy), while the other half is simply a numbers game. I've seen business degrees that are defined as B.A. to promote the person being more....worldly. I have also seen those degrees as B.S. to promote someone taking a deeper or more 'critical thought' approach to the hurdles and problems businesses are often in. However, if you say you had a MBS, no one would ever know what that was; but if you stated you had an MBA, everyone would click to the notion almost immediately. I've met people who have B.A.s in non science fields in the computer gaming industry for example. And I've met quite a few business folks with B.S.s that are currently unemployed. Its not what the degree is in, but what you do with it, that matters!

LadyConstanze -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 10:28:35 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TrekkieLP Recall once hearing a couple (both of which were Engineers.) making the comment that "Degrees that end in A, don't pay." The degrees don't the work you do with them does, though a BA is usually just the start, most people take it from there, I got 2 degrees ending in A and they paid, one ending in D and that one paid off as well, though considering that it took me another 3 years, if you count the difference in income and not earning while doing it, possibly not quite as much. I know quite a few engineers who had a hard time finding jobs because their particular subject was completely overrun and a lot of the work outsourced to other countries... If you're good in your field, you'll always find something, no matter what the degree is in.

ashjor911 -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 10:57:45 AM)
I am trying to get an admission on Bachelor of degrees (Informatik) or in english a Computer science, Would be great to got that .... why, Just because I love it.. & I damn sure want it.

willbeurdaddy -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 11:08:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: joether However, if you say you had a MBS, no one would ever know what that was; but if you stated you had an MBA, everyone would click to the notion almost immediately. Since the A in MA and the A in MBA have nothing to do with each other, this is about as stupid as most of your posts.

popeye1250 -> RE: Bachelor of science or arts? (6/2/2011 11:23:10 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: defiantbadgirl Today's college students are often advised to stay away from BA degrees. They are told that graduates with BA's are flipping burgers while those with Bachelor of Science degrees have great careers. A Bachelor of Science requires students to pass more science courses and a Bachelor of Arts requires several foreign language courses. Therefore, all Bachelor of Arts graduates are bilingual. I've lost count of the number of help wanted ads I've read stating bilingual is preferred or required. None of these ads were for restaraunt workers. So why are so many BA's flipping burgers if being bilingual is so important? Why are graduates with BS degrees that don't require foreign languages more successful than bilingual BA graduates? I think B.A.'s are viewed as more of a "generalist" while B.S.'s tend to be more "specialist" oriented. If you're an Engineer in Electrical Engineering you certainly wouldn't be involved in the accounting dept. or in h.r. You might be involved with sales if your products are bought by other engineers. My nephew just graduated with a B.A. in International studies and German with a minor in Spanish. He spent eight months in Germany and four months in Spain on exchange programs so he's very proficient in three languages now and has no trouble switching from one language to either of the other two. Of course his major will somewhat limit his employment opportunities. He's in D.C. now doing some type of internship. Of course all the kids in his major ("ideally") want to work for the State Dept but few do. Those types of jobs are "reserved" for Ivy leaguers who's wealthy parents are well connected and only need to pick up the phone to get Johnny or Julie a job at State. Not a lot of businesses would require a degree like his so he has to look at "government" which is somewhat limiting. Now newly minted M.D.s have no problem finding internships or jobs after their internships.

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