Friday, May 15, 2015

Regret

I was at the same point you were at 4 years ago. I redid all my major classes and I graduated this last summer. Now, I'm kicking at myself because of my decision because I learned very little technical skills at UCSD, have very little employment options, and I'm not allowed to get a second bachelor's at any public institution in California. I got a degree in chemistry, quit my lab tech job 6 months ago and moved back home to my parents. I'm now looking at learning a trade at my community college because it is geared towards a career (more or less, do multiple trades in case I backtrack). I'm now in a bookkeeper track (which I will finish), with plans on networking/IT (on the weekends) and/or an electrician certification in the future (a committed 2 years). I took accounting classes at UCSD, and the first 4 accounting classes really avoided the learning the grind of a business, skipping over actual inventory costing systems (periodic in text vs perpetual in real-life), and not having an accounting software class (quickbooks). Accounting at UCSD is so much geared for auditing/CPA, which really doesn't help find entry-level work. I do realize that MGT 133 (advanced cost accounting) and MGT 134 (federal income tax preparing) will help find you a job, but that's after finishing a year's worth of sequence classes. Even then, I really doubt the quality of the instruction, and employment prospects with a weak foundation.
Graduate school was an option for me, but then I realized I would have ended up in the same position I would be in right now, but in far more debt.
If I could go back to where you are right now, I would consider what I would want in the future. I wouldn't consider UCSD, because I had shot myself in the foot with 1st year's grades, which eliminated the better graduate schools, and the lack of vocational/technical training. The only exception, is for a computer science degree, because I hear how engineers nowadays have trouble finding work, and rebooting a 5 year engineering track would wreck anyone's financials. If you're a biology major seeking a career in healthcare, I highly recommend re-applying to a CSU (all of them) or UC school (only LA and Irvine) which have a track to getting a RN after 4 years.

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