Best Majors for ERE

Anything to do with the traditional world of get a degree, get a job as well as its alternatives
TopHatFox
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Best Majors for ERE

Post by TopHatFox »

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/de ... 1552091390

I have to decide what courses to take next semester, and that, of course, requires me to think about what I'm going to declare in a year or so.

When I say best major, I suppose you can decide for yourself what best means with ERE. I don't so much care about personal factors like whether I like the subject or I have an affinity for it, I'm just curious which are the more ERE-consistent liberal arts studies.

tzxn3
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by tzxn3 »

If I was in your situation, I would be most likely to choose Mathematics, Physics, or Chemistry. The Biochemistry/Biophysics, Computer Science, and Neuroscience majors would also be worth looking into. Any mathematics or physical science degree ought to teach you some broadly applicable skills. I would take a careful look at the syllabuses of whatever majors interests you.

slimicy
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by slimicy »

Avoid anything with the word 'Studies' in it.

workathome
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by workathome »

slimicy wrote:Avoid anything with the word 'Studies' in it.
LOL, so true.

If I had to do over, instead of History + Religion + Philosophy I'd haven chosen Computer Science from that list.

Spartan_Warrior
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

There are too many possible ways to answer this. If by "best for ERE" you simply mean "best for accumulating money as fast as possible for early retirement", then listen to the advice that everyone (including this thread so far) will tell you: major in something that will translate into an in-demand, high paying career. These should be fairly obvious.

That said, given that an aspiring EREr will not necessarily be in said career for longer than 5-10 years, IMO it's somewhat questionable to devote 4 years (or more) and a lot of financial resources toward something that will only be applicable in the narrow time frame of your career. E.g., if you find computer science/engineering/neuroscience dreadfully boring, and you're only interested in studying it as a means to maximize earning power/speed to ERE, I personally would not do it. (And didn't.)

So if by "best for ERE" you mean "best for opening your mind", "best for enriching yourself as a person", "best for cultivating a Renaissance Man/polymath mindset", or simply "most applicable toward the interests that are most likely to dominate my life (rather than my career)", etc, I think you might get different answers, and personally, in answering these types of questions, I would (and did) lean more toward liberal arts and some of those majors that end in "studies".

You have to first figure out for yourself what you're really asking when you say, "best for ERE". Only then can you also find the right answer for yourself.

And of course, if your goal is simply to go to college because "that's what you're supposed to do", then major in nothing and go get an entry-level job or start learning a trade! Depending on the debt/expense requirements of the education, this may actually be "best for ERE" by any definition.

Dragline
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Dragline »

I agree with most of what was said above.

Mathematics -- with an emphasis on statistical analysis -- could be broadly useful. I have a young cousin who got that kind of degree from a basic state school (University of KY) and able to get a nice job doing financial analysis for the Federal Reserve. She could be FI by 30 if she chooses to be, and they might send her to get a masters and pay for it. On the other hand, her older brother and sister got degrees in history and architecture, neither of which proved to be useful from a financial standpoint. History major eventually worked his way into IT and is doing fine, although buys too many toys and never used his degree. Architecture major married wealthy German guy with some aristocratic title/lineage, moved to Paris and had a baby. Your mileage may vary.

If you like the outdoors and travelling to strange places where few people have been, I'd think about geology. But the quick money to be made there is on the petroleum and gas side, or in mining, which some find objectionable or just not very pretty. But theoretically you could use such degree to travel when you are young on someone else's dime, save all your money and go FI in a few years. It would take some planning, though.

workathome
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by workathome »

Cousin is Geology major. Sounds fun when you're young, but he doesn't seem to enjoy the constant traveling and being away from family while working for different mines.

Seneca
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Seneca »

From that list I'd pick Physics first, Math second.

I personally think any of the core engineering disciplines (ME, CE, EE) taken from an inexpensive state university would be the best all around ERE degree for someone who liked the subjects. They seem to consistently lead in degree ROI for getting money put together fast for FI, are extremely widely applicable in the marketplace, and at the BS level they all emphasize learning practical problem solving skills.

I am an ME, so know my bias!

seanbrenna
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by seanbrenna »

I have a BS in Accounting and an MBA in finance. If I was to advise someone about education, I would agree with the recommendations (STEM majors) above only if your parents are paying.

If you have to pay it yourself don't go. Become a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc.

Seneca
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Seneca »

seanbrenna wrote:I have a BS in Accounting and an MBA in finance. If I was to advise someone about education, I would agree with the recommendations (STEM majors) above only if your parents are paying.

If you have to pay it yourself don't go. Become a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc.
...or do both.

Matthew Crawford, author of "Shop Class as Soulcraft", worked as an electrician while earning his degree in Physics. He recommends others do the same, work as a tradesman while getting an academic degree.
Last edited by Seneca on Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TopHatFox
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by TopHatFox »

seanbrenna wrote:I have a BS in Accounting and an MBA in finance. If I was to advise someone about education, I would agree with the recommendations (STEM majors) above only if your parents are paying.

If you have to pay it yourself don't go. Become a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc.
I don't think I'd mind going out and working already, in fact I might enjoy real life more than the college bubble (or not, in which case I'd appreciate college more). In any case, I'm not sure how to go about it. I really would be happy just being an electrician/plumber/carpenter/etc. Manual things are pretty cool. I'm already fairly proficient at bike repair.

Still, the school's paying for everything, which is why I think it'd be best to take advantage.

My potential majors, without taking any out, include:

1. Computer Science (I like it, though I'm not very good at it atm)
2. Music (I like it, and I'm good at it)
3. Geology (I'm always in some form of outing club or the other, never taken a class)
4. Environmental Studies (I like the environment, though 'studies' is a bit too abstract for me)
5. Architectural Studies (ditto)

I might try my hardest to do Comp Sci + Music. Most people in my school double major, some triple.

----------------------------------------------------

Edit: I picked up Soulcraft at TPB, I'll try and read it over Thanksgiving break, doing both a trade and a degree would be nice.

TopHatFox
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by TopHatFox »

Spartan_Warrior wrote:There are too many possible ways to answer this. If by "best for ERE" you simply mean "best for accumulating money as fast as possible for early retirement", then listen to the advice that everyone (including this thread so far) will tell you: major in something that will translate into an in-demand, high paying career. These should be fairly obvious.

That said, given that an aspiring EREr will not necessarily be in said career for longer than 5-10 years, IMO it's somewhat questionable to devote 4 years (or more) and a lot of financial resources toward something that will only be applicable in the narrow time frame of your career. E.g., if you find computer science/engineering/neuroscience dreadfully boring, and you're only interested in studying it as a means to maximize earning power/speed to ERE, I personally would not do it. (And didn't.)

So if by "best for ERE" you mean "best for opening your mind", "best for enriching yourself as a person", "best for cultivating a Renaissance Man/polymath mindset", or simply "most applicable toward the interests that are most likely to dominate my life (rather than my career)", etc, I think you might get different answers, and personally, in answering these types of questions, I would (and did) lean more toward liberal arts and some of those majors that end in "studies".

You have to first figure out for yourself what you're really asking when you say, "best for ERE". Only then can you also find the right answer for yourself.

And of course, if your goal is simply to go to college because "that's what you're supposed to do", then major in nothing and go get an entry-level job or start learning a trade! Depending on the debt/expense requirements of the education, this may actually be "best for ERE" by any definition.
I'd want a degree that would serve me well in raising capital fast, that also caters to a post-retirement interest.

Often, these two criteria don't come in a single degree, so I'm planning on doing one that I'm interested in that gives me external $$, and another that I'm interested in that gives me internal $$.

seanbrenna
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by seanbrenna »

yea, if they are paying might as well :)

Seneca
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Seneca »

Zalo wrote:Edit: I picked up Soulcraft at TPB, I'll try and read it over Thanksgiving break, doing both a trade and a degree would be nice.
I am a motorhead (and have been since I was a pre-teen) so I have always messed with engines, and I ended up working as a mechanic off and on through high school and college. I'm very glad for the skills, and the knowledge I could fall back on them.

Bike repair is a good one too.

slimicy
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by slimicy »

Comp Sci + Music is a nice little combination. Music by itself would be tough job-wise post-graduation, but in combination with something more marketable I could see it adding nicely to certain resumes (there's coding needed in the music industry). I would avoid #'s 4 and 5 unless they were the 2nd major (like Music).

Tyler9000
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Tyler9000 »

+1 for mechanical engineering, especially if you work towards a more general mechanical design path (as opposed to a narrow specialty like helicopter control systems).

I've found that it not only is a good choice for accumulating capital, but it also helps for accumulating skills that will be useful once you stop working for a salary. Having the technical knowledge to design, build, maintain, and repair your own stuff is a useful ERE foundation.

From the OP choices, I'd also recommend physics & math.

chenda
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by chenda »

Also consider what your aptitudes are and your personality type, maybe consider some testing for this.

It'll be a lot easier and enjoyable to do something you excel at to either accumulate capital or earn extra on the side, and will help you focus your choices.

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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by jacob »

Zalo wrote: I don't so much care about personal factors like whether I like the subject or I have an affinity for it, I'm just curious which are the more ERE-consistent liberal arts studies.
Wait, what!?! Those are EXACTLY the two factors you should care about!---Which leaves me confused as to what part of ERE you're asking for?

Is it just "making a lot of money and becoming FI" (in which case, the answer is easy: either skip college entirely or get as close to the TE part of STEM as possible or use the lib.arts to segue into management consulting) or are you in pursuit of the original renaissance sense of education which is becoming a better human being/contributor to society. In the latter case, revisit the two factors above. They are the most important of all.

vivacious
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by vivacious »

What you want to remember here is that something like 85% of people aren't really using their major.

So when you've taken that into account you will want to have some broad skills.

Some people study chemistry and end up doing business. Some study sociology and get some kind of research job. Some study English and start a small business or something.

Some of it is luck, some of it depends how focused you are, some of it will depend on the economic conditions when you are looking for a job, some of it depends on networking and who you know or being in the right place at the right time, etc.

The point is, odds are you won't even directly be using what you study. Therefore make it well rounded, maybe try some extracurriculars especially some that could provide real experience, take some classes you actually want to learn about and that aren't just to either fulfill a major or gen ed requirement, etc.

Design it so that at least you can say you did what you wanted to do, while also factoring in reality. And it doesn't mean "give up" either. Focus on something but keep some other things going also.

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Ego
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Re: Best Majors for ERE

Post by Ego »

What is school for? Skills? Qualifications? Learning how to think? Networking?

Is your goal to plane off your rounded edges so as to fit perfectly in the cube provided by a high-paying future employer or is your goal to find/build/achieve the right-sized round hole?

The learned skills required to reach the fastest possible FI are different from those required to live an entire ERE life. Be careful picking what others (everyone?) tells you is the best-paying major over what you believe is the best-suited major. It may get you to FI faster but you may not like the person you've become when you eventually reach FI.

Consistently having to excel (or be adequate) at something you hate is a dangerous practice. Do anything long enough and it becomes who you are. Or, better yet, you become it. Pick a major solely for the cash it will generate, then get the job suited perfectly to the major, do it long enough and you will lose what it is that makes you you.

Ask yourself, "Why am I here?"
Last edited by Ego on Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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