Field of Study???

Accounting

I would agree if I had to narrow it down. If your son is interested in "business" (isn't everything a business?) vs. the arts or sciences, there is no better area to master than accounting.  It is the language of business.  If one has a good grasp of accounting, just about everything else (finance, marketing, operations, sales, etc.) comes more  naturally and intuitively.  Caution: accounting can be boring as hell to learn, but doesn't change my POV above.

I cannot speak from how it would work with a student-athlete but I will have to concur about accounting. We have three in my immediate family including me (none, athletes) but my son says that he is going a different direction.

Good grades with major in accounting will get you your first job most anywhere. After that, it is up to you. Good luck!

My son is working on an Accounting degree right now. I have to agree with the others.  If he is looking into getting into the Business world and has an aptitude for numbers its a great field to get into.

I myself work in IT on the Operations side of the house.  Plenty of work and decent pay doing what I do but it also has its downside.  Lots of off hour and weekend work.  But if you get with the right company it can be very rewarding both from a life style and financial perspective.

The medical professions will always be in need.  Not just doctors, but nurses, therapists, sports medicine, etc.   

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY.

BOB

Youth sports parent therapist.  Could be very lucrative!

Accounting and/or finance are certainly good paths.  If he is more science driven, male nursing and physician's assistant are worth exploring. 

I think that business/accounting a very smart choice for those who have not identified their passion - just about every profession has a business foundation beneath it.  However, I think trying to find that passion is key. 

I have three kids with three totally different personalities and interests and none of them would be happy in an accounting related job.

Though some say it's getting too saturated, STEM fields are still big.

After much research and indecision, my (non-baseball playing) 2015 is entering UCSB as a chemical engineering major, and I think his potential is unlimited.

Math degrees?  Or do they have to be coupled with another field of study?

My son looked at statistics as a major and there are a lot of career ops there.  Math in general does have career opportunities in govt (ie intellegence) and software, though they usually need to know how to code as well.  Math majors remain in demand as teachers, unlike many other majors.

Yes, math (statistics!) degrees are great..IMO.  Teaches one to naturally think analytically, regardless of field of study.  Also, everything today, in just about any field/industry, is about analytics and "Big Data".  Just yesterday I read an article entitled, "Data is the New Middle Manager", one needs to know what to do with all of that data.  No, it does not need to be coupled with another field.  Also, to be clear about my initial post, accounting is a great field to study, REGARDLESS if one is ever employed as an accountant.

Engineering.

You can springboard to virtually anything with that as your undergrad degree.

Totally Agree! Get an engineering (especially Electrical or Computer) degree from any reputable school, head to Silicon Valley (or any tech hub) and the job offers will likely flow. (Engineering is a grind, of course!).

re: accounting

Whenever I go to continuing education, there are very few people under the age of 40 in the room.  Seems like there should even more oppourtity as these people retire.

It can be hard to learn all the regulatory requirement's however the basic concept is a simple algebra equation.  You don't need to know advance calculus. 

Many schools don't offer accounting specific majors but most students can get pretty close to what they need with a general business or econ degree, depending upon the courses offered by the school.  i.e. UCB is the only UC that has a business school, but CPA firms hire econ majors from UCLA, UCD etc every day. Sometimes we even hire a math major.

My daughter (softball) majored in forensic science with minors in criminology and French. She actually majored in being Inspector Clousseau. She's now in law school. My son's major is economics with a concentration in quantitative analytics.

I've always believed a BSBA in Marketing or Finance are good degrees that aren't excessively challenging if the student has aptitude for them.

I'm so agreeable today!   Here, too, I agree, and you make a great point.  What you lay out above is why a student can go to a strong liberal arts school (many of which do not offer accounting or finance or even business majors), take a strong mix of accounting, econ and math and be more than ready to excel in the business world.

Plan A: Marry a smart, attractive and wealthy girlfriend.  My best friend did this and he is happy as a clam.   He plays many weekly rounds of golf year round.  ;-)

Plan B :

1) Accounting/Finance

2) Software Developer

3) Engineer

4) RN or LPN

5) Web Marketing/Web Designer/Cyber Security

As always, JMO.

Good plans.  But note that 1, 3,  and 4 almost always require degrees in their fields.  2 and 5 can be HS dropouts if they are good.

There's no helping them 

Great discussion so far.  I knew mining this board would prove useful.  Keep posting, please!

My 2015 son made the decision to major in Business early on, but he wasn't sure about choosing a major. He spoke to professionals in Finance, Investment Banking, Banking, Insurance, Accounting, Law, and of course the faculty where he will attend college. Every one of them recommended Accounting for an undergraduate degree. His initial reaction was that he didn't want to be an accountant, but they all assured him that many (if not most) accounting majors don't end up with a career as an accountant.

Of course, he may change his major in a year or two, but at least he has an plan to get started.

This just in: as a result of this thread, the number of accounting majors has doubled, there are 20 applicants for every job and salaries are down 20%.

Don't forget that the person's personality has to be a good fit for the major as well.  There are some people that will loose their mind being at a desk all day, every day.  Others that like the routine and uniformity that kind of atmosphere supplies.

Teachers will always be needed, and the male teacher seems to be a rare commodity that will make him stand out...that is if he has a kid friendly demeanor.

Law enforcement of a forensic nature is also on the rise, but not like CSI, think more like a forensic accountant, or a forensic computer guru.  Major in criminal justice and minor in a desired discipline.

Friends of mine who have recently graduated law school are finding it very difficult to get a job.  While chemistry seems to be making a comeback, both pharmaceutical formulation and quality control.  And pharmacists in general seem to be in high demand.

Math and sciences were in demand and continue to be. I saw a survey where most occupations in demand at the top (mathematician/statistician/actuary) are math-related. Some early poster suggested health-related industry demand which is true as well especially with new health care laws and aging society. My kid sister who was a college softball CF had it right when she majored in bio and statistics. She coupled the education unto a bio-statistician position at a major hospital. .

Accounting is one of the top majors for FBI agents.

Good jobs as a lawyer are tough right now unless the student is at a quality law school and near the top of the class. Like any profession it's smart to build connections before graduating. 

Learn to write extremely well, speak and present powerfully and eloquently, and think critically and you will do absolutely fine in your career, regardless of major.

Management information systems  half business/ half computer science

Sons friend started out of college at cisco 85,000

If you want more of the business side of technology.

If he likes math, it is a great degree. One of the lowest stress job is actuarial. Insurance companies are always looking for them. There is no pressure it hit certain numbers. The pay is good as well. One warning Though, you have to love numbers. It is a very dry and boring. I know several that left very well paying jobs because of this. But I know others that love it. 

I work in IT as well. But unlike Joe87, I am in build. I get to play with all the new tech in my field. It is very rewarding. 

You beat me Bishop, I was about to post actuarial science as a great math pursuit as well.  Really, any profession in insurance is in high demand.  Not necessarily sales like most people think, I mean company positions at insurance carriers and in the re-insurance industry. 

A degree that requires a higher level of problem solving and longer-term planning.  Engineering, math, chemistry, biology etc   A person who can solve problems is usually in demand.

Software developer

From what I can see, entry level college grads get over $100K salary (bonus extra). Plus most people get multiple offers, and the companies compete to raise up the starting salary and "sign up" bonus even more. Some sign up bonus is approaching minor league signing bonus level

Re: you have to love numbers. I lived with a CPA with a Masters in Taxation. She would come home from work all excited about changes to the tax code. I would pay attention, act interested while thinking, "please make this conversation end."