What is your sons major?

Thank you for this post. It gives people just starting this process something to talk about with our kids. 2018 is leaning toward some type of athletic focused major. There are a lot more than I thought, so we need to do some research to see what exactly that might mean and the best schools to target. I think his overall goal is to do some type of athletic training. Community College is free in our state starting next Fall. That is a big draw for playing at a JC for a year or two and moving on from there.

We were talking recently about the minimum wage and I mentioned to my son that most minor league ball players don't even make minimum wage. He looked at me like I had just grown horns. He said he's not going into professional baseball, he's going to play college ball. At least he is pretty grounded and realistic.

fanofgame posted:

Are those that want to chase baseball not grounded? 

Just curious on some posters thoughts? Lots of new people. 

We use to have great discussions about these types of things

There's not much reward without risk right? I think (i dont know much im a newbie) its the parents role to help make that decision in some way, realistically, you either have potential or you dont and thats where parents need to see things for what they are and not what you wish they would be.

I have changed my opinion on this a bit after watching college ball. If my son was a high first round draft pick as a pitcher I would advise him to go in the draft providing he got a significant bonus. How big? Well that depends on the family but anything north of $800K I would consider, so maybe he might drop into the 2nd round at that level. Now if he was a pitcher and a mid to lower top 5 round I would likely recommend he go to a top school, with a highly regarded pitching program. 

Position player? I would lean toward college unless he was getting significant signing bonus. $1.5M and up. 

The reason is not just about the money but I think pitchers have a higher probability of getting through the minor leagues (with no statistics to back this up....PGStaff? ) Also when a team spends a lot of money on a position player they will likely give them more rope. (pitchers also of course)

Any one else go to college, get an education, have some fun, and if you get drafted then you have to make a decision is it worth the time you would not be developing your skills in the workplace. 

As always JMO. 

Go44dad posted:

RJM posted:

If you polled freshmen from Power Five conference teams plus the top teams from other conferences you would probably find 90% of the players believe they will be turning pro. After freshman year reality may have bitten them in the rear. My son said from the beginning he didn't want to be single A roster filler for two years. But if his prospects were better he's in.

Not gonna pull as many chicks saying you are going to focus on accounting.  This is coming from a guy with an accounting degree.

I'm not sure those are the types of "chicks" you want your son to attract. 

fanofgame posted:

My son already finished with all this. And into starting his work career.

He was very driven in baseball and many said he never good enough to play D1.Even I tried to diminish his dream. 

He did play D 1 got about 80 percent paid for in Private Pac 12 school and played two seasons of minor league ball. 

Passion is passion . I believe people should dream big and work hard . 

He is just fine and working towards getting into masters program. 

The experiences he had and places he played, friends hes made  no price tag

 

 

 

 Who said he wasnt good enough? Did you think that as well or only because of what the others said?

fanofgame posted:

Are those that want to chase baseball not grounded? 

Just curious on some posters thoughts? Lots of new people. 

We use to have great discussions about these types of things

That's not what I was implying at all. I think dreams are great. But a healthy dose of reality is also good. Playing college ball is his dream right now. I think that's a pretty lofty dream for a 15 year old. I think it shows maturity that he realizes where he fits at this point in his journey. He says that getting drafted would be cool, but playing in college is important right now. His dream has him playing college ball at some of the most competitive schools in the country. Do I think he has D1 potential? Well, it really doesn't matter what I think. It's what he can prove to the people that do matter. He's still young and has a lot of hard work ahead of him. If going to a JC to develop more helps him meet his goal, then so be it. FWIW (probably not much coming from his mom  ), he genuinely is one of the hardest working kids I know. He's been recognized as such by multiple high school coaches and teammates. If he puts in the work (which is does), then I hope he can reach his goals.  

Does his dream seem realistic? I don't know, but I haven't dashed those dreams. As a parent, it's my job to offer alternatives and have these frank discussions with him, but ultimately it's his choice. We've always told him to find something that he really wants to do, in a place that he really likes and go for it. If his dream changes in the next couple of years, that's fine too.

I still think there are lots of great conversations happening on this site. Even with all the newbies. I'm here to learn how best to help my son navigate this time in his life. So many parents are clueless about this process and my goal was to become educated, so I could help educate him and allow him to make the best decision for himself.

lionbaseball posted:

Go44dad posted:

RJM posted:

If you polled freshmen from Power Five conference teams plus the top teams from other conferences you would probably find 90% of the players believe they will be turning pro. After freshman year reality may have bitten them in the rear. My son said from the beginning he didn't want to be single A roster filler for two years. But if his prospects were better he's in.

Not gonna pull as many chicks saying you are going to focus on accounting.  This is coming from a guy with an accounting degree.

I'm not sure those are the types of "chicks" you want your son to attract. 

I don't block anyone. But I do tune out your self righteousness and religious extremes.

fanofgame posted:

Sounds like your son will do well in whatever he goes after.

just giving food for thought not directed at anyone specific.Sorry for typing.Just had rotator cuff surgery so one handed for six weeks.

ouch!  feel better.

The bottom line is everybody's experience will be difference.   Some people can do time consuming majors.  Some cannot.  The reasons for success, and failure, are tremendously varied.  So, I wouldn't get too caught up in other people's experiences.

However, if he is thinking about PT or OT I would suggest a little more research.  I may be wrong, but I don't think it is possible to do either in 4 years.  I think PT is a 4 year BS followed by a graduate degree, UNLESS you're involved in some sort of combined program, which may shave a year off.  Son's best friend went to Ithaca College, which I thinks has a combined program.  Daughter considered PT school after getting BS  in Biology.  She ended up going to med school, but according to her, PT schools are pretty darned competitive.  

Don't sweat it too much mom.  He/you will figure it out.  "Not all who wander are lost."  ;-)

TPM posted:

fanofgame posted:

Sounds like your son will do well in whatever he goes after.

just giving food for thought not directed at anyone specific.Sorry for typing.Just had rotator cuff surgery so one handed for six weeks.

ouch!  feel better.

Yes, feel better soon. You are typing better with one hand than I sometimes do with two.

PT  usu major in exercise science or biology. Then they move on to grad program. Yes it's competitive, as is dental schools, any other medical field. My son has a great GPA so not really worried at this time. 

The whole post was to discuss majors and share both positive/negative experiences  as son chooses a major and tries to play baseball at same time. Hopefully we ll learn from others and use w our sons to help guide them to find their way.

thanks all

Any one's baseball son majoring in Computer Science? As an industry insider I know it offers plenty of job opportunities and great pay (at least for now). However, I'm not sure if it's too hard a major for baseball players, since it does require a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and a "nerd" reputation.

Bogeyorpar posted:

Any one's baseball son majoring in Computer Science? As an industry insider I know it offers plenty of job opportunities and great pay (at least for now). However, I'm not sure if it's too hard a major for baseball players, since it does require a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and a "nerd" reputation.

Son will graduate this spring with B.S. in information systems with certificates in web development and networking.  Will also take an exam for a private certification in cybersecurity, which is the field he intends to pursue and which seems to offer a lot of opportunity right now.

Time in front of computer hasn't been a problem with baseball--he can write code on bus trips. But I have heard complaints about how time consuming group projects can be when everyone's contribution has to work together in a functioning application.

playball2011 posted:

PT  usu major in exercise science or biology. Then they move on to grad program. Yes it's competitive, as is dental schools, any other medical field. My son has a great GPA so not really worried at this time. 

The whole post was to discuss majors and share both positive/negative experiences  as son chooses a major and tries to play baseball at same time. Hopefully we ll learn from others and use w our sons to help guide them to find their way.

thanks all

Playball2011,

I agree 100% with MTH.  It is tough to look at others and compare to your son's situation and know for certain.  I'll be totally honest with you, I had very serious reservations about my son's situation (engineering and college baseball).  We had some very serious and direct conversations about this topic at the dinner table during my son's junior year in high school.  My wife and I were concerned about his ability to prioritize, organize, and manage his time while in high school.  We did not think D1 college baseball and engineering was such a great idea.  Fast forward a few years, and we could not have been more wrong about our son's ability to prioritize, organize and manage his time because he had never been challenged to do so in high school.  Something clicked in him in college, something we didn't see in the previous 18 years.  

We did find a situation that gave him the greatest opportunity to excel in both areas.  It was a D1 that played 42 games per year (4 games on the weekend), and he is a pitcher.  As a former college athlete, I had some ideas about the time commitment required for a student athlete but no clue about time requirements for engineering.  My son was adamant about his major, but we found some flexibility with the programs that were interested in him and did our best to match them.  There were engineering majors on the baseball team but that alone is not a sure fire way to evaluate future success or failure.  So, we dropped him off at college and crossed our fingers.  His backup plan was to remain at his college but drop baseball if he struggled academically.  A simple yet effective backup strategy.  It never came to that.  So, again I totally agree with MTH on this.  Research the heck out of the major and everything else.  But at the end of the day, you will find it is up to your son to do what he needs to do in the classroom and on the baseball field.  Yes, it is a leap of faith and many of us have been through it.  It is not easy, and I know exactly where you are coming from.  Good luck!

Swampboy posted:

Bogeyorpar posted:

Any one's baseball son majoring in Computer Science? As an industry insider I know it offers plenty of job opportunities and great pay (at least for now). However, I'm not sure if it's too hard a major for baseball players, since it does require a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and a "nerd" reputation.

Son will graduate this spring with B.S. in information systems with certificates in web development and networking.  Will also take an exam for a private certification in cybersecurity, which is the field he intends to pursue and which seems to offer a lot of opportunity right now.

Time in front of computer hasn't been a problem with baseball--he can write code on bus trips. But I have heard complaints about how time consuming group projects can be when everyone's contribution has to work together in a functioning application.

Congrats!

Yes, I forgot that technology has made it possible to work on computer lab projects anywhere. The $500 laptop today is more powerful than the huge computers we used to work on in the 80s and 90s. And the 4G LTE and Skype made it possible to collaborate with friends while riding the bus too. My kid already do this -- his "group study" session now just means everyone gets on Skype group chat.