Most Useful Degree

1. Engineering
2. Accounting
3. Marketing

These are general areas with best job prospects.

Whatever your major, minor in a foreign language: I recommend Chinese or Spanish.

You might also consider a military career. Look into Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC.

Good morning Jasaro,

You might as well study something you love, because if you wind up working 8 hours a day at something you hate, why bother?

Why do you want to move to St. Thomas? A ton is going to change in your life in the next four years (really, even if you don't believe it will). If we understand what's motivating you to make the move, we might be able to advise you better.

I think its admirable that you are asking this question...college should be about finding something you enjoy BUT can also make money at. I don't understand why public instutitions offer degrees in subjects that leave people with huge student loans and no opportunity for employment (other than teaching the subject that they majored in). I have way too many friends who regret their choice of studies in college because they turned out to be completely impractical in the real world.

To share my experience, I majored in communications (TV Production) which I knew had limited financial possibilities. So I minored in computer science. I currently create computer software for Television stations...a great mix of the two skills. I would highly encourage you to blend the practical (engineering/computer science) with something you are passionate about.

College is a great time. It is one of the easiest times of your adult life. Class is only 3 hours per day, so even if you study 5 hours a day you are only doing a 40 hour week. You get to focus on learning, both about the world and about yourself. It is an opportunity you won't ever get again. I would encourage you to embrace it and enjoy it!

Sean

You might think about a career which is in demand and does well in good times and bad, and which cannot be done from China or India. Eg: Anything healthcare-related. If you want to be able to live and work in any number of countries, become a nurse. You will be in demand world-wide.

Google "recession proof jobs" and "best careers" etc. for ideas.

Also consider whether you want to be able to work for yourself, or from home, vs. tied to an employer or an office. That may affect your choices.

If you stay in the US, I'd learn Spanish. It will always be useful here.

I also suggest learning some things they might not teach you in school: Personal success, tax laws, basic business knowledge, retirement planning, people skills. There are good books out there.

Yes, definitely make the most of college... work hard and play hard. It's as much about navigating the social world and making interpersonal connections as it is about academics. I know people who landed a fantastic job because of an old college friend... sure, they had the right degree for the job, but so did a lot of other people. Not that academics aren't important... I would even recommend double majoring if you can. And I agree with Edward.... knowing a foreign language is huge. (And knowing the right foreign language is important. I studied French in college, and although I enjoyed it, I haven't used it since I left because I now live in the southwest, where everyone speaks Spanish. I've picked up a ton of Spanish through daily interactions at work, but it would have been nice to be fluent.)

There's a lot to be said for doing what you love, but unfortunately, it's impractical to take that to the extreme. Of course, don't do something you hate... find some middle ground. You have to find something that you enjoy that will also make money. I think you're probably better off majoring in something that isn't quite your exact passion than just doing what's most fun. It's easier to tweak a not-so-fun major into a fun job than it is to turn a fun major into a money-making job, unless you're extremely good at it and lucky (or happen to love something that's very practical). In fact, it always seemed to me like the tougher majors led to the cooler jobs. I know a chemistry major who works from home, an accountant who gets paid to testify for a law firm, a biology major who is now a physician, a computer engineer who designs video games, etc.

Don't focus all of your energy on STT. As fdr said, your life will change in huge ways in the next 4 years, and your goals might change, so aim for something that will serve you well on the mainland as well as on STT. What if you get married and she can't move her career to STT? What if a close relative gets sick and you need to be nearby to help them? What if you simply change your mind? Just don't burn any bridges.

Sorry to repeat what others have said, but sometimes it helps to hear the same thing from different people. 🙂

I would add to the list of career fields to pursue: education and healthcare.

Also, there is a good chance that you will eventually end up in a job that is unrelated to your area of study. And just a few years after college, your formal education may be of little interest to anybody, and your prior work experience will be more important.

Funny story: I have degrees in Computer Science. Although I still work in that field, I have used very little of my formal education at work. I learned most of what I needed on the job, or I taught it to myself as needed.

Overall, I would say go to the very best small, liberal-arts college you can get into. You will get a broad-based education that will teach you how to think and how to reason through problems. That was the advice I got from my parents (both now PhDs) and the advice I gave our son (soon to begin graduate school). None of us had a "specialized" undergraduate degree, but none of us ever had a problem getting a job, because prospective employers saw we knew how to think. That said, there aren't many employers in the VI looking to hire BAs in the humanities or social sciences.

For a moving forum, there seems to be an awful lot of experts here in guidance counseling. :@)

Jasaro,,,After you graduate from college in whatever career you decide that will make you happy and rich,I VERY highly suggest you convince yourself and your parents to help you ($$$$) TO TRAVEL. Some very important lessons will be found by traveling these great United States and abroad if you can do it.. since I don't' know what state you live in Please allow me to give you some suggestions. My first stop would be Yellowstone National Park Take a real good look at one of God's great creations.... you will be in awe and amazement and your mind will take a break from school work,..... next stop .......San Fransisco check out that Golden Gate bridge...Now you"ll see what Mankind is capable of Building with sweat ,Ingenuity,and pure determination.... go over to the coastline and see Big Sur with it's massive beautiful hillsides and ocean view....... travel south..... to Los Angelo's .. take a look and keep going...you wont miss a thing......now go to Palm Springs and travel on to the mountains of Arizona ...catch one of the prettiest sunsets you'll ever remember against those red rocks....Travel north to Colorado and the Rockie mountains... find a ski resort and 2 feet of light fluffy powder snow and feel the adrenaline rush of 10,000 feet of mountain........travel thru Kansas..... at a high rate of speed cause it's the same view for 400 miles ,LOL ...now go south to San Antonio and see the Alamo.with its numerous bullet holes in the walls read the story on the monument....and reflect.........now go to Tennessee and visit Gatlinburg,,,see what a tourist trap looks like then head into the Smokie Mountains and feel the early morning cool mist on your face and the birds chirping hello,and a distant camp fire smoke lingering in the air.......All along the way you'll see countless small towns and other things that make this country what it is ..........NOW your final stop will be Arlington National Cemetery ........feel the lump in your throat.....Good that's normal.....Watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and .......REFLECT.......all those crosses mean something.... that YOU a young FREE man is there because of them.... see Jasaro an education comes in different forms.......Good Luck and safe travels......;)

Poorthang, that's excellent advice. There's so much to see and do and learn out there, and much of it is not in a book.
And you're right... although getting a higher education is important, there are a lot of morons who went to college. *-) It is what you make of it!

Fdr, I guess we're all passionate about where we came from and how we got where we are. College or no college, everyone has a story!

As a university professor, I attend many commencement ceremonies. One memorable event bears on jasaro's question.

The graduates all sat in groups according to their majors. At one point, the Liberal Arts majors stood up and started chanting to the Engineers: "Gearheads! Gearheads! Gearheads!" The Engineers then stood up and chanted, "We've got jobs!" "We've got jobs!" Then the Business majors stood up and chanted, "Working for us!" "Working for us!"

Good luck, jasaro!

poorthang, you forgot to mention when traveling through arizona to see The Grand Canyon. i would like to take the rest of your tour if you are offering?

The Grand Canyon... if you choose to be among the 1% of visitors who actually hike down inside it, THEN you'll be in for a real treat. There's lots of other cool stuff in the southwest, too. I had no idea before I moved here... thought it was one big dirt patch with a tumbleweed rolling across. 🙂

Follow your heart. I have never worked one day where my degree mattered

bombi, alot of people say that

Yeah, a fine arts degree and a dollar ............. but the process was unforgettable

speee1dy.....I saw all those places some a couple of times... on a motorcycle !!! by myself....skiing the Rockies was done driving a ford pinto...how unsafe LOL The one thing nobody can take away from you ...are your memories...and reliving them...I thought of a good business model.....It would be called ...One-way tours ..for the elderly or whoever didn't want to come back..Get on a bus or chosen mode of transportation and visit everything you'd ever want to see in your life....when the "tour" was over you'd go to the final campsite (like the old Indians would do) build a fire and wait for death to come for you..... no fuss, no expensive hospital stays,no needles etccc... just wait for the earth to take you... still want to come????LOL I'm not ready to go on that" tour " for many years.. I have enjoyed taking many risks ,was a pilot at 17 yrs old.......done ,glider,hot air balloon (which I highly recommend)and have flown with some crazy pilots who liked to fly under bridges,and a few feet above the water.... have had my share of pain from injury BUT I would not change one thing or place my eyes saw first hand because it was LIFE and it feels good to look back and say ...Hey I did THAT..!!!! Now ladies and gentlemen the captain says take OFF your seat belt were about to land !!!! YEEE HAAWWW:D

poorthang, sound just amazing, im not yet ready for the final tour yet either. i should have done that ( not in a pinto ) before i was married the first time and had a child. i have always wanted to take the route 66 tour.

It's never too late,in my case if I couldn't find someone to go with me I did it anyway ...You meet some very interesting people as well..

thanks for all the advice! sorry it took so long for me to respond to any of this...
fdr, as far as what's motivating me to make the move I have a few major reasons why
1.) I absolutely fell in love with the island when I visited it
2.) It will me a chance to "start life over" far away from family influence, while still having the benefit of living under the US
3.) I'll be able to sail my nautical little heart out

and most importantly 4.) my overall dream in life is to be as close to the Caribbean as I possibly can.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone who posted for their advice and outlook and will be sure to keep this all in mind as I start the education process and use these things as launchpads for my dreams

Hope to join you all one day!

jasaro